Self-Reported Experiences, Attitudes and Expectations of Infant Contacts in Medical Students; A Cross-Sectional Study in Ten Years’ Interval

Introduction: Medical students worked earlier as independent practitioners before paediatrics courses. Now it is denied. We evaluated students’ experiences of infant contacts before and after the change. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study consists of students attending paediatrics courses at University of Oulu in 2004-2006 and 2014-2015. Results: 229 of 241 (95.0%) students in the first cohort and 236 of 258 (91.5%) in the second completed the questionnaire. The mean (SD) age of the students was 25.1 (3.0) and 25.9 (3.0) (p = 0.040). In both cohorts two thirds of the students were familiar with holding infants in the lap, but two thirds had never bathed an infant. A half of males and one third of females had never fed an infant. Students approximated to manage with infants and believed to manage increased with age in both cohorts (p < 0.001 vs. p = 0.019). Students’ perspective towards pediatrics as a future carrier choice declined from 30.3% to 22.0%. Conclusions: Students’ experiences in handling and care of infants are quite low before paediatrics courses. The denial not to work as independent practitioner before paediatric courses did not decrease experiences. Medical students are motivated to have infant experiences in practice.