Effect of early clinical exposure and near peer assisted learning combination program on attitudes of medical students towards basic sciences courses

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Medical Student Association, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Student Research Committee, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Department of Medical education, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to assess the impact of early clinical exposure and near-peer assisted learning combination on recognition of clinical aspects of basic sciences for preclinical medical students.
Method: In this translational (efficiency type) study, 59 Iranian medical students were selected to participate in clinical courses. An intern was in charge of mentoring to elaborate clinical aspects of basic sciences. During the clinical course, students faced several cases related to presented materials in order to perceive the role of previously learned topics in basic sciences courses. Finally, the students filled a validated and reliable questionnaire, which was designed to assess the level of satisfaction and effect of the program on students' attitude toward clinical usage of basic science courses. 
Results: Participants in their feedback gave an overall rating of the satisfaction of program as high to very high. A majority (89%, n=42) of students stated that participating in this workshop results in increased motivation for studying and 97% (n=46) declared that these types of programs must be considered in the medical education curriculum. 
Conclusion: This study showed that a near-peer mentor can effectively accomplish the objectives of this project because of precedent dealing with similar issues. Designing a teaching strategy to fill the gap between the parts of the curriculum was the most prominent achievement of this study. 

Keywords

Main Subjects


  1. Shirzad H, Moezzi M, Khadivi R, Sadeghi B, Madhkhan A. Effect of early clinical exposure on attitude and performance of first year medical students. Journal of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. 2011;13(1):69-78. Persian.
  2. Jafarzadeh Esfehani R, Jalal Yazdi M, Kamranian H, Jafarzadeh A, Rezaei Kalat A, Mahmudi Gharai A. Effect of early clinical exposure on learning motivation of medical students. Future Med Educ J. 2012;2(2):3-7.
  3. McLean M. Sometimes we do get it right! Early clinical contact is a rewarding experience. Education for Health: Change in Learning & Practice. 2004;17(1).
  4. Mazoochi T, Khamechian T, Mazoochi M. The role of basic sciences education in professional competence of physicians: a study on viewpoints of clinical sciences professors in Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Strides in Development of Medical Education. 2012;9(1):91-6. Prsian.
  5. Govindarajan S, Vasanth G, Kumar PA, Priyadarshini C, Radhakrishnan SS, Kanagaraj V, et al. Impact of a Comprehensive Early Clinical Exposure Program for Preclinical Year Medical Students. Health Professions Education. 2018;4(2):133-8.
  6. Shuid AN, Yaman MN, Abd Kadir RA, Hussain RI, Othman SN, Nawi AM, et al. Effect of early clinical skills teaching on 3rd year medical students' learning: The student perspective. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences. 2015;10(1):26-32.
  7. Aba Alkhail B. Near-peer-assisted learning (NPAL) in undergraduate medical students and their perception of having medical interns as their near peer teacher. Med teach. 2015;37(sup1):S33-S9.
  8. de Menezes S, Premnath D. Near-peer education: a novel teaching program. International journal of medical education. 2016;7:160.
  9. Akinla O, Hagan P, Atiomo W. A systematic review of the literature describing the outcomes of near-peer mentoring programs for first year medical students. BMC med educ. 2018;18(1):1-10.
  10. Kojury J, Amini M, Rivaz S, Rivaz M, Doostkam A. The effect of early clinical exposure program on first year medical students’ attitudes and function in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The journal of Medical Education and Development. 2016;11(1):2-10. Persian.
  11. Santos JRA. Cronbach’s alpha: A tool for assessing the reliability of scales. Journal of extension. 1999;37(2):1-5.
  12. Vanichnatee T, Sitticharoon C, Maprapho P, Keadkraichaiwat I, Charoenngam N, Praditsuwan R. Impact of an early clinical exposure project conducted by senior clinical students compared between participating and nonparticipating students. Advances in Physiology Education. 2018;42(4):619-25.
  13. Mafinejad MK, Mirzazadeh A, Peiman S, Khajavirad N, Hazaveh MM, Edalatifard M, et al. Medical students’ attitudes towards early clinical exposure in Iran. International Journal of Medical Education. 2016;7:195.
  14. Friel O, Kell D, Higgins M. The evidence base for peer assisted learning in undergraduate medical education: a scoping study. MedEdPublish. 2018;7.