Perception of medical students on implementation of Clerkship model in Community medicine

To explore the learning perspective and experience of fourth year medical students in the clerkship programme, and to identify the key challenges faced by them.

The qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted at the Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from June to September 2024, and comprised fourth year students of either gender who completed their six-week clerkship rotation in Community Medicine within the specified timeframe. Data was collected through in depth interviews till data saturation was achieved. The interviews were audio-recorded, and transcribed using an artificial intelligence tool. The data was subjected to thematic analysis using the Ritchie and Spencer framework.

Of the 15 students, 8(54%) were males and 7(46%) were females. The overall age ranged 21-22 years, and 10(66.6%) had an urban background. Data analysis led to four key themes: innovative learning, including curriculum synergy, scaffolding in learning, and reflective engagement; conduct of clerkship, including pre-visit briefings, instructor-led visits, and theme-based content; personal skill and growth, including cultural familiarity, confidence building, and communication skill enhancement; and structural limitation, including time management, burden of multitasking, and large batch size. While overall satisfaction with the module was high, students highlighted areas of structural limitations.

There was a high level of overall satisfaction with the clerkship module, but the students highlighting some structural limitations that need to be addressed to optimise the learning experience.