Understanding the role of Electives in Otorhinolaryngology in Undergraduate Medical Education

Background: MBBS curriculum stands as the foundation for future physicians. While the core components of this curriculum provide essential knowledge and skills, the inclusion of electives in new CBME curriculum offers a pivotal opportunity for students to explore specialised areas of medicine undergraduate subjects tailored to their interests and career aspirations. In our institute, the electives have been implemented for final year MBBS students however, in Otorhinolaryngology electives have been introduced for the first time. Hence the present study was conducted to assess any additional advantage of introducing electives in ENT as compared to conventional teaching. Material and Methods: 63 students volunteered for the elective courses, and were equally assigned the three formulated ENT Electives and 63 students of the same batch were taken as controls and were matched in terms of age, sex & academic performance of previous year. All 126 students attended routine classes on the topics chosen for the elective courses. Results: Baseline knowledge of the students of both groups was tested with a pre-intervention questionnaire comprising of a set of multiple-choice questions. The results revealed comparable baseline knowledge in both the groups indicating homogeneity in participant characteristics. Post-intervention assessment (using theory test, clinical skills, OSCEs, MCQs), demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge, skills, and competencies in the chosen topics among participants in the Group A as compared to the Group B. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate the positive impact of elective participation on medical students’ learning outcomes and career aspirations in otorhinolaryngology. Electives not only enhance knowledge acquisition and clinical skills but also shape attitudes and perceptions towards ENT as a specialty. These results emphasize the importance of integrating electives into medical curriculum to provide students with enriching educational experiences and prepare them for future practice in ENT.