Pathology in medical education: Impact on speciality choices and awareness amongst clinical-year students

ABSTRACT Background: Pathology plays a vital role in medical diagnosis and many students are unaware of its significance during their education. The Turkish 6-year curriculum for medicine is divided into preclinical (years 1–3) and clinical (years 4–6) years. Pathology is largely taught in the 3 rd year, and minimal direct exposure is given during clinical training. The final 2 years (5 th and 6 th ) are more important since students focus on the Medical Specialty Examination (Tipta Uzmanlık Sınavı in Turkish, also known as TUS) preparation and gain wide clinical practice. Purpose: The aim of this research was to assess the pathology knowledge and perception of Turkish clinical-year medical students by comparing senior students (5 th and 6 th years) and 4 th -year students. Our findings suggest that students show moderate appreciation of the value of pathology by all groups of students. However, career interest in pathology is low, with large perceptual differences between 4 th -year and final-year students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted amongst 4 th , 5 th and 6 th -year medical students across multiple institutions. One hundred and thirty-six students’ data were collected via an online questionnaire measuring pathology knowledge, interest and perceptions. We used Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U and Z -tests to compare student groups, applying each test based on the data type and suitability. Results: Although most students recognise the importance of pathology, this does not seem to influence their career choices significantly. Senior students (5 th and 6 th years) were more aware of pathology-related procedures but had less visibility of pathology than 4 th -year students. Many students explained their disinterest in pathology by pointing to the limited patient contact and uncertainty brought by artificial intelligence. Conclusion: Better integration of pathology into clinical training could generate greater interest and appreciation for the speciality amongst medical students.