The workplace as a learning environment: Perceptions and experiences of undergraduate medical students at a contemporary medical training university in Uganda

Abstract

The clinical workplace plays an important role in preparing students for future practice as physicians. [1] Advances in medical education have led to the establishment of skills laboratories as places for learning clinical skills using simulation-based medical education. However, realpatient encounters create authenticity in learning, because complaints are articulated better and physical signs are shown, with deeper and broader insight by real patients. [2] Contemporary medical practice has evolved over time, with changes in health system expectations and clinical practice requirements, such as patient numbers and demographics and expectations of patients and employers. [3] While these changes are particularly obvious in developed countries, the advent of health-related technologies and increased litigation means this trend is rapidly catching up in developing countries, including Africa. All these changes have implications for training medical students to provide quality healthcare services on graduation. Concerns have been raised by employers, lecturers and regulators of medical graduates in Uganda and elsewhere that graduate competencies and population health needs are mismatched. [4,5] For example, the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC) report of 2017/2018 describes cases of professional incompetence and unprofessionalism as some of the common offences handled by its ethics and disciplinary committee. [5] These offences may be an indication that the changes in health professions education have not kept pace with healthcare delivery expectations. Work and learning are interdependent, and understanding the perceptions and experiences of learners regarding the workplace as a learning environment may be an initial step in identifying the factors responsible for the mismatch between medical education and health system expectations. [6] Studies assessing student perceptions of the learning environment using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire have been done in Nigeria, South Africa (SA), Turkey, Australia and the UK. The questionnaire comprises 50 items, divided into five separate domains that can be analysed individually. [7][8][9][10] No such study has ever been done in Uganda, thus creating an information gap and a need to evaluate the learning environment with a view to optimising learning in the workplace.

What do medical students and their clinical preceptors understand by primary health care in South Africa? A qualitative study

“…There is evidence suggesting that the solution to these divergent views between generalists and specialists could be the establishment of interdisciplinary collaborations [ 70 ]. The benefits of specialists’ inclusion in undergraduate medical student training have been demonstrated in many parts of the world [ 71 – 73 ]. The authors are of the view that the argument that specialists should not be involved in the PHC training of undergraduate medical students contradicts the WHO definition of PHC which includes “curative care” in the “the continuum of health” in which (curative care) specialists are mainly involved [ 8 ].…”

Optometry students’ experiences of their clinical training: A qualitative study in a low- resource setting

“…MNRTH is located on Mulago Hill in the north of Kampala Capital City, west of MakCHS. It is approximately 1.8 km from the campus of MakCHS [12]. The eye clinic is staffed by Ophthalmologists, Senior Housing O cers (SHOs), Ophthalmic Clinical O cers, and Nurses, as well as faculty from MakCHS including Optometrists.…”

Investigate the opinions of the teachers and students regarding the suitability of medical students to serve as the principal investigator - A systematic review

“…Once the information has been gathered, statistical methods could be used to analyze it to find patterns and trends in the replies. To find recurring categories and subjects in the qualitative information acquired from broad inquiries and assessments, thematic evaluation could be used (Kagawa et al, 2021). A methodical approach to data collecting and analysis would generally be needed to investigate the views of educators and learners about the appropriateness of medical students to act as generate investigators (Beigzadeh et al, 2019).…”