[Norwegian medical students abroad--background, effort and satisfaction]

Abstract

Background: More than 30% of Norwegian physicians have graduated from medical schools outside Norway, and the number of Norwegian students that attend medical schools abroad is increasing, particularly in Hungary, Poland and the Czech republic. It is of interest to know more about these future Norwegian doctors: where they come from, and how they cope with studying abroad.

Material and methods: A postal survey was carried out among all 1,198 Norwegian medical students that were in the files of the State Education Loan Fund by August 1998. There were 756 responses (63%). The questions covered reasons for going abroad, academic and non-academic outcome, satisfaction, specialty and job preferences, possible motives for career choices, personality traits, smoking status and alcohol use. Comparable data were available from previous studies of medical students in Norway.

Results: The social background of students abroad is similar to that of students at home, and their high school grade level is only slightly below. The main reasons for studying abroad is that they were not admitted at a Norwegian university and have a strong wish of becoming a doctor. Language, financial situation, and a number of pragmatic reasons determine which country to go to, choice of university is often incidental. Students abroad spend more time on their studies than students at home do. They are generally satisfied with the academic quality, but satisfaction with how the study is organised is lower in Central and Eastern-European countries.

Interpretation: Norwegians who are highly motivated but excluded from Norwegian universities increasingly attend medical schools abroad and are by and large satisfied with the quality of the curriculum.