[Educational environment in a Peruvian medical school. A negative trend over the academic years]

Educational environment refers to the material resources and interpersonal relationships of an educational institution.

To describe the educational environment of a Peruvian medical school and to explore a possible association between curricular years and the educational environment.

A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) to evaluate the educational environment of a Peruvian medical school. Data collection consisted in online surveys completed voluntarily by 1st through 6th year medical students between April and October 2015.

The questionnaire was completed by 828 of 2,421 (34.2%) students. The mean DREEM score was 117 ± 25.6 of a maximum of 200. A poorer perception of the educational environment was associated with later years in the curriculum, when analysis was adjusted for gender, age and academic status (p < 0.001).

The educational environment of this medical school scored positively (> 100 points). However, it was evident that medical students in later curricular years had a more negative perception of the educational environment compared to those in earlier academic years.