The relationship between professional self-esteem and communication skills among 4th, 5th, and 6th year medical students

This study aimed to evaluate the communication skills and professional self-esteem levels of clinical-year medical students at Trakya University Faculty of Medicine, as well as the influencing factors and the relationship between them. In the 2022-2023 academic year, a total of 456 voluntary participants from the 4th, 5th and 6th years completed a questionnaire covering sociodemographic data and two validated measurement tools. The findings showed that students generally had high levels of communication skills, significantly influenced by age, gender, year of study, maternal education and participation in social activities. Skills improved with increased clinical experience, with final year students scoring hightest. Professional self-esteem was also high and significantly associated with gender, perceived academic success, career goals, reasons for choosing medicine and financial status. Students motivated by intrinsic reasons showed higher self-esteem, while those considering changing professions scored lower. A positive and significant correlation was found between communication skills and professional self-esteem.These findings underscore the importance of educational approaches that foster not only cognitive but also emotional and social development and highlight the need for structured programs to support medical students professional identity formation.