The Longitudinal Outcomes of HKU MBBS Students: A 20-year Retrospective Cohort Review

Abstract

Introduction A retrospective cohort review was undertaken to examine the longitudinal outcomes of our MBBS students up to 20 years post-graduation. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with (1) completion of medical school, (2) time to graduation, (3) attainment of specialist qualifications, (4) time to specialization (5) and medical council (MCHK) disciplinary action (6) MCHK de-registration Methods Data was collected on all students admitted into the MBBS program at the University of Hong Kong from 1995-2009. Regression analyses were used to identify the factors associated with medical school graduation, time to graduation, specialization and time to specialization, disciplinary action and de-registration. Factors analyzed included age at admission, gender, and admission scheme (JUPAS vs Non-JUPAS) Findings Mean age of students admitted was 19.2 years old, 38.6% were female with 85.1% entering via the JUPAS admission scheme. Of the 3134 students who were admitted, 95.6% graduated. Average time to graduation was 5.2 years (SD: 0.5). As of July 2017, 28 graduates had received Medical Council disciplinary action and 22 graduates had de-registered. Students who were older at admission and male were more likely to repeat a year of medical school. Of the 2,471 students who graduated prior to 2011, 64.7% had completed a specialist qualification in an average of 8.5 years (SD: 1.9). Graduates who were older at admission, male or JUPAS students took longer to complete their first specialty qualification. Conclusion Most students who entered medical school completed the degree. Female students appear to perform better academically in undergraduate and post-graduate studies in terms of time taken to complete their degrees. Older or male students, particularly those who did not attend a Hong Kong local school were at greatest risk of dropping out of medical school, whilst older or male students were at greatest risk of failing a year of medical school. The number of graduates who received disciplinary action or who de-registered were very low.