As medical students approach graduation, they are already envisioning their future careers. Even though the clinical role is prime, teaching is a very popular aspirational role. Teaching, along with other career plans, is possibly perceived as a complementary role linked to their clinical profile.
Since most students are driven to explore the teaching role secondarily, it is particularly important to address in depth what could be the obstacles that may make them detract. It is also very important to assess what is their real understanding and knowledge of the implications of performing as a teacher. In 2023, college professors averaged earnings of $9,780.00 (Mexican peso)/month for almost 30 hours of working per week [14]. This is equivalent to earning $18.11 dollars per day, being slightly above from the daily minimum wage, which is $13.83 dollars per day, in Mexico [15]. Students unanimously cite economic factors as a major disadvantage, a consideration that may be balanced against the time, effort, and responsibility involved in a cost-benefit analysis. This sounding obstacle may have been transmitted through the hidden curriculum, although it is worth exploring if they picture accurate expectations in terms of retribution.
Another aspect that entails further exploration has to do with the prestige associated with teaching and the fact that it was only summoned as a secondary role (aside clinical practice). Medical students are acutely aware of societal perceptions regarding the prestige of medical professionals [16]. Prestige tends to be valued by graduates of high reputation postgraduate programs, while those of lower status programs value salary more highly [17]. In this case there is a tension between the
aspiration of such an “honorable” role which may provide status and prestige, conflicting with a low economic retribution. Beyond personal traits, an exploration of students’ social dominance orientation—defined as an individual’s preference for hierarchy and, therefore, prestige within a social system—may be crucial for a comprehensive understanding of how it shapes their motivation for further career decisions [18].
With regard to the motivations, there is a prominent idealistic perspective that has been assumed in the professional ethos about training the next generation of medical doctors. This perceived social and professional debt is prominent in the medical profession narrative but may not suffice to support realistic implications of devoting to a teaching career.
Students’ perceptions and their idea of an exemplary teacher are important as they may relate to their own projections. Students highlight numerous desirable qualities, with the most valued often falling on the personal or interpersonal side. This contrasts with other studies that emphasize performance [19]. However, when judging bad teachers, they tend to point to the failures in the teaching domain. In other words, medical students demand respect and good treatment from the already competent and proficient teachers. Their explicit demand for respect was surprising and may relate to a normalized culture of mistreatment in medical education that is being summoned [19]. It is estimated that between 40 to 60% of medical students have experienced some form of mistreatment, some teachers may think that this “ritual of humiliation” was effective in making them learn, which can perpetuate this vicious cycle [21, 22].
When judging the impact of different agents in their learning, the fact that students considered their peers to be almost equally significant than their medical teachers is something worth scrutinizing. Explanations can be sought by reflecting to what extent it can mean a low performance from their teachers, or a highly appreciated lateral apprenticeship.
The fact that most students feel confident in their teaching skills resonates with their recognition of informal opportunities for development, such as tutoring, study sessions, and taking charge of delivering classes or presentations throughout their academic journey. Another possible explanation is that they interiorized the myth of the 'bright person', which assumes that being expert in a field is enough to teach what they know to someone else. However, these perceptions can fall short on the real underpinnings of the teaching competencies expected in the professional realm, particularly if their models are not providing a high enough standard in teaching performance. Further investigation can be conducted by assessing skills and correlating them with reported informal experiences and perceptions.
The fact that no agent scored higher than 7.4/10 in their perception of impact in learning may also signal the extent on which this career relies on self-learning, which could be addressed in another opportunity. Examining the differences that emerged based on gender may provide insights into how social expectations and gender roles could influence career decisions and warrants further exploration.
Limitations to this study include a low response rate, and possible bias concerning voluntary participation from students that are more prone to abide by academic motivations.