Comparative analysis of certain aspects of teaching physiology to Bulgarian and foreign medical students

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to do a comparative analysis of some aspects of theoretical and practical teaching of physiology to second year Bulgarian and foreign medical students from the Medical University-Varna. We conducted a survey among 206 Bulgarian and foreign students, enrolled in the Bulgarian and English language programs. The questionnaire included questions, which allowed us to draw conclusions about the attendance, respectively non-attendance, of physiology classes and the reasons for this; the student evaluation of both the physiology course and the importance of the knowledge gained in the study of physiology during the course of the medical education. The analysis of the results reveals similar trends in the assessment of Bulgarian and foreign students regarding their evaluation of the physiology teaching. The research is a first attempt to compare and analyze some aspects of teaching physiology to Bulgarian and foreign medical students from the second year of study. The data obtained provide information on some common problems in teaching physiology and could serve as a basis for a comparative study over a longer period.