Introduction
As the students admitted to MBBS were from plus two, they might have limited knowledge about the course curriculum and many other details like career opportunities etc. In the due course of time they will learn but if they gains knowledge in first year itself, it helps them to plan their future and also in context of their mental health, the orientation program has immense role. This program was introduced by National Medical Commission (NMC). The Foundation Course and it is aimed at providing an introduction to the MBBS program that will allow students from diverse backgrounds languages and varying degrees of technical and communication skills to adapt and enhance required skills.1 The first-year students admitted to MBBS must develop an overview knowledge about the subjects they are going to learn. Otherwise, senior students and from external sources may get wrong impressions like anatomy is very tough to pass. If such an impression the student has he will be afraid of that particular subject. Hence, there is a strong need for an orientation program. This aims to orient students to national health scenarios, medical ethics, health economics, learning skills & communication, life support, computer learning, sociology & demographics, biohazard safety, environmental issues, and community orientation.2 Clinical knowledge and skills (and their maintenance and improvement), good communication skills, and sound understanding of ethics constitute the foundation of professionalism. Rising from this foundation are behaviors and attributes of professionalism, accountability, altruism, excellence, and humanism, the capstone of which is professionalism.3 Studies related to the orientation program in Bangalore are limited. Hence, the present study was undertaken to obtain the Students’ feedback on the one-month foundation course in first-year MBBS 2019 batch at Oxford medical college, Bangalore, India
Materials and Methods
Study design
The present study was an observational study where feedback was obtained from the first-year medical students about the orientation program.
Study setting
The present study was conducted at the department of Physiology, Oxford medical college Hospital & Research Centre, Bangalore, Karnataka in collaboration with the department of Physiology, R. D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
Study participants
A total of 147 male and female first-year medical students of Oxford Medical College, Banglore, Karnataka. The following criteria were used to recruit the participants.
Inclusion criteria
All the willing students admitted to the 2019 MBBS batch of The Oxford Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Bangalore, were included in the study.
Foundation course
The foundation course was conducted for 150 first-year MBBS students of the 2019 batch by the Medical Education Unit of The Oxford Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Bangalore from 01.08.2019 to 31.08.2019. All the sessions were interactive. The foundation course was conducted from 01.08.2019 to 31.08.2019.
Tools
A self-administered questionnaire was used in the present study. The questionnaire consists of 14 questions and the students have to respond either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to each question. The questions were as follows.
Whether the objectives of the session were clearly stated.
Whether the objectives of the session were met adequately
Whether the content was tailored to meet the objectives
Whether the presentation was clear and informative
Whether the audiovisual aids were appropriate
Whether adequate time was provided for the program components
Whether the student is encouraged to use what was learned in this program.
Whether the duration of the Foundation course was appropriate
Whether the sessions on extracurricular activities were useful
Whether the sessions on sports activities were useful
Whether the topics covered are understood and can be implemented
Has the Foundation course helped in giving you clarity about your role in becoming a competent Indian Medical Graduate as envisioned by the Medical Council of India
Whether the Foundation course will help you in studying better in the MBBS course
Do you feel foundation course could have been better organized?
All the students will be asked to tick YES or NO as their response to above questions. Students were explained about the parameters included in the feedback which may be used for future studies.
Results
Table 1
Frequency and distribution of participants according to their responses. (Qu= question)
147 students participated in the study. Using the predesigned questionnaire, feedback was obtained from them for the medical profession and the physician’s role in society, the MBBS program, alternate health systems in the country and history of medicine, principles of primary care, learning including self-directed learning, academic ambiance, interpersonal relationships, English and local language skills, communication, use of information technology, computer skills, sports, and extracurricular activities, national health policies, biohazard safety, universal precautions and vaccinations, patient safety, medical literature search, first aid and basic life support, stress and time management, medical ethics and professionalism and the use of audio-visual aids by the resource persons. The response rate was 98% (147/150). The response expected was either yes or no for the given parameters in the feedback form. The feedback percentage for whether the objectives of the session were clearly stated was positive from 92.3%. (Table 1) The percentage of positive feedback from the students for whether the objectives of the session were met adequately was 91.5% (Table 1). The percentage of positive feedback from the students for whether the content was tailored to meet the objectives was a maximum of 88%. (Table 1).
The percentage of positive feedback from the students for whether the presentation was clear and informative was 94.4%.
The percentage of positive feedback from the students for whether the audiovisual aids were appropriate was 40.8%. The percentage of positive feedback from the students for whether adequate time was provided for the program components was 95%. The percentage of positive feedback from the students for whether the student is encouraged to use what was learned in this program was 95%. The percentage of positive feedback from the students whether the duration of the Foundation course was appropriate was 90.8%. The percentage of positive feedback from the students whether the sessions on sports and extracurricular activities were useful was 90.8% and 51.4% respectively. The percentage of positive feedback from the students whether the topics covered are understood and can be implemented was 95%. The percentage of positive feedback from the students for whether the Foundation course helped in giving them clarity about them in becoming a competent Indian Medical Graduate as envisioned by the Board of Governors, in supersession of the Medical Council of India was 97.2%. The percentage of positive feedback from the students whether the Foundation course will help them in studying better in the MBBS course was 95 %. On whether the Foundation Course could have been better organized, 52.8% of the students were of the opinion that it could have been better organized. Under, any other specific point(s) they had not mentioned anything specific.
Discussion
The present study was undertaken to observe the feedback of first year MBBS students about the orientation program. According to the Board of Governors, in super session of the Medical Council of India the purpose of the Foundation Course includes:
Orienting the students to all aspects of the medical college environment.
Equipping them with certain basic, but important, skills required for patient care and enhancing their communication, language, computer and learning skills.
Providing opportunity for peer and faculty interactions and an overall sensitization to the various learning methodologies.
The admission process of medical students varies from state to state in India but mostly based on their merit list in their school final and in their entrance exam. The students may be from different boards of education with the different syllabus. For getting adapted to the new college environment from their school environment they may need some time. They may also belong to different regions, socioeconomic strata and have different languages. In order to facilitate the adaptation to the Institution and also to provide some knowledge and essential skills required for the medical curriculum, it was planned prior to the Student’s admission to implement the foundation course of Medical Council of India as a short Orientation course in the First year MBBS curriculum and analyze its results and the student feedback. The response rate was 98% (147/150). The response expected was either yes or no for the given parameters in the feedback form. The percentage of positive feedback from the students for whether the Foundation course helped in giving them clarity about their in becoming a competent Indian Medical Graduate as envisioned by the Board of Governors, in supersession of the Medical Council of India was 97.2%. This high percentage positive response from students clearly indicates that the foundation course has allowed students from diverse backgrounds, languages, and varying degrees of technical and communication skills to adapt and enhance required skills for becoming a competent Indian Medical graduate. The only question which has recorded the minimum percentage of positive feedback from the students was for whether the audiovisual aids were appropriate (40.8%). It is clear that audiovisual aids are important tools for the teaching-learning process. It helps the teacher to present the lesson effectively and students learn and retain the concepts better and for a longer duration. The use of audiovisual aids improves students' critical and analytical thinking. But unless it is used intelligently and aptly, the effect drastically comes down. The feedback points fingers to that extra preparation the facilitators/speakers could have done before the sessions. On whether the Foundation Course could have been better organized, 52.8% of the students were of the opinion that it could have been better organized. The great thing about organizing a program is you get to witness your product and participants’ experience right in front of your eyes. Based on the feedback from the students and faculty, the organizers should make the required correction of flaws and aim at a better program planned out the next year. Based on the results from their feedback it was decided to take remedial measures and follow the suitable orientation program in the subsequent academic years.
Conclusion
This study makes it clearly evident that the month-long foundation course/orientation program conceived by the Board of Governors, in super session of the Medical Council of India, aims to help students coming from varied socio-economic, religious, and cultural backgrounds mix well and adapt to their new journey. The study proves beyond doubt, that this is very much needed for the students entering MBBS and its implementation will help to acquire the basic skills necessary for their para-clinical and clinical phases of the course and in their medical practice also.
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