The Variety of Undergraduate Medical Education Curricula: An Environmental Scan of Diverse Medical School Characteristics within Indones

Abstract

An educational curriculum is a fundamental component of undergraduate medical education (UME) programmes, and its implementation may differ between medical schools due to multiple factors influencing curriculum development processes, such as medical schools’ characteristics, intended outcomes of educational programmes, resources, and cultures. Consequently, the quality of UME programmes and medical graduates may be affected. This study aimed to collect knowledge on the implementation of UME curricula in Indonesia, a country that has numerous medical schools with diverse characteristics. A nationwide environmental scan with cluster sampling was employed from December 2020 to May 2022. Data were collected from the dean or the staff of medical education units or other relevant stakeholders in medical schools on the curriculum approach, teachinglearning strategy, assessment system, and curriculum evaluation. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and presented using frequency and percentage parameters. Out of 74 medical schools invited, 30 agreed to participate in this study. Most medical schools had established outcomebased UME while employing diverse curricular approaches within the SPICES (student-centred, problem-based, integrated, community-based, elective, and systematic) strategy. Variations were also observed in the teaching-learning processes and assessment systems used. Case-based discussions, lecture-based classes, skills laboratories, laboratory practice, and interprofessional learning were used as teaching-learning methods, while written/computer-based tests, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), and other assessment methods were used to measure student competency. In their policy networks, medical schools involved numerous stakeholders and performed periodic curriculum evaluations using multiple well-established tools to ensure the quality of medical training and graduates. As various strategies of curriculum implementation were reported, it remains critical to establish productive UME curricula. Various potentials, resources, and opportunities in medical education must be optimised to maintain best-practice educational programmes.