Quality of Ambulatory Education from the Viewpoint of the Clinical Medical Students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2013

Introduction: Ambulatory education is an integral part of medical education. The present study was carried out to evaluate the quality of ambulatory education from the viewpoint of clinical medical students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the study sample included medical externs externs  and interns of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences that were selected through census sampling technique in the academic year 2012-2013. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire with acceptable validity and reliability. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS-16 software using descriptive statistics.

Results: 65 (50%) externs and 75 (65%) interns participated in the study and 1588 questionnaires were completed via self-administered technique. The mean of the teachers’ quality of ambulatory education at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences was 22.6±5.2 and the mean for the clinics’ quality of physical environment was 19±5.13, indicating favorable and semi-favorable status, respectively. Qualitative evaluation of ambulatory education from the viewpoint of externs and interns showed a significant difference with more satisfaction from the part of the interns (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The findings revealed that the teachers’ quality of ambulatory education at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences was favorable, but the physical condition of the clinics indicated a semi-favorable status.