Medical Uncertainty in Students Entering Medical School

Abstract

Uncertainty is a fundamental characteristic of medical practice. Renee Fox described three types of uncertainty: limitations in the body of medical knowledge, incomplete mastery of existing knowledge, and distinguishing between limitations and mastery of knowledge. This investigation administered ten Likert-format questions about uncertainty to 171 incoming medical students at one state medical school Items were reliable over a six week test-retest, and validity was supported by correlations with an Intolerance of Ambiguity scale. Entering students recognized that uncertainty exists in medical knowledge and mastery of medical knowledge. Factor analysis of the ten item uncertainty scale revealed three dimensions: uncertainty of the profession, practice certainty, and growth in uncertainty. No significant differences in the uncertainty items, scale, or factors existed by demographic characteristics or medical specialty preferences. These findings suggest that students are aware of issues surrounding uncertainty in medicine as they begin medical school, but medical uncertainty at this early stage in medical socialization is not sufficiently powerful to be associated with medical specialty preference.