Quality of education in community medicine externship and internship: Perspective of medical students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences

Community medicine externship and internship programs in the health field prepare medical students for entry into the family medicine program and implementation of community-based medical services, especially in rural areas. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of education in community medicine externship and internship from the viewpoints of medical students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences.
In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, the views of all community medicine students at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (55 externs and 53 interns) in 2014 were investigated. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire. A three-point Likert scale of good (score 3), average (score 2) and weak (1) was used to scale the items. The final mean scores of good, average and weak levels were calculated as above 2.4 (67%), from 1.7 to 2.4 (33%-67%) and below 1.7 (33%) respectively. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data.
From the viewpoint of externs, the mean scores of briefing classes (2.8, 83.6%), vaccination and cold chain training (2.9, 96.4%) and trainers’ ability to respond to educational needs (2.7, 81.8%) were at a good level. From the interns’ viewpoint, the mean scores of briefing classes (2.7, 64%) and problem solving and prioritization training (2.4, 58.5%) were at good level. Interns’ satisfaction rate with the two items of enhancing treatment management skills (2.05, 32.3%) and health education (2.2, 28.3%) was at a low (weak) level.
Maintaining and promoting the quality of education in the field of externship, and promoting the quality of education in the field of internship seem to be necessary.