The impact of senior medical students as role models: A cross-sectional study from a medical school in Mauritius

Abstract

Introduction:

All successful people once were an average individual at the beginning of their lives. If you asked how they achieved their goals, you would receive a wide range of answers. The fact that these people had role models will be a pattern found among the responses. The influence of role models on an individual mould the future.  The main aim of this research was to find out whether senior medical students were seen as role models by junior students and the perception of junior medical students towards their seniors as role models at SSR Medical College, Mauritius.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst junior medical students, semester two, three, and four at SSR Medical College. The study took place from August to September 2018. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed to explore how role models were selected and perceived within the medical school.

Results:

The overall response rate of the study was 89.21%. 214 (78.4%) of the students acknowledged that they regarded senior medical students as their role models, as a cohort of 239(87.9%) students agreed that senior medical students give helpful advice; 88.3 % of juniors find the study materials offered by the seniors as a helpful resource.

Conclusion:

A large predominant cohort of the junior medical students acknowledged that senior medical students are their role models. These role models were found to be a vital aid in academics, motivation, counselling, and played a poignant role in sculpting the lives of junior medical students.