Internship orientation: An essential facilitatory bridging step for medical students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professional Development
• Healthcare Training

Background:

• Internship is crucial for transitioning medical students into competent doctors.
• Fresh interns require structured orientation to patient care beyond specific disciplines.
• A buffer program is essential to guide interns post-examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a medical internship orientation program.
• To assess participant feedback on the orientation's utility and methods.

Main Methods:

• A seven-day orientation program was implemented for 235 new medical interns.
• Program effectiveness was evaluated using prevalidated Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and feedback forms.

Main Results:

• Interns achieved a satisfactory mean post-test score of 74.13 ± 7.18.
• Highest scores were observed in procedure skills, communication, and medical ethics.
• 99% found the program useful, 94% rated content as excellent to good, and 97% found training methods appropriate.

Conclusions:

• An internship orientation program is vital for all medical colleges to build a strong foundation for interns.
• The program facilitates a smooth transition from medical student to professional practice.
• Recommendations include implementing orientation programs for career advancement.