If you could change one thing in your school, what would this be? 469 suggestions of 429 medical graduates

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The I CAN! questionnaire is an instrument for measuring the outcomes of medical curricula, based mainly on the Tuning project. The questionnaire is under construction and validation. It consists of 105 closed questions and the open question "if you could change one thing in your school, what would this be?". This paper presents the responses of medical graduates to this open question. METHOD The questionnaire was distributed to the graduates of six medical schools in Greece during the summer and autumn 2009 graduation periods, and to residents and specialist doctors during a primary health care conference in Greece (5.2.2010). The responses to the open question were grouped into categories and subcategories according to their conceptual content, and their frequency was calculated. RESULTS Questionnaires were collected from 408 new graduates of six medical schools (357 and 51 during the summer and autumn graduations, respectively): 45% male, 55% female; from Athens 148 (48% of its graduates), Thrace 38 (81%), Ioannina 12 (17%), Crete 32 (47%), and Thessaly 31 (100%). In addition, 21 questionnaires were collected from residents and specialist doctors. A total of 469 changes were proposed, related mainly to the curriculum (212) and teachers (215), and fewer to other elements of the educational environment (42). The suggestions included: increase in practical exercises (129) and clinical experience (8), introduction of practical subjects (21), exclusion of highly specialized subjects (12), changes in the timetable (6), the way of teaching (108), the method of student assessment (62), and the attitude (31) and selection (14) of the teachers. Only a few suggested changes were related to students' issues (10) and the administration of their school (30). CONCLUSIONS The majority of suggestions of the medical graduates recommended curriculum reform and a student-centered attitude from the teachers. The findings of this study, which are similar to those previously derived from students (80% preclinical) from the same medical schools, support the precept that changes in the medical curricula in Greece are essential, and may provide the impetus for immediate action by the medical faculties. © Athens Medical Society.