National report on students commencing medical school in New Zealand in 2015-2019

Abstract

The Medical Schools Outcomes Database and Longitudinal Tracking Project (MSOD) is an on-going collaborative longitudinal study that is conducted under the auspices of Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ). The project has been operating since 2005. In New Zealand, data are collected directly from students at entry to medical school (Year 2 in New Zealand), through the Commencing Medical Students Questionnaire (CMSQ); at the end of their final year of medical school, through the Exit Questionnaire (EQ); and one, three, and five years after completion of their medical studies (PGY1, PGY3, PGY5). From 2019 onwards, surveys will also be conducted eight years after graduating from medical school (PGY8). Information on student placements and electives is collected directly from medical schools throughout the duration of the programme. The purpose is to gain better understanding of the factors that influence career choices throughout the continuum of training. Such questions will be answerable once the longitudinal data collection has followed enough students into their early postgraduate years where they make career choices. This report presents summary data from the 2015-2019 CMSQ for University of Auckland and University of Otago medical students.