Background: Academic institutions throughout the globe conduct orientation programs for their students at entry level to help them adjust to the campus environment and academic programs. In India, students enter medical profession at a tender age of 17-19 years with dissimilar psychological characteristics, diverse expectations from the medical profession, and burden of various expectations from family and society.
Aims and Objectives: To facilitate the transition from school phase to a professional course, the Medical Education Unit (MEU) of Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Sciences (GAIMS) designed and evaluated an orientation-cum-foundation program for the first-year MBBS students.
Materials and Methods: Three-day long orientation program and foundation course were organized by the MEU, GAIMS for the incoming first-year MBBS students of 2016-2017 batch. 112 students voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study. Their feedback was obtained by a pre-designed and pre-validated questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale.
Results: 107 students responded with the feedback about orientation program, whereas all the 112 students gave feedback on foundation course. 78% students responded positively for orientation, and 88% responded positively for foundation course. Students were largely satisfied with the program.
Conclusion: Orientation and foundation program for MBBS students at the entry level, as suggested by the Medical Council of India, helps reduce studentsÂ’ anxiety and boosts their confidence.
Key words: Orientation; Medical Education; Medical Students; Professionalism; Ethics; India
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