ERIC Number: EJ1327754
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Feb
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Is Organic Chemistry Helpful for Basic Understanding of Disease and Medical Education?
Dixson, Linnea; Pomales, Briana; Hashemzadeh, Mehrtash; Hashemzadeh, Mehnroosh
Journal of Chemical Education, v99 n2 p688-693 Feb 2022
The objective of this study is to determine current medical students' perspective on the importance of Organic Chemistry in premedical curriculum, or if they see more benefit in a taking a different course. Previous literature has focused on premedical students, but the current study focuses on current medical students. A qualtrics survey was sent to points of contact for medical schools asking about the utility of Organic Chemistry in undergraduate premedical curriculum. Current students included first through fourth year medical students at U.S. allopathic and osteopathic programs. All age ranges, genders. and ethnicities present in the medical school population could volunteer to participate and complete the survey. The survey opened in June of 2020 and closed on April 1, 2021. As a result, 566 students from 46 medical schools responded to the survey. The majority of medical students (54.9%) stated that Organic Chemistry helped to prepare their critical thinking skills. Ivy League students valued the course more than their non-ivy counterparts (66.7% vs 46.3%; p = 0.027), and allopathic students valued the course more than osteopathic students (49.4% vs 40.0%; p = 0.042). Based on our survey, Organic Chemistry improves critical thinking skills during medical education, suggesting that Organic Chemistry should remain a part of the undergraduate premedical curriculum. Creating a health-science-oriented Organic Chemistry course may increase its value.
Descriptors: Organic Chemistry, Medical Education, Undergraduate Study, Medical Students, Student Attitudes, Critical Thinking, Educational Benefits, College Science
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A

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