Medical Students’ Attitude and Perception Towards Basic Medical Science Subjects at Wollo University, Northeast Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction

The knowledge of basic medical science could help to remember a fact and be used to understand causal mechanisms of disease process that improve the accuracy of diagnostic formulations.

Objective

To assess the perception and attitude of medical students towards basic medical science subjects along with retention rate and clinical relevance in Wollo University.

Methods

Institutional-based cross-sectional study design was employed in Wollo University from September, 2020 to October, 2020. A pre-tested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. All opinions were rated using a positive-point Likert scale, which ranges from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” The data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results

A total of 153 students participated with a 100% response rate. Among them, 45 (29.4%), 38 (24.8%), 39 (25.5%), and 31 (20.3%) were PC-II, C-I, C-II, and Intern students, respectively. Ninety-six (62.7%) of medical students were very much interested in basic medical science subjects. But, 113 (73.9%) of them did not have plans to join the subjects as a future career. The main reasons in more than half 85 (55.7%) of the respondents were less financial growth followed by less chance of promotion 31 (20.3%). There were 66.7% of the students who considered anatomy as clinically relevant, whereas 53.6% and 47.1% considered physiology and biochemistry, respectively, to be clinically relevant. The number of students who could recall anatomy and physiology during relevant clinical discussions was 102 (66.7%) and 85 (55.6%), respectively. This percentage was relatively less for biochemistry (26.8%).

Conclusion

In conclusion, medical students have a positive attitude towards basic medical science subjects. However, they are hesitant to join the field because it offers them less financial growth and few chances of promotion. Moreover, anatomy and physiology were highly relevant subjects during clinical practice. But, the retention rate of basic medical science knowledge during their clinical year was low.

Keywords:

• basic medical science
• perception
• attitude
• relevance
• medical students

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

Ethical clearance was obtained from Wollo University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Preclerkship. All study participants were informed about the purpose and confidentiality issues related to the study. Participation was voluntary and written informed consent was obtained from each participant. Finally, the data were collected and confidentiality of client information was maintained. Lastly, the authors confirmed that this study was conducted in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the contributions of all medical students of Wollo University who participated in the study.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest for this work.

Additional information

Funding

There is no funding to report.