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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 2023; 15(04): 161-167
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1771011
Original Article

Medical Students' Attitudes and Awareness toward Teaching and Participation in Formal Clinical Teaching in Iraq

Hussain Alsaffar 
1   Child Health Department, Paediatric Endocrine and Diabetes Unit, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
2   Child Health Department, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
3   Paediatric Department, College of Medicine, University of Wasit, Kut, Iraq
,
Wasnaa Hadi Abdullah
4   Paediatric Department, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
,
Nabeeha Najatee Akram
4   Paediatric Department, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
,
Haider Nadhim
3   Paediatric Department, College of Medicine, University of Wasit, Kut, Iraq
,
Mayameen H. Salman
5   College of Medicine, University of Wasit, Iraq
,
Amal Adnan Laylani
6   Pediatric Department, Azadi Teaching Hospital, Kirkuk, Iraq
,
Farah Sameer Yahya 
7   Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq
,
Ali Ibrahim Rahim
8   College of Medicine, University of Al-Ameed, Karbala, Iraq
9   IVF Center, Al-Kafeel Super-Specialty Hospital, Karbala, Iraq
,
Aso Salih
10   Pediatric Department, College of Medicine, Sulaimani University, Al Sulaimaniyah, Iraq
,
Duralhassan Jassim
11   University of Kufa - College of Medicine, Najaf, Iraq
,
Houreleen H. Salman
12   Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq
,
Hind Mutar Ibrahim
13   Paediatric Department, College of Medicine, University of Tikrit
,
Khalaf Gargary
14   University of Duhok, Dahuk, Iraq
,
Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim
19   Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ninava, Iraq
,
Adyan Alsayegh
15   College of Medicine, Jabir Ibn Hayyan Medical University, Najaf, Iraq
,
Maysaa Nihad Ibrahim
16   Paediatric Department, College of Medicine, Al-Iraqia University, Baghdad, Iraq
,
Jaafar D. Al-Dabagh 
17   Medical Student at University of Baghdad, Faculty of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq
,
Sawsan Issa Habeeb
18   Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Basrah, Basra, Iraq
› Author Affiliations
Funding and Sponsorship None.
› Further Information
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Abstract

Objective Clinical teaching is essential for the continuity of education of health care professionals. Developing teaching skills is highly required to communicate efficiently and transfer experience and knowledge to others. To our knowledge, medical students across Iraq did not give their perception of clinical teaching in a comprehensive way. Therefore, the aim of this study is to understand our students' perception of clinical teaching and to learn from their responses what subtypes of clinical teaching they may desire the most.

Materials and Methods An online survey was distributed among medical students in Iraqi universities between February and April 2022.

Results In all, 2,562 students (1,567 females and 995 males) responded from 24 of 26 colleges of medicine in Iraq. The majority of responders were senior students. In total, 73.3% of our students had no previous experience in teaching. Those willing to work in a teaching or academic hospital comprised 84.2% of the students, and 1,563 students were interested in pursuing “clinical teaching” for medical students/residents upon completion of residency. Collective confidence in teaching abilities was rated as 3.4 out of 5. In total, 1,505 medical students felt they would be interested to have an elective period in medical education, and the majority voted for a 1-month period. Male students perceived more confidence in their variable teaching abilities compared to females (p < 0.05).

Conclusion This is the first study among Iraqi medical students that revealed a desire to avail of a 4-week elective in clinical teaching and become incorporated within the undergraduate curriculum of medical schools in Iraq.

Keywords

clinical teaching - education - medical students - awareness - Iraq

Author Contributions

H.A. coordinated the study, designed the survey, obtained permission to reuse the Canadian study, and analyzed the data. All the co-authors obtained ethical approvals from each university, distributed the questionnaires, and collected data. H.A. and W.H.A. drafted the manuscript. All the others reviewed the manuscript and approved its final version.


Compliance with Ethical Principles

The study was approved by the ethics committee from each institute, and we distributed our questionnaires. Informed consent was received from the participants before they took the questionnaire.




Publication History

Article published online:
18 July 2023

© 2023. The Libyan Biotechnology Research Center. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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