Post-graduate educational environment of two parallel programs in Pediatric Medicine

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Pediatric Postgraduate Training
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• The educational environment significantly impacts trainee development and future practice.
• Comparing parallel postgraduate programs is crucial for optimizing training quality.
• Understanding trainee perceptions informs curriculum and support enhancements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the perception of the educational environment between MD and FCPS Pediatric Medicine trainees.
• To identify specific domains within the educational environment that may require improvement.
• To provide data for enhancing postgraduate medical education in Pediatric Medicine.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative, cross-sectional study involving 327 Pediatric Medicine trainees (MD and FCPS).
• The 40-item Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment (PHEEM) inventory was used to collect data.
• Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS, with purposive sampling and Google Forms for data collection.

Main Results:

• Overall educational environment perception was comparable between MD (93.88±21.5) and FCPS (92±19.7) trainees (p=0.41).
• Positive perceptions were reported for teaching (80%), role autonomy (71%), and social support (45%).
• No statistically significant differences were found in most subscale and item mean scores between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric Medicine trainees' perception of the educational environment is similar in both MD and FCPS programs.
• Both programs present comparable strengths and areas needing improvement, particularly in social support.
• Findings suggest a need for targeted interventions to enhance specific aspects of the educational environment in both training pathways.