When medical students go off the rails

doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7376.1364

BMJ 2002;325:1364 ( 7 December )

Letters

When medical students go off the rails

Lack of continuity from admission to postgraduate career is a problem

In New York standards are set and tools for help given at start of medical school

Lack of continuity from admission to postgraduate career is a problem

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ The editorial by Rubin highlights a difficult and complex subject, not least because a medical student can go off therails in many ways and for many reasons.¹

Our experience at Imperial College with students who have failed their exams is that many of them have had major problemsin their non-academic lives and need help coping with them. Whatis sad, but probably not surprising, is how few have tried toobtain help when the difficulties started or their work becameaffected. Of course these are not the students that Rubin wasconsidering, although those who misbehave often, although notalways, do badlyacademically.

The fitness to practice procedures that most medical schools are setting up are an important step forward. Obtaining evidencethat is defensible will be more of a challenge. Often it is anumber of small events that should set the alarm bells ringing.. . . [Full text of this article]