Abstract
The Aga Khan University is developing an Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) curriculum for implementation in East Africa in 2016, which aims to serve the health needs of the populations there. Pilot focus group discussions of recent interns were conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi to find out: (1) If Kenyan medical students are adequately prepared for their roles as interns in low resource hospitals upon graduation from medical schools; (2) The likely clinical conditions that interns will face in low resource hospitals in Kenya; and (3) How might the UGME curriculum best prepare interns for their roles in low resource hospital settings? Through focus group discussions, current and recent interns expressed feeling ill prepared for working in low resource settings, unequipped with the clinical skills for the tasks and procedures expected of an intern ,in adequately exposed to obstetrics, paediatrics, emergency medicine and lacking in resuscitation training. These findings will inform the development of the UGME curriculum to ensure learning outcomes that meet stakeholder requirements.
Highlights
The shortage of qualified medical providers is well known in the developing world
Pilot focus group discussions of recent interns were conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi to find out: (1) If Kenyan medical students are adequately prepared for their roles as interns in low resource hospitals upon graduation from medical schools; (2) The likely clinical conditions that interns will face in low resource hospitals in Kenya; and (3) How might the Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) curriculum best prepare interns for their roles in low resource hospital settings? Through focus group discussions, current and recent interns expressed feeling ill prepared for working in low resource settings, unequipped with the clinical skills for the tasks and procedures expected of an intern,in adequately exposed to obstetrics, paediatrics, emergency medicine and lacking in resuscitation training
Medical doctors expressed feeling poorly prepared for an internship in a low resource hospitals
Summary
The shortage of qualified medical providers is well known in the developing world. According to 2006 WHO statistics, in Kenya, it is estimated that there are 14 doctors per 100,000 people (Ahmed, Vellani, & Awiti, 2009).This is ten times less fewer than the World Health Organization recommendation of one doctor per 1000 people. In the Lancet Commission Report on the Education of Health Professionals for the 21st Century: from Concept to Implementation (2010), it is noted that “professional education has not kept pace with these challenges, largely because of fragmented, outdated, and static curricula that produce ill-equipped graduates.”To date,several studies have been conducted in different countries that require internship or an equivalent experience prior to registration, such as the England, Scotland, Ireland, and the United States (Hesketh, Allen, Harden &Macpherson, 2003; Coberly & Goldenhar, 2007; Abuhusain, Chotirmall, Hamid, & O’Neill, 2009) These studies reveal that a significant gap exists between the competencies achieved in medical college and those required to fulfil the roles of an intern equivalent (Cave, Wolf, & Jones, 2009). Most of the findings from these studies can be extrapolated to East Africa, there are circumstances unique to the region, such as its state of socioeconomic development and health services, which prompt a fresh insight
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