Students’ perspective of the MBBS Physiology curriculum

Abstract

Introduction: Rapid technological advances and information overload in the medical field calls for a redesigning of the medical curriculum especially in basic sciences. To incorpate change in the curriculum would require experts' opinion in the area. At the same time, students' opinion also forms an important basis for any modification. The present study is small one but it is an important step for this field. We have addressed this issue by evaluating students' perspective of the physiology curriculum with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire. Aims & Objectives: This study was designed to • Obtain the views of students regarding the curriculum of physiology. • Invite suggestions for improvements. Materials & Methods: The study was conducted at Gian Sagar Medical College, Ram Nagar, Patiala, India using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was given to 2 nd professional MBBS students, were exposed to of basic science for further training. Results & Discussion: Our study has revealed students' opinion about certain aspects of the existing physiology curriculum. The students emphasized that they wanted to learn only the clinical application oriented subject content and they the preferred interactive teaching methods. Most students felt the need to reemphasize these subjects in later clinical years. Their assessment is the crucial factor on how they would organize their learning. There is a need for modification in the existing curriculum though similar studies over longer duration of time should be conducted in other medical colleges to recommend changes.

Short- and Long-Term Retentivity of Knowledge by Various Teaching Methods in Medical Education and Perception of Students Towards Them: A Comparative Study in a Medical University Hospital of Northern India

“…However, there are numerous studies that emphasize students' preferences for interactive teaching instead of lectures, which is consistent with our study findings. Chawla et al observed that 76% of students preferred tutorials and interactive small-group teachings, and almost all insisted that lectures should be more interactive and informative [9]. Another study by Costa et al also showed student preference for interactive teaching as the mode of learning [10].…”

Perspective of post graduate students regarding the medical physiology curriculum

“…This is in accordance with the earlier study done by Dr. Omna Chawla. 6 It is shown that knowledge of basic science with clinical relevance is understood better and applied by students without any difficulty. The fact that basic science knowledge is a requisite to be a competent clinician is borne in the mind s of the students.…”