The perceived effect that part-time work has on undergraduate and postgraduate osteopathic students

It is common in today's society for full time tertiary students to be working part-time. Reasons for employment range from paying for necessities to having money to attend social gatherings or other recreational activities. This study focuses on students from all year levels of the Osteopathic medicine course at Victoria University, both undergraduates and postgraduates, asking for their perceptions on what effect employment has on their study. It also explores whether any differences existed between the responses of undergraduate and psotgraduate participants. A descriptive questionnaire was used containing Likert scale, open and closed questions. Results showed significant differences between the number of tutorials missed and number of jobs held between the two groups of students. A greater percentage of participants reported employment having a negative impact on study. However positive aspects of employment include improvement in time management skills and hands on experience for those working in sporting clubs or in the health/leisure industry. This minor thesis was written by a post-graduate student as part of the requirements of the Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) program.