Postgraduate Trainees’ perception of the clinical learning environment at an Ethiopian Medical School: a cross sectional survey

Abstract

Background: Learning environment is an integral part of the curriculum. Curriculum cannot be seen separately from learning environment. Learning environment should be measured as it is related to students’ success, achievements, satisfaction and meeting educational goals. One of the methods of measuring the learning environment is by assessing the students’ perception of the learning environment. Post graduate education environment measure is a valid and reliable learning environment assessment tool that is used internationally across many countries worldwide.
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess residents’ perception of the post graduate educational environment in the College of Health Sciences of Mekelle University, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.
Methods: This was a facility based cross-sectional study conducted in the five major department of the School of Medicine at Mekelle University. A total of 111 residents participated in the study. The study used the English version of the 40-item Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure, self administered questionnaire, to measure the educational environment for all residents in the School of Medicine of the College of Health Sciences of Mekelle University. Data was entered after checking for completeness, cleaning and coding into computer SPSS software. Descriptive analysis was made and results presented in the form of tables.
Results: Only 90 participated in the study making the response rate of 81%. The overall score of the postgraduate learning environment measure was found to be 93 which is considered as “more positive than negative but room for improvement”. Of the forty questions, six has shown some concern that needs improvement. These were contract agreement of employment, informative junior doctor’s handbook, having functional protocols, catering services for residents, work overload and providing support and counseling.
Conclusions: The post graduate education system was perceived positively by the residents, though there are still areas to improve to have a quality post graduate medical education. Making regular learning environment assessments as integral parts of the educational quality monitoring and evaluation system in the medical schools is recommended.