Samskara 2025 – The NCISM transitional orientation program for postgraduate scholars at All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi: Content, impact, and feedback

The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) has mandated “Samskara,” a transitional orientation program designed to integrate postgraduate scholars into a common learning platform and imbue them with essential professional and personal skills. This report assesses the effectiveness, content delivery, and participant feedback of “Samskara 2025,” conducted for the 2025–2028 batch at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Delhi. The 16-day program was attended by 72 scholars and comprised 73 academic sessions covering research methodology, policies, and clinical skills. The program’s impact was evaluated using a pretest and posttest design comprising 46 multiple-choice and four descriptive questions. Psychometric item analysis (difficulty index and discrimination index) was performed to assess the assessment tool’s quality. Participant feedback was collected using the Kirkpatrick Model to evaluate reaction (logistics and content) and learning (competency self-assessment). The program led to a measurable improvement in knowledge, with mean test scores increasing from 21.24 in the pretest to 30.38 in the posttest. Item analysis indicated that 69.57% of test items had “good” difficulty, and 54.35% showed “good” discrimination. While logistics and overall experience received satisfaction ratings of around 79%, a divergence was observed in technical domains; participants rated research methodology content highly but reported only modest postprogram self-competence in biostatistics and research. Samskara 2025 effectively oriented scholars to the institutional ecosystem and improved domain knowledge. However, the gap between content appreciation and self-efficacy in technical subjects suggests that future curricula should transition from didactic lectures to competency-based, workshop-style sessions for complex topics.