Objective: To assess views of medical students on making early clinical exposure (ECE) a part of integrated modular curriculum to enhance integration of basic and applied medical knowledge.
Methodology: From May to September 2021, this cross-sectional study was done among 300 Rawalpindi Medical University 3rd, 4th, and 5th year MBBS students. The data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. We used the Chi square test, mean, and standard deviation.
Results: Early clinical exposure should be included in the modular curriculum to enhance integration of basic and applied medical knowledge, according to 80% (n=240/300) students. Majority of students (78%) said that ECE would have prepared them better for the clinical years. Overall, 47.3% respondents said ECE would be a fun way to study and understand medical education, but 31.3% thought it would be time-consuming.
Conclusion: Students in clinical years agreed that if ECE had been included in the curriculum, their knowledge and performance in pre-clinical years would have been greatly improved. In response to students' concerns about ECE being time-consuming, significant research would be required to make it workable for both staff and students.
Key words: Curriculum, education, hospital, medical school, early clinical exposure (ECE).
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