Exploring the educational challenges in emergency medical students: A qualitative study
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025

Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
Ali Afshari1, Masoud Khodaveisi2, Efat Sadeghian3
1Student Research Committee, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
Introduction:
Emergency medical services (EMS) are provided in the difficult and unpredictable conditions of prehospital settings. Therefore, EMS students need to receive quality education to acquire considerable knowledge and skills. This qualitative study aimed to explore the educational challenges in medical emergency students.
Methods:
This qualitative study was carried out in 2019 using qualitative content analysis. Participants were fourteen undergraduate EMS students purposively recruited from Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews and continued up to data saturation. Data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach explained by Graneheim and Lundman.
Results:
The four main categories of the challenges of EMS education were shortcomings of the clinical education environment, lack of qualified EMS instructors, deficit of the curriculum, and theory-practice gap.
Conclusion:
During their university education, EMS students face different challenges. For effective training, more coordination is needed among the emergency medical board, faculty members and EMS managers. It is also recommended that the curriculum should be revised.
Related Concept Videos
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
Case Studies
Methods of Documentation VII: EMR
Introduction Cardiac Emergencies
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation III: AED Use

