Clinical Elective Course and Its Effects on Medical Students and Graduates of Jordanian Medical Schools

Abstract

Background: Elective course is one of 6th-year medical schools curriculum in Jordan. Students choose the specialty they wish to spend 8 weeks in and choose the place even if it is outside their universitys' affiliated hospitals. In this study, we try to understand students' choices regarding the country of elective, their specialty, type of placements (observership/ clerkship), and participants' perspectives about the elective course and its general value.Methods: Cross-sectional study. The survey distributed through social media platforms (mainly Facebook and Whatsapp) targeting 6th-year medical students and doctors who graduated from one of the 5 Jordanian medical schools (the University of Jordan, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Mutah University, Yarmouk University, Hashemite University). Results: The majority of participants had international elective (69.6%), mainly in the USA followed by the UK. Internal medicine was the field of interest for 14.8%, followed by general surgery 11.2%. 241 (62.6%) actively participated in the elective as they had a clerkship/ hands-on experience. In contrast, 142 (36.9%) were observers. The majority indicated that the elective is worth time, money, and effort. Moreover, they had adequate supervision throughout the course and could achieve their preset objectives. Conclusions: the elective course gives a unique experience to our students. The general satisfaction is an indicator of the success of the course in exposing medical students to clinical practice actively.