The contributions of ceramic training to a physician

Abstract

This study examines the contributions of ceramic training to prospective physicians in personal and professional domains in an elective course entitled ‘Three-dimensional imagining through Ceramics in Medicine’, selected for the first time by prospective physicians in the second semester in Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University. 80 people enrolled in the course, and a total of 45 participants, 23 women and 22 men, were randomly selected as volunteers, out of students with perfect attendance. Participants have an average age of 18 and 25, and ‘coming from different cities and countries’ was taken into consideration while selecting the participants. In the research, qualitative research method was used to collect detailed and in-depth data, to directly learn the individual perceptions, experiences and perspectives of the participants, and to understand and explain current situations. Participants were asked openended questions regarding their mental processes they have observed, manipulative skills, creativity, sharing and achievements about this course. Students' responses to these questions were qualitatively examined and analyzed by content analysis method. While examining the findings obtained, it was collaborated with three experts in different fields, and responses from students' feedback were collected under 2 theme and 13 categories. The experts specified these classifications as numerical values and provided frequency and percentage ratios in Tables 1 and 2. The numerical values of the categories collected under the themes in both tables were sorted descending by size, and categories were explained by sample expressions of students. An overall evaluation of the study was presented by reading these tables in detail, discussing and referencing to similar research present in literature. The study ends in results and suggestions sections. Keywords: Medicine, Ceramics, Creativity, Three Dimensions and Skill