A comparison of student's learning experience in a teaching and district hospital

Abstract

Teaching hospitals has been a traditional source of clinical experience in undergraduate medical education. However, arguments have been made that medical students will have a less active role in patient care in the teaching hospital compared to the community hospital as the proportionately larger number of clinical staff and students at the teaching hospital makes it difficult for students to obtain specific clinical responsibilities. A comparison of student's learning experience in both the teaching and district hospital was done by end of posting questionnaires of the district hospital posting and the internal medicine and paediatrics posting at the school of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Teaching hospital postings are more structured and students are generally kept busier with more formal teaching sessions. Teaching at the district hospital are more informal and students spend more time clerking and examining patients in the wards and the clinics. Student's experience of clinical procedures are mostly similar in both postings.