Evaluation of medical student’s point of view (in three levels of preclinical, clinical, and residency) about the clinical application of Physiology course in Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

Despite the importance of basic sciences as the basis for medical education, most students have a negative attitude toward the applicability of this phase of medical curriculum in clinical phases. This study was designed to investigate the viewpoints of medical students of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences about clinical applicability of their Physiology course as one of the major courses in basic sciences. The data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of 16 questions. In this study, 273 medical students were included. There were 117, 53, and 103 students in preclinical, clinical and residency levels, respectively. Data were collected between 2015-2018. According to the viewpoint of 71.1% of the participants in our study, the courses taught in basic sciences are applicable in clinical years. Also, 58.2% of the respondents were unaware of the clinical significance of the Physiology course. According to 78.8% of the students, indicating clinical points in basic science courses can have a profound impact on Physiology learning and its retrieval in clinical courses. The application of Physiology at the current level was moderate according to the viewpoints of 40.7% of the students while it was much and very much based on the viewpoints of 48% of the participants. The Physiology course has many clinical applications from the medical student’s perspective. Residents who have spent more time in clinical practice, as opposed to students at clinical and preclinical levels, put more emphasis on the clinical applicability of Physiology. Therefore, the greater the involvement of medical students in the clinical field, the higher their awareness about clinical applicability of Physiology.