The district residency programme: Perception of postgraduate students at a tertiary care hospital in Jaipur

Background The district residency programme (DRP) has been made essential for postgraduates by the National Medical Commission. We studied the perception of postgraduate students about this programme. Methods A cross-sectional survey was done using a pre-validated questionnaire developed in Google forms. The link to the questionnaire was circulated through existing social media platforms and had questions about knowledge, attitude and practice. Scores were appropriately assigned to the questions. The data were coded numerically, and themes were identified from the data using inductive content analysis. Results All participants had a negative opinion of the DRP with a mean perception score of 26.6. Two-thirds of the participants believed that the DRP had no positive impact on learning and knowledge of their respective postgraduate subjects. About 55% of them believed that the duration of DRP training should be reduced. Important themes that were obtained from the data were that DRP training was not beneficial for the participants, and perceived barriers in DRP training included lack of accommodation, food, and communication with the parent department during the training. Conclusion Postgraduate students had a negative perception of the DRP. Upgradation of district hospitals with modern and optimal facilities for patient care, facilities to accommodate students, and provision for communication with the parent department during the DRP, could improve students perception.