Abstract
BackgroundImproving the quality of medical education is a key goal of government policy in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to reflect the responses of medical education from the perspective of graduating medical students in Taiwan. This is the first survey study of medical education in Taiwan.MethodsUsing the Medical School Graduation Questionnaire from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), we distributed 406 questionnaires to medical students of four medical schools in their last semester, and received 270 back (response rate, 66.5%). There were 11 medical schools in Taiwan. Most questions were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale.ResultsStudents identified genetics, biochemistry, and ethics as the three most important premedical subjects preparing them for medical education and gross anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology as the three most helpful basic science subjects preparing them for clinical clerkships and electives. Most Taiwanese students were satisfied with their learning experience in internal medicine. Only 55.9% of students were confident that they had acquired the clinical skills required to become a resident, and 70.7% were satisfied with the quality of their medical education.ConclusionThe study offers preliminary results on the views of graduating students on the medical education system in Taiwan. In particular, our government and medical educators need to continuously put more effort into building students’ confidence in their clinical skills.
Highlights
Improving the quality of medical education is a key goal of government policy in Taiwan
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), which is responsible for developing allopathic medical school policies and guidelines
The aim of this study was to reflect the responses of medical education from the perspective of graduating medical students in Taiwan, using the American Medical Colleges (AAMC) graduation questionnaire
Summary
Improving the quality of medical education is a key goal of government policy in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to reflect the responses of medical education from the perspective of graduating medical students in Taiwan. This is the first survey study of medical education in Taiwan. Taiwan has a seven-year medical curriculum combining liberal arts and humanities (premedical education) in the first and second years with basic medical sciences in the third and fourth years and clinical sciences in the fifth through seventh years. Clerkship students use anatomical models or equipment to practice clinical procedures (e.g., intravenous cannulation, suturing, resuscitation, etc.) and acquire some examination skills (e.g., breast examination, cervical smear, rectal examination, etc.) [3]. Students participate in a full-time internship to complete their clinical training. Interns are trained to perform clinical procedures and examinations in real patients under the supervision or guidance of senior staff
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