Compatibility of the Curricula of Public Medicine Internship and Apprenticeship Programs with General Practitioners’ Roles and Responsibilities

Background and Objectives: The aim of the present study is to investigate the compatibility of public medicine internship and apprenticeship curricula with roles and responsibilities of general practitioners (GPs) from their personal perspectives at health centers, affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Methods: This cross sectional analytical survey was performed on 80 GPs in East Azerbaijan province, Iran in 2014 via simple random sampling. The data collection tool included a researcher-made questionnaire, based on the curricula of community medicine internship and apprenticeship programs and a focus group discussion about GPs’ responsibilities. The content validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed by professionals and experts of public health education. For data analysis, descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage) and one-sample t test were performed, using SPSS. Results: On average, more than 83% of GPs in this study believed that subjects presented in public medicine internship and apprenticeship programs should remain in the curricula. More than 60% of GPs demanded the integration of subjects, including professional ethics and approaches towards preventive medicine and disease risk factors, in the internship program. In addition, more than 50% of GPs asked for the integration of accurate drug prescription and test administration in the internship program. Generally, the respondents reported amoderate to high level of compatibility between the educational content of internship (mean, 3.3 ± 0.74; minimum, 1.1; maximum, 5) and apprenticeship (mean, 3.13 ± 0.77; minimum, 1; maximum, 4.92) programs. Conclusions: According to the results, GPs reported a medium to high level of compatibility between the curricula of internship and apprenticeship programs, as stated by GPs. They also asked for the integration of certain subjects in their curricula. Therefore, it is essential to coordinate the educational syllabus with the actual medical education needs of students in order to improve GPs’ efficiency and promote a community-based approach in medical education. Keywords: Coordination, Curricula, Internship, Apprenticeship, Responsibility, General Practitioner

The Impact of Early Clinical Exposure on the Knowledge and Attitude of Basic Sciences Medical Students at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the effects of early clinical exposure to mother and child healthcare on the knowledge and attitude of Tabriz medical school basic sciences students. Methods: As a sample, 152 of the third semester students were selected, of whom 25 were randomized to the experimental group and the rest, 127 students, were considered the control group. Results: The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference between the attitudes and knowledge level of the control group who did not experience early clinical exposure and the experimental group who were given clinical exposure with regard to intervention training. Conclusion: Finally, considering the results, it could be acknowledged that training in the intervention of early clinical exposure could affect the level of students’ knowledge and attitudes

The Effectiveness of the Community Medicine Undergraduate Program in Medical Schools on Enabling Medical Graduates to Work in the Health Systems

Introduction: The main mission of medical schools is to train competent medical trainees for providing primary health care services, management of health care team and improving the health status of the population. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the undergraduate program of community medicine department among the graduates as general (family) physicians in health system of East Azerbaijan, North-West of` Iran. Methods: In this cross- sectional study all family physicians of East Azerbaijan province were included. A questionnaire on the views of graduates about the effectiveness of community medicine undergraduate program was used for gathering data. Data were analyzed by T-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. Results: Performance of community medicine department in creating competency for providing effective health services among physicians was 2.13 and management competency was 1.96 out of 4. To teach the necessary skills to meet the professional needs in Primary Health Care (PHC), Tabriz Community Medicine Department was better compared to Azad and other medical schools (p<0.001). Conclusions: The results of the study showed that the community medicine program in undergraduate medical education was effective for future career of physicians in the health system. There is a need to revise the health management courses in community medicine program