Perception of First-year MBBS Students on Early Clinical Exposure in Medical College, Kolkata

Introduction:Early clinical exposure (ECE) is an educational strategy designed to introduce medical students to clinical contexts during the preclinical phase, with the intention of enhancing contextual understanding of basic sciences and early professional orientation.Within competency-based medical education, ECE is increasingly incorporated; however, evidence from many settings remains largely perception-based.Objectives: The study aimed to assess first-year MBBS students' perceptions of ECE with respect to conceptual understanding, motivation, communication, empathy, and overall learning experience and to identify perceived challenges in its implementation.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among 100 first-year MBBS students in the Department of Pharmacology at a tertiary care teaching institution in Kolkata.Data were collected using a validated structured questionnaire comprising Likert-scale items and open-ended questions.Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests, while qualitative data from focus group discussions (FGDs) were analyzed thematically. Results:The mean overall perception score was 4.21 0.46, indicating favorable student perceptions toward ECE.A majority of participants reported perceived improvement in conceptual clarity (91%) and retention of knowledge (90%).Statistically significant associations were observed between native place and perceived conceptual understanding (p = 0.031) and between gender and perceived improvement in communication skills (p = 0.024).Qualitative analysis identified three overarching themes: Perceived cognitive enrichment, early professional orientation, and operational challenges related to implementation.Conclusion: First-year MBBS students reported positive perceptions of ECE as a component of the preclinical curriculum.These findings reflect learner acceptance and perceived educational relevance rather than objective educational effectiveness.Longitudinal, multi-institutional studies incorporating objective outcome measures are required to determine the sustained educational impact of ECE.