Assessing Medical Students’ Perception of Implementing Journal Club Activities: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

One of the most significant extracurricular activities throughout the medical students' college years is journal club. It aids in the development of several abilities in students, including reasoning skills, searching ability, and social skills like giving and taking criticism. Our study's objective is to comprehend how students felt about the installation of journal clubs. This research was carried out at Alfaisal University College of Medicine, a private institution of higher learning in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-two undergraduate medical students were interviewed as part of our qualitative, interview-based approach to data collection. We made an effort to obtain a deeper understanding of how they perceived the various facets of the journal club, including the difficulties they encountered, the advantages of participating and presenting, as well as their interaction with their team and mentors. Four primary themes emerged from our thematic data analysis: (i) interaction between participants and their mentors, (ii) challenges that the participants faced during their preparation and presentation, (iii) advantages participants gained from their experience in the journal club, and (iv) participants' experience with communication and teamwork. The findings of this study indicate that students gain many advantages from their participation; however, they still face some challenges, which provide a platform for improving journal clubs for a more beneficial experience for the students. A more targeted mentoring and improved journal club scheduling that takes into consideration the students' schedules may help students have a more positive journal club experience.