Medical Students\' Perception Of Undergraduate Training in Anaesthesia

Background: Modern teaching methods emphasize feed-back from students on all aspects of any course. This study was done to assess students\' perception of their posting in anaesthesia and to permit them suggest ways it can be more rewarding. Methodology: A structured questionnaire was voluntarily and anonymously filled by 56 students at the end of their 6-week posting in anaesthesia which comprised lectures, demonstrations, theatre and intensive care unit(ICU) sessions. Results: Mean age of the students was 24.09 ± 2.83yrs. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation was the most popular topic (23.2%), while Breathing Systems was the most difficult to understand (28.6%) and Oxygen Therapy the most boring (12.5%). Suggestions to improve lectures included improved audiovisuals (25%) and reduced duration of lectures (17.9%). To improve learning during theatre sessions, 44.7% suggested step-by-step explanation of procedures while 41.1% suggested permitting students to carry out procedures e.g. cannulation, maintenance of a patent airway, and endotracheal intubation. Prior to their posting, 26.8% had limited knowledge of anaesthesia while 21.5% thought it was irrelevant. Forty-eight students (85.7 %) changed their impression of anaesthesia in a positive direction after their posting. At the end, 76.7% found the specialty challenging. Thirteen students (23.2%) would consider anaesthesia for postgraduate training.80.3% rated the posting as good. Conclusion: The variable response of the students has given insight into areas requiring adjustments to lecture topics and techniques of teaching. This will assist in imparting the vital knowledge and skills that are peculiar to our specialty. This would go a long way in changing the perception of anaesthesia thereby encouraging more students to consider postgraduate training in anaesthesia. NQJHM Vol. 16 (3) 2006: pp. 106-10