Background: Medical student exposure to paediatrics is often fragmented, typically limited to brief clinical rotations or optional activities. Early and meaningful exposure has the potential to improve student confidence and shape career interest. Yet the link between the amount of exposure and the resulting educational benefit is not well defined. We applied an educational dose-response framework to evaluate how differing levels of prior paediatric engagement, ranging from minimal to immersive, influence self-reported confidence following a national paediatrics conference.
Method: At a national paediatrics conference, 132 medical students were invited to complete pre- and post-event surveys. A total of 102 participants responded (response rate: 77.3%). Surveys assessed self-reported confidence in paediatric communication, clinical knowledge, skills and interest in paediatrics using a 5-point Likert scale. Prior exposure was retrospectively stratified into low (volunteering only, n=60), medium (conference only, n=31), and high (clinical or teaching exposure, n=11) dose groups. The primary outcome was the change in confidence within and between groups. Statistical analysis included paired t-tests for within-group changes and ANOVA for differences between groups.
Results: Overall, mean self-rated confidence increased significantly following the conference (pre: 2.8, post: 3.9; p<0.001). The medium dose group (conference-only exposure) showed the largest relative gain in confidence (+42%, p<0.001), followed by the low dose group (+36%, p<0.001), and the high dose group (+19%, p=0.04). High-dose delegates reported higher baseline confidence, with prior attenuated gains, suggesting greater conference impact for those with minimal or intermediate exposure.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that paediatric exposure has value at every stage of training. Students with prior experience consolidate their knowledge and maintain confidence, while those with less exposure achieve substantial growth when offered structured opportunities. Medium-dose interventions, such as conferences, appear particularly effective in engaging students who may not have had prior clinical access, providing both inspiration and skills development.
A dose-response model provides a useful framework to highlight how varying levels of engagement influence confidence gains and these findings support early, targeted engagement in paediatrics. Longitudinal follow-up is justified to determine whether these confidence gains translate into sustained interest in the specialty or eventual career uptake.
