Factors affecting the time management of graduate medical sciences students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Graduate students, in addition to engaging with complex academic content in the university environment, mainly acquire new roles in society. Coordination between learning and performing social tasks requires high time management skills. This study was performed to determine the factors affecting the time management of Iranian graduate medical sciences students during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

This web-based cross-sectional study was conducted across Iranian medical sciences universities in 2019, using web sampling through the official social networks of medical sciences universities in Iran. The data were collected using an online version of time management questionnaire by Trueman and Hartley (1996). Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) through descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis.

In total, 362 graduate students in different majors of medical sciences participated in this study. The mean (SD) score of the total time management of students was obtained at 47.27(5.47). According to the results of multiple linear regression analysis, among 13 individual and academic variables of students, educational level (P=0.019, β=-0.126) and duration of study per day (P=0.002, β=0.172) were effective in predicting time management skills.

The time management skill of Iranian medical sciences students is relatively desirable. However, masters' students had better time management, compared to Ph.D. and residency students. Furthermore, the duration of study per day is a stronger factor in predicting the time management of graduate students.