Perspectives of Indian medical students regarding the competency based medical education curriculum – A qualitative, manual, theoretical thematic content analysis

Objective A competency-based undergraduate curriculum for the Indian Medical Graduates has been introduced since August 2019. The objective of this study was to capture the perspectives of students regarding the competency-based medical education curriculum. Material and Methods We present the qualitative findings from a multicentric cross-sectional study conducted among first-year MBBS students of selected medical colleges in India (2019–2020 batch) enrolled using a multistage random sampling method between February and March 2020. Qualitative data were analyzed using manual, theoretical thematic content analysis following the steps endorsed in Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. Results Of the 336 medical students, 175 (52.1%) were from the government and 154 (45.8%) were from private medical colleges. The initiatives that were perceived to be most useful by students were sports, including extracurricular activities; attitude, ethics and communication (AETCOM) modules; yoga sessions;field visits; and skills modules (especially basic life support training). The duration of the foundation course, documentation of early clinical exposure, self-directed learning in the form of logbooks, records and related assignments for each subject, and pattern of assessment methods were initiatives that required modifications from student’s perspective. Also, the suggestions provided by students to improve the curriculum has been summarized in this article that included changes in pattern of question papers, introducing skill certification, capturing subject based – student centered reflections, making available a mental health counselor, introducing literary clubs, and inter medical college visits. Conclusion The introduction of competency based medical education for undergraduate curriculum is a step in the right direction. But the need of the hour is to continuously adapt – based on the experiences of teachers, administrators, other stakeholders and students in particular.