Iranian Journal of Medical Education

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Introduction. Encountering clinical environments as an inseparable part of studying medicine could bring about tension and anxiety for medical students. Early clinical exposure has been suggested in order to decrease these stresses and to motivate students for a better attitude and awareness. This study was performed to determine the effect of a short-term period of exposing to clinical environment on medical students' attitude toward medical education and their future career. Methods. In an interventional study performed as pre-test/post-test, 45 first and second year medical students were encountered clinical environments in rounds, operating rooms, emergency wards and out patient clinics, under the supervision of a mentor. They experienced one night in emergency ward. Students’ attitude was assessed by a questionnaire using Likert scale. Results. The score of attitude towards the effectiveness of medical education elevated (31%) at the end. While the score of attitude towards medical profession was 12% less than the first day. More positive change in attitude towards medical education was seen in women but this difference was not seen in attitude towards medical profession. 86% agreed or strongly agreed with necessity of this program for first year medical students96% thought that this course had motivated them to study more at school and the same rate said that this course made learning medicine more attractive and enjoyable. All of the students wanted to come to the hospital in the future, voluntarily. 65% mentioned that medical profession was more difficult than what they had thought. 35% agreed or strongly agreed that patients appeared different from what they had imagined before. Conclusion. This study clearly showed the effect of early exposure to clinical environment as a place for both education and patient care. Although the sample size and conditions of the study do not allow us to generalize the results to medical students’ population, the intervention influenced a positive change in medical students’ motivation for learning during their study years. It made them more aware of their future career.

Keywords: Early exposure, Clinical Environment, Intervention, Attitude, Medical Students, Medical Education

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