Abstract
BackgroundThough common practice in Europe, few studies have described the efficacy of early clinical exposure (ECE) in the Middle East. The barriers to clinical learning experienced by these novice medical students have not been reported. This evaluation reports on introducing ECE in primary care, supported by Experiential Review (ER) debriefing sessions. The evaluation explores students’ experiences of their acquisition of clinical and non-technical skills, sociocultural issues commonly encountered but underreported and barriers to clinical learning experienced.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of three student cohorts in 2017–19: All second and third-year students at the new College of Medicine were invited to participate. The primary outcome was students’ perceptions of the aims of the Primary Health Centre Placement (PHCP) programme and how it facilitated learning. Secondary outcome measures were students’ perceptions of their learning in ER sessions and perceived barriers to learning during PHCPs. Student perceptions of the PHCPs were measured using a Likert scale-based questionnaire.ResultsOne hundred and fifty-one students participated: 107 in year 2 and 44 in year 3; 72.3% were female. Overall, most students (> 70%) strongly agreed or agreed with the purposes of the PCHPs. Most students (71%) strongly agreed or agreed that the PCHPs allowed them to learn about patient care; 58% to observe doctors as role models and 55% to discuss managing common clinical problems with family physicians. Most students (year 2 = 62.5% and year 3 = 67%) strongly agreed/agreed that they were now confident taking histories and examining patients. Student barriers to clinical learning included: Unclear learning outcomes (48.3%); faculty too busy to teach (41.7%); lacking understanding of clinical medicine (29.1%); shyness (26.5%); and finding talking to patients difficult and embarrassing (25.8%). Over 70% reported that ER enabled them to discuss ethical and professional issues.ConclusionsOverall, our Middle Eastern students regard ECE as beneficial to their clinical learning. PHCPs and ER sessions together provide useful educational experiences for novice learners. We recommend further exploration of the barriers to learning to explore whether these novice students’ perceptions are manifesting underlying cultural sensitivities or acculturation to their new environment.
Highlights
Though common practice in Europe, few studies have described the efficacy of early clinical exposure (ECE) in the Middle East
Early clinical placements in primary healthcare are common in European undergraduate medical programmes, [7] few studies have described the efficacy of ECE in the Middle East and the barriers to clinical learning experienced by young students
This study examines the interplay between novice medical students’ experiences of ECE and their identity development
Summary
Though common practice in Europe, few studies have described the efficacy of early clinical exposure (ECE) in the Middle East. The barriers to clinical learning experienced by these novice medical students have not been reported. This evaluation reports on introducing ECE in primary care, supported by Experiential Review (ER) debriefing sessions. Novice medical students have been shown to encounter mixed experiences during their first exposures to the clinical environment, the importance of early clinical exposure (ECE) in medical student training is well documented [5]. Early clinical placements in primary healthcare are common in European undergraduate medical programmes, [7] few studies have described the efficacy of ECE in the Middle East and the barriers to clinical learning experienced by young students. The majority of students are female, some of whom have been raised in strict gendersegregated environments
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