Medical students’ attitudes, perceptions and future career interests towards embryology as a course at a public university in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Embryology as a course of study is a crucial component of medical education. Despite its importance, students often find it challenging due to the complex, three-dimensional changes that occur during early development, as such, do not have much interest in pursuing a career in this clinical field. This study, therefore, aimed to assess medical students’ attitudes, perceptions, and future career interests towards embryology as a course. An institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among students pursuing medical education using the Problem-Based Learning pedagogy at northern Ghana’s only public medical school. Participants’ attitudes, perceptions and future career interests in embryology were assessed using a validated questionnaire. A Chi-square analysis was conducted afterwards to determine the relationship between the study variables. 372 medical students in years one to six of their medical training participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 24.72 ± 5.26 years. Regarding attitude, 66.9% (249) of the respondents believed embryology has broad relevance across various medical fields, with 83.1% (309) of the opinion that the course is significant in contemporary medical education and that a medical doctor must have thorough knowledge of it to practice effectively. Also, 76.6% (285) perceived that virtual reality is more effective than images in teaching and learning embryology, with 15.1% (56) expressing their interest in pursuing a career in embryology. Participants in higher levels of study were more likely to pursue a future career in embryology (p = 0.033) and likely to guide their juniors to take up a career in embryology (p = 0.003). Most, 80.1% (298) of the respondents indicated a dissatisfaction with the current teaching methods of the embryology course at the study institution, highlighting the need for more interactive and practical sessions. Medical students at the study facility appreciate the importance of embryology, however, the current teaching methodologies are inadequate in fostering deep engagement and understanding of the course. There is a clear need to revise the curriculum to include more interactive and practical teaching methods. This revision is crucial to improving students’ learning experiences and their interest in embryology-related careers.