An analysis of student essays on medical leadership and its educational implications in South Korea.

To examine medical students' perceptions of leadership and explore their implications for medical leadership education. We conducted a qualitative analysis of the essays submitted by students in the medical leadership course from 2015 to 2019. We categorised the essays by the characteristics of the selected model leaders (N = 563) and types of leadership (N = 605). A statistically significant proportion of students selected leaders who were of the same gender as themselves (P < 0.001), graduate track students chose leaders in science (P = 0.005), while; military track students chose leaders in the military (P < 0.001). Although the highest proportion of students chose politicians as their model leaders (22.7%), this number decreased over time (P < 0.001), and a wider range of occupational groups were represented between 2015 and 2019. Charismatic leadership was the most frequently selected (31.9%), and over time there was a statistically significant (P = 0.004) increase in the selection of transformational leadership. Students tended to choose individuals whose acts of leadership could be seen and applied. Medical leadership education should account for students' changing perceptions and present a feasible leadership model, introducing specific examples to illustrate these leadership skills.

Effects of health education on adolescents' non-cognitive skills, life satisfaction and aspirations, and health-related quality of life: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of health education on adolescents has been questioned, along with a growing body of empirical studies documenting the absence of behavioral changes after the intervention. However, evidence on its impact on other crucial health domains, besides health practices, is lacking. We evaluated the causal effects of a school-based health education program on adolescents' multidimensional psychological health factors. DESIGN: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. METHODS: We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial involving 140 lower secondary schools in Vietnam. After stratifying by district, schools were randomized 1:1 to either treatment or control groups. Students enrolled in the treatment schools received monthly stand-alone health education in five topics by school teachers at the class level, but control group students did not receive any intervention. The primary outcomes of the study were students' non-cognitive skills, life satisfaction, aspirations gap, and the Health-Related Quality of Life at five-month follow-up. We estimated the intention-to-treat effects with the panel fixed effects model using student panel data. RESULTS: Of the 6,477 students enrolled at baseline, 2,958 (92%) treated and 2,967 (91%) control students completed the follow-up survey five months after baseline data collection from October to December 2018. Compared with controls, health education led to improved treatment school students' self-efficacy (p-value = 0.013), presumed life satisfaction five years from the present (p-value = 0.001), aspirations gap for a socially and mentally healthy future (p-value = 0.036), and the Health-Related Quality of Life (p-value = 0.036). CONCLUSION: A school-based health education program enhanced students' non-cognitive skills, life satisfaction and aspirations gap, and the Health-Related Quality of Life significantly. This study proposes essential psychological factors that should be taken into account when evaluating the effectiveness of a health education program in resource-limited settings.

Is accreditation in medical education in Korea an opportunity or a burden?

The accreditation process is both an opportunity and a burden for medical schools in Korea. The line that separates the two is based on how medical schools recognize and utilize the accreditation process. In other words, accreditation is a burden for medical schools if they view the accreditation process as merely a formal procedure or a means to maintain accreditation status for medical education. However, if medical schools acknowledge the positive value of the accreditation process, accreditation can be both an opportunity and a tool for developing medical education. The accreditation process has educational value by catalyzing improvements in the quality, equity, and efficiency of medical education and by increasing the available options. For the accreditation process to contribute to medical education development, accrediting agencies and medical schools must first be recognized as partners of an educational alliance working together towards common goals. Secondly, clear guidelines on accreditation standards should be periodically reviewed and shared. Finally, a formative self-evaluation process must be introduced for institutions to utilize the accreditation process as an opportunity to develop medical education. This evaluation system could be developed through collaboration among medical schools, academic societies for medical education, and the accrediting authority.