Career adaptability and career coping styles among Chinese medicine specialty students during the COVID-19: The mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy

Xiaobin Zhang; Lili Yu; Yuying Chen; Zongmei Fu; Fangfang Zhang; Zhongcheng Li; Qibiao Wu

Heliyon (Aug 2024)

Career adaptability and career coping styles among Chinese medicine specialty students during the COVID-19: The mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy

Xiaobin Zhang,
Lili Yu,
Yuying Chen,
Zongmei Fu,
Fangfang Zhang,
Zhongcheng Li,
Qibiao Wu

Affiliations

Xiaobin Zhang: Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Putian University, Putian, 351100, China
Lili Yu: Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China; The State Key Laboratory for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines of the Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China; Zhuhai MUST Science and Technology Research Institute, Zhuhai, 519000, China; Corresponding author. Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China.
Yuying Chen: Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China
Zongmei Fu: School of Foreign Languages, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, 611130, China
Fangfang Zhang: Zhuhai Center for Maternal and Child Health Care, Zhuhai, 519001, China
Zhongcheng Li: Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China
Qibiao Wu: Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China; The State Key Laboratory for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines of the Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China; Zhuhai MUST Science and Technology Research Institute, Zhuhai, 519000, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510000, China; Corresponding author. The State Key Laboratory for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines of the Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, 999078, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 15
p. e34578

Abstract

Read online

Over the past decade, the attrition rate of Chinese medical graduates has remained high, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this situation. Medicine specialty students are the main force of the future healthcare industry. The career choices and career confidence of those entering the healthcare industry will have a huge influence on the quality of future healthcare provision. Considering the possible emergence of public health emergencies such as COVID-19 in the future, helping students develop good career adaptability will contribute to their future career development. However, the relationship between career adaptability, career coping styles and career decision-making self-efficacy remains unclear during the COVID-19. This study aims to examine the interconnections amongst career coping styles, career adaptability and career decision-making self-efficacy among Chinese medicine specialty students and the mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy. Questionnaire survey was conducted on 747 medicine specialty students from China. The results showed that positive coping style has a significant positive correlation with career decision-making self-efficacy, career adaptability, and their sub-dimensions. There was a partial mediating effect of career decision self-efficacy between the predictor variable positive coping style and the outcome variable career adaptability. By promoting the level of positive coping style or career decision-making self-efficacy among medicine specialty students, the career adaptability can be directly or indirectly enhanced. This survey will help to guide future medical education decisions during a similar pandemic to prevent further loss of healthcare professionals in the medical service.

Published in Heliyon

ISSN: 2405-8440 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Science (General); Social Sciences: Social sciences (General)
Website: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/home

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords