Determinants Of Pre Clerkship Medical Students

Determinants of Pre-clerkship Medical Students’ Willingness to Work During Infectious Disease Outbreaks Meghan M. Nahass1, Jaya Kanduri1, Parth Shukla1, Justin Oh1, Rima Patel1, Kapil Wattamwar1, Priya Patel1, Jennifer Yoon1, Clifton R. Lacy1 1Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Medicine The authors have no conflicts of interest of sources of funding to disclose. Corresponding author: Clifton R. Lacy, M.D. Director Institute for Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 106 Somerset Street – 3rd Floor New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Cell Phone: 732-977-7714 E-Mail: clifton.lacy@rutgers.edu Word Count = Key Words: disaster medicine, pre-Clerkship medical students, role adherence, willingness to work, infectious disease outbreaks INTRODUCTION Infectious disease outbreaks greatly impact the responsibilities of health care workers (HCWs) including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants and students of these disciplines. A study of the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic showed that HCWs were neither aware of nor prepared for the infection, contributing to its quick spread through various HCWs, with resulting morbidity and mortality. During the SARS outbreak, 21% of all cases worldwide were among HCWs (1). Following this, a number of studies were conducted to assess the degree of preparedness of HCWs for potential infectious disease outbreaks.