Abstract
-
Objectives: This study explored the experiences of medical students
enrolled in an elective course titled "Healthcare Innovation and
Women's Ventures II" at Ewha Womans University College of
Medicine. The research questions were as follows: First, what motivated medical
students to participate in the experiential entrepreneurship course? Second,
what experiences did the students have during the course? Third, what changes
did the students undergo as a result of the course?
Methods: Focus group interviews were conducted with six medical
students who participated in the experiential entrepreneurship course from
February 13 to 23, 2024.
Results: The analysis identified three domains, seven categories,
and 17 subcategories. In terms of motivations for enrolling in the experiential
entrepreneurship course, two categories were identified: "existing
interest" and "new exploration." With respect to the
experiences gained from the course, three categories emerged: "cognitive
experiences," "emotional experiences," and
"behavioral experiences." Finally, two categories were identified
concerning the changes participants experienced through the course:
"changes related to entrepreneurship" and "changes related
to career paths."
Conclusion: Students were motivated to enroll in this course by both
their existing interests and their desire to explore new areas. Following the
course, they underwent cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes. Their
perceptions of entrepreneurship and career paths were significantly altered.
This study is important because it explores the impact of entrepreneurship
education in medical schools from the students' perspective.
-
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Focus groups; Medical students; Motivation; Republic of Korea
Introduction
Background
In 2013, the Korean government launched the Five-Year Plan for University
Entrepreneurship Education, marking it as a national project under the
leadership of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future
Planning, and the Small and Medium Business Administration. This initiative
highlighted the importance of industry-academia collaboration and
entrepreneurship education through the Leaders in Industry-University
Cooperation project [
1]. By recognizing
creativity in entrepreneurship education, there is an enhancement in
students' engagement with their work, which in turn positively affects
their self-efficacy [
2]. Programs that
focus on case studies, including entrepreneurial mentoring and consulting, offer
students valuable indirect entrepreneurial experiences that positively shape
their entrepreneurial intentions [
3,
4].
Entrepreneurship education in medical schools is notably scarce, contrasting with
the broader trend in general education. Entering medical school generally
implies a commitment to pursuing a career as a physician, which means that
medical students experience a distinct process of career exploration and
transition compared to their peers in other university programs [
5]. Given that the career exploration and
choices of medical students profoundly affect their personal fulfillment [
6], job satisfaction [
7], and overall professional life [
8], it is crucial to offer sufficient opportunities for such
education during their medical school years. Unfortunately, research on
entrepreneurship education within medical schools is virtually nonexistent.
This study examined the experiences of students enrolled in the
"Healthcare Innovation and Women’s Ventures II" course, a
free elective practicum offered at Ewha Womans University College of Medicine.
The research questions addressed in this study are as follows: First, what
motivated medical students to participate in this practice-based
entrepreneurship course? Second, what positive experiences did medical students
gain from the course? Third, what changes occurred in the medical students as a
result of their participation in the course?
Methods
Ethics statement
The students' informed consent was obtained when conducting the
survey.
Research team and reflexivity
Personal characteristics of the research team
Interviewer/facilitator: Somi Jeong.
Credentials: Ph.D.
Occupation: Special appointed professor at Ewha Medical Education Center.
Gender: Female.
Experience and training: The researcher who conducted the interviews has a
Ph.D. in education and extensive experience in qualitative research,
including focus group interviews (FGIs) and consensual qualitative
research.
Relationship with participants
The relationship established: The researcher conducting the interviews
explained the research beforehand.
Participant knowledge of the interviewer: The researcher's
affiliation, methods, and objectives of this study.
Interviewer characteristics: A homogeneous group interested in
entrepreneurship education.
Study design
Theoretical framework
This study is a qualitative analysis conducted through FGIs with medical
students who participated in a practice-based entrepreneurship course. Given
the focus on the experiences of medical students in this course, there was a
lack of prior research and established measurement tools. Therefore, the
researchers decided that FGIs would be the most suitable method, as the
topic centered on the students' experiences of change through their
participation in the entrepreneurship course. The study is reported in
accordance with the COREQ statement (
https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/coreq/).
Participant selection
Medical students enrolled in the practice-based entrepreneurship course were
informed about the study to facilitate participant recruitment. Considering
that the ideal participant count for an FGI ranges from 6 to 10 [
9], we enrolled six fourth-year students
from E-Medical School. These students had selected the practice-based
entrepreneurship course as a free elective practicum and expressed
willingness to participate in the study. Consequently, all students who took
part in the practice-based entrepreneurship course were included in this
study, totaling six participants. The characteristics of the research
participants are presented in
Table
1.
Table 1.The characteristics of the research participants
|
Participants |
Age |
Decision to enroll |
Previous experience with program
development |
Previous experience with virtual
reality |
|
Student 1 |
25 |
Independent |
No |
Yes |
|
Student 2 |
25 |
Independent |
No |
No |
|
Student 3 |
24 |
Recommendation by a mentor |
No |
No |
|
Student 4 |
29 |
Independent |
No |
No |
|
Student 5 |
25 |
Independent |
No |
No |
|
Student 6 |
26 |
Recommendation by a mentor |
No |
No |
Setting
The entrepreneurship course at Ewha Womans University College of Medicine,
introduced in 2022, includes a theoretical class titled "Healthcare
Innovation and Women’s Ventures I" and a hands-on practicum
titled "Healthcare Innovation and Women’s Ventures II."
During the practicum, students visited VRAD, a medical venture company, from
February 13 to 23, 2024. There, they engaged in an educational program that
employed virtual reality (VR) simulations for the treatment of severe trauma
patients. The students actively contributed to the development process by
offering feedback and suggesting improvements to the program (
Fig. 1).
Fig. 1.Medical students participating in the practice-based
entrepreneurship course, (A) visiting companies that develop medical
content using virtual reality (VR) technology and engaging in the
development process, and (B) experiencing the developed content in
an actual lecture.
Data collection
To develop the research and interview questions, two researchers initially
crafted a set of questions (Dataset 1) focused on the central research themes.
These questions were then reviewed and approved by the other researchers
involved in the study.
Prior to the interviews, students received detailed information about the
study, including its objectives and methods. They consented to participate
in the research and agreed to have their data recorded. The data collection
interviews were held in the last week of February 2024, immediately
following the conclusion of the entrepreneurship course. These interviews
adhered to a structured format, utilizing a guide with open-ended questions.
At the start of each interview, participants were informed about the
research purpose, the expected duration, the recording of data, and the
confidentiality of the interview contents. They were also made aware of
their right to withdraw from the study at any time and assured of their
autonomy throughout the interview process. The interviews were conducted by
two researchers, Somi Jeong and So Hyun Ahn, who took notes on key points
discussed. Each interview lasted about one hour. Following the interviews,
the recordings were transcribed verbatim to produce the final dataset (Dataset 1).
Data analysis
The analysis was based on transcribed verbatim records and notes taken during the
interviews. Initially, one researcher extracted meaningful data from these raw
materials. Subsequently, two researchers, Somi Jeong and So Hyun Ahn, convened
to discuss the analysis procedure and key considerations. Following this, they
independently extracted secondary meaningful data. The researchers later
reconvened to cross-verify the secondary data, review the categorizations, and
reach a consensus. An external reviewer then examined the derived content. To
ensure the validity of the analysis content and process, the research was
evaluated using the method proposed by Hoyt and Bhati [
10].
Results
Based on FGIs conducted to explore medical students' experiences in a
practice-based entrepreneurship course, three domains, seven categories, and 17
subcategories emerged. The identified domains were motivation for participating in
the course, experiences gained through participation, and changes experienced as a
result of participation. Within the domain of motivation for participation, two
categories emerged: "existing interest" and "new
exploration." In the domain of experiences gained through participation,
three categories were identified: "cognitive experiences,"
"emotional experiences," and "behavioral experiences."
Two categories emerged in the domain of changes experienced through participation:
"changes related to entrepreneurship" and "changes related to
career." The details are presented in
Table
2. Students' precise responses can be found in Supplement 1.
Table 2. Group interview results regarding participation in the hands-on
entrepreneurship class
|
Categories |
Classification 1 |
Classification 2 |
|
Motivation |
Existing interest |
To acquire knowledge |
|
To acquire practical information |
|
New exploration |
To expand possibilities for various career
paths |
|
Experience |
Cognitive experiences |
Thinking from a consumer-centric
perspective |
|
Learning about the effects of VR in
medical education |
|
An understanding of the convergence of
medicine and cutting-edge technology |
|
The need for doctors to participate in
research |
|
Emotional experiences |
“It’s amazing that VR is
being applied to medical education.” |
|
“I was confused because the VR
operation did not work as expected.” |
|
“I felt regret that I was ignorant
of technologies applied to the medical field.” |
|
Behavioral experiences |
Discussing better VR development with
colleagues |
|
Seeking feedback on the experience from
the user’s perspective |
|
Change experienced |
Entrepreneurship |
Gaining a deeper understanding of
entrepreneurship |
|
“I want to try starting a
business.” |
|
Searching for medical venture
companies |
|
Becoming interested in school/hospital
startup support/industry-academia collaboration |
|
Career |
Discovering the potential for various
career paths |
|
“It served as an opportunity to
think about incorporating cutting-edge medicine into medical
education.” |
Discussion
Key results
The results yielded three domains, seven categories, and 17 subcategories. The
seven emerging categories are as follows: "existing interest" and
"new exploration" concerning motivations for participation;
"cognitive experiences," "emotional experiences,"
and "behavioral experiences" in relation to the experiences
gained; and "changes related to entrepreneurship" and
"changes related to career paths" regarding the changes
experienced.
Interpretation and comparison with previous studies
First, two categories emerged regarding motivation for participating in the
practical entrepreneurship class: "pre-existing interest" and
"new exploration." Specifically, within the "pre-existing
interest" category, subcategories such as "acquiring knowledge
about the entrepreneurship process" and "gaining practical
information about entrepreneurship" were identified. These motivations
reflect a desire to deepen one's experience in entrepreneurship, aligning
with Houle’s classification of educational program participation motives,
which include goal-oriented and learning-oriented motives [
11]. In the "new exploration" category, the
subcategory "expanding the possibilities for various careers" was
identified, indicating that medical students were seeking opportunities to
explore diverse career paths beyond traditional clinical practice. These
findings align with the objectives of general entrepreneurship education
programs, which aim to enhance career exploration and development capabilities
[
12,
13].
Second, three categories of experiences gained from participating in the
practical entrepreneurship class were identified: "cognitive
experience," "emotional experience," and "behavioral
experience." Under "cognitive experience," subcategories
including "thinking from a consumer-centric perspective,"
"learning about the effectiveness of VR in medical education,"
"understanding the integration of medicine and advanced
technology," and "contemplating the necessity of doctors'
participation in research" were highlighted. This finding indicates that
participants developed an understanding of the role of doctors in the digital
healthcare market from a managerial perspective by engaging in the actual
operations of startup companies. In the "emotional experience"
category, subcategories such as "amazement at the application of VR in
medical education," "frustration with operating VR," and
"regret over lack of knowledge about technologies used in the medical
field" were noted. These results suggest that the innovations in the
medical field, though closely related and previously unconsidered, made a
significant emotional impact on the participants. Under "behavioral
experience," subcategories like "discussing better VR development
with peers" and "providing feedback from a user's
perspective" were identified. These indicate that participants had
opportunities to develop team-building and communication skills, which are
crucial components of entrepreneurship [
14,
15].
Third, two categories emerged in the area of change experienced through
participation in the practical entrepreneurship class: "changes related
to entrepreneurship" and "changes related to career path."
Within the "changes related to entrepreneurship" category,
subcategories such as "deepening understanding of
entrepreneurship," "increasing desire to try
entrepreneurship," "investigating medical venture
companies," and "gaining interest in entrepreneurship support and
industry-academia collaboration by schools/hospitals" were identified.
These findings suggest that entrepreneurship education encourages students to
apply their knowledge, thereby enhancing their self-efficacy and motivation,
which may lead to entrepreneurial intent [
16]. Additionally, under the "changes related to career
path" category, subcategories including "discovering the
possibility of various careers beyond clinical medicine" and
"considering the integration of advanced medical technologies into
medical education" were identified. This indicates that students were
broadening their perspectives and thought processes, moving beyond textbook
knowledge to consider real-world applications of medicine.
A few limitations and recommendations from this study should be noted. First, the
entrepreneurship class focused on a limited selection of companies. Future
iterations should include a broader range of experiences, incorporating diverse
contents and technologies, to improve entrepreneurship education. Second, the
study was confined to fourth-year medical students. There is a need for broader
educational interventions at various stages of the medical school curriculum,
along with an analysis of their effectiveness. Third, unlike previous studies,
the research topic here was explored through qualitative research rather than
being grounded in a theoretical framework. To further understand the impact and
implications of entrepreneurship classes in medical schools, additional
quantitative research is necessary.
Conclusion
Medical students were drawn to this course by both their existing interests and a
desire for new exploration. Following the course, students reported cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral changes. Their perceptions of entrepreneurship and
career paths were notably altered. This study is significant as it provides
evidence of the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in medical schools
from the students' perspective. By examining students' experiences
in a practical entrepreneurship class, the findings underscore the potential of
such education to cultivate biomedical innovators poised to shape the future of
healthcare. The next challenge lies in integrating entrepreneurship education
into the medical school curriculum, which would allow medical students to
further develop their entrepreneurial skills.
Authors' contributions
-
Project administration: Kim SJ
Conceptualization: Jeong S, Ahn SH
Methodology & data curation: Chu Y, Gwak J, Im N, Oh S, Kim S, Yun HS
Funding acquisition: Ha EH
Writing – original draft: Ahn SH
Writing – review & editing: Jeong S, Ahn SH, Yang HJ, Kim SJ, Chu
Y, Gwak J, Im N, Oh S, Kim S, Yun HS, Ha EH
Conflict of interest
-
So Hyun Ahn has been an assistant editor of the Ewha Medical Journal since August
2023, and Eun Hee Ha has been a dean of Ewha Womans University College of
Medicine since August 2021. However, they were not involved in the review
process. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this review was
reported.
Funding
-
Not applicable.
Data availability
-
Data files are available from Harvard Dataverse: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/Z0CQFZ
Dataset 1. Verbatim obtained from six participants
Acknowledgments
Not applicable.
Supplementary materials
-
Supplementary materials are available from: https://doi.org/10.12771/emj.2024.e40.
Supplement 1. The results of content analyses classified into three domains,
seven categories, and 17 subcategories
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