Acquisition of learning outcomes by students from the Medical School of the University of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain): A student survey

Abstract

Background: In 2001, in order to improve the curriculum, the medical school of the University of Barcelona began discussions aimed at defining specific learning outcomes for its medical graduates and, subsequently, evaluating the acquisition of these competencies.

Aim: To report the views of our medical students regarding the extent to which they have acquired the learning outcomes previously defined by the faculty.

Method: A questionnaire was administered to seventy final year students, who had finished all the course clerkships and they were asked to indicate on a Likert scale their perceived level of acquisition of each learning outcome.

Results: Overall, the students report an adequate level of competency and consider themselves able to meet skills targets under supervision in eight of the eleven domains investigated. In three of the domains (patient management, medical information search skills, and decision-making skills and clinical reasoning and judgment) students regarded themselves as only partially competent. These results agree with the global course score of the students, according to the medical school assessment system.

Conclusions: The results will allow us to make curricular and methodological changes in order to implement a new outcome-based curriculum.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jorge Palés

JORGE PALÉS, Professor of Physiology. Coordinator of the Group for Teaching Innovation. President of the Spanish Sociey for Medical Education.

Arcadi Gual

ARCADI GUAL, Professor of Physiology. Member of the Group for Teaching Innovation.

Carmen Gomar

CARMEN GOMAR, Professor of Surgery. Member of the Group for Teaching Innovation. Manager of the skills laboratory at the Medical School of the University of Barcelona.

M. Teresa Estrach

M. TERESA ESTRACH, Professor of Dermatology. Dean of the Medical School. Member of the Group for Teaching Innovation.