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Purpose@#This study aimed to analyze the research trends of the Korean Journal of Medical Education (KJME) since it became an English-language journal. @*Methods@#A total of 274 articles published in KJME from 2016 to 2023 were analyzed. All article types were included in the analysis. NetMiner ver. 4.0 (Cyram Inc., Korea) was used for the main keyword and topic modeling analysis. @*Results@#Of the 274 articles, 170 (62%) and 104 (38%) were by domestic and international authors, respectively. The main keywords with high frequency were “students,” “learning,” “experience,” “pandemic,” and “perception.” Three topics were derived using topic matching analysis: “residents’ perception and attitude of the pandemic,” “assessment of learning and achievement,” and “learning experiences in the pandemic.” @*Conclusion@#Since the shift to English-language journals, medical education research has witnessed an increase in the number of articles published by international authors. Research on postgraduate education has increased. Research topics are relevant to situations such as the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. These findings can help researchers select research topics and encourage them to submit their research to the journal.
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Purpose@#The decision to enroll in medical school is largely influenced by extrinsic motivation factors. It is necessary to explore the factors that affect pre-med students’ motivation to enter medical school and their college adjustment, and to develop measures to help them adjust. @*Methods@#A total of 407 pre-med students were surveyed regarding their motivation to enter medical school, fear of failure, and college adjustment. We analyzed the latent profiles of extrinsic motivation factors using latent profile analysis. One-way analysis of variance was conducted to examine the differences in fear of failure and adaptation to university life according to the latent groups. @*Results@#After analyzing the latent profiles of entrance motivation, three latent profiles were selected. They were divided into high, medium, and low extrinsic motivation groups. Three profiles scored the highest on job security, followed by good grades and social status. Sophomores were more likely to be high extrinsic motivators than freshmen were. Fear of failure was high in the group with high extrinsic motivation, and adaptation to college life was highest in the group with low extrinsic motivation. @*Conclusion@#Job security was the most important extrinsic motivator for entering medical school, and extrinsic entrance motivation influenced fear of failure and college adjustment. Given the high level of extrinsic motivation among medical students, it is meaningful to analyze the extrinsic motivation profile of entering medical students and how it affects failure motivation and college adjustment.
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Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of global health education (GHE) among medical students and their involvement in global health activities and identify priorities of educational needs for developing GHE programs. @*Methods@#This study was cross-sectional and conducted through an online survey for medical students. The participants were students attending medical schools nationwide, and the final analysis target was 678. The survey developed questionnaires necessary for research purposes regarding global health-related experiences and perceptions, level of awareness of global health competencies (GHC), and needs assessments. The data were analyzed using the frequency analysis, chi-square test, independent t-test, Borich Needs Assessment Model, and the Locus for Focus Model. @*Results@#In total, 60.6% (411/678) agreed on the need for GHE, whereas 12.1% (82/678) agreed on the appropriateness of GHE in the current medical school curriculum, indicating a perception gap between the necessity and the status. At the current level of awareness of global health and GHC, we identified statistically significant differences according to gender, participation in global health activities, and GHE. In the analysis of the educational needs of GHC, all items of GHC had statistically significant differences between the importance level and the current level, and priorities were derived. The competency with the highest priority was domain A (Global Burden of Disease). @*Conclusion@#We expect the findings of this study to be used in Korean medical education as fundamental data to prepare a hereafter research foundation for GHE and discuss systematic GHE based on GHC.
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The ultimate goal of career guidance is to help medical students develop a career plan that matches their personal characteristics, allows them to train in their desired subspecialty, and helps them to adapt well to medical practice after graduation. Gachon Medical School has designed a longitudinal career guidance program called GLORI (Gachon Longitudinal Orientation and Career Development), which is based on the outcome of each phase. The program consists of regular courses and portfolio-based career guidance from a mentor professor. In phase 2 (basic medical science), the “Career Seminar” course was developed. This course focuses on self-understanding through a psychological inventory, exploration of postgraduate career paths, and interviews with professors in specialties of interest. In phase 3 (the integration of basic and clinical science), the “Exploring Nonclinical Career Options” course was introduced. This course presents perspectives from doctors who have followed various pioneering career trajectories, including biomedical engineering, medical journalism, writing, public health, health care administration, the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, and other areas. All teaching methods were designed to encourage student participation. The assessment methods are assignment-based, including self-reflective reports and presentations. In addition, a portfolio-based career guidance program is implemented in phases 3 and 4 (clinical clerkship). It is expected that this case study will serve as a practical example for developing comprehensive career guidance programs for medical schools.
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Interprofessional education (IPE) is relatively new in medical schools in South Korea. Since the introduction of IPE in 2022, its effective and sustainable implementation has been of great interest in medical schools. This study analyzed literature on the development of IPE in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan to explore strategies for successful IPE in Korean medical schools. A systematic literature search focused on institutionalizing IPE yielded 30 papers for review. The findings included the following crucial elements for effective IPE: (1) government or institutional-led support; (2) establishment of networks and partnerships; (3) development of standardized core competency frameworks for IPE; and (4) inclusion of IPE in accreditation standards. These aspects underscore the importance of IPE as an essential component of health professional education that should be effectively and sustainably implemented in academic settings. The study concludes that the successful integration and sustainable development of IPE in Korean health education will necessitate expanded and proactive governmental support. Moreover, promoting collaborations among universities, hospitals, and local healthcare institutions will be vital for creating synergies in implementing IPE programs. Establishing networks to develop and execute joint IPE initiatives and securing initial support for conceptualizing and developing competency frameworks will be critical. Additionally, forming consortia of healthcare accreditation bodies to collaboratively develop and incorporate IPE standards into evaluation criteria will be essential. Efforts to surmount these challenges will contribute to building a structural and institutional support system for the successful introduction and sustainability of IPE in Korea.
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Purpose@#The purpose of this study is to analyze the accreditation standards items related to the decision of accreditation of medical schools by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE). @*Methods@#The subjects are medical schools in Korea that have received post-2nd cycle accreditation from the KIMEE between 2012 and 2016. Analyses were conducted for differences in accreditation decisions according to the characteristics of medical schools, sufficient ratios of basic standards items, and correlation between standards items related to accreditation decisions. @*Results@#After examining differences in accreditation decisions by the medical school’s characteristics, there were no significant correlations between accreditation standard items and accreditation decisions. Second, according to the number of schools that sufficiently or insufficiently met each standard item, from the total of 97 standard items, 20 (20.6%) were sufficiently fulfilled by all medical schools. Standard item 2-5-2 demonstrated the highest insufficiency ratio. Third, with respect to the standard item that had an effect on accreditation decisions, standard item 1-5-1 showed the highest correlation with the sufficiency rate. @*Conclusion@#The validity of accreditation standards items was assured as this study evaluated the post-2nd cycle accreditation standards items regardless of each medical school’s characteristics. The accreditation standards items were found to have a meaningful impact on the development of medical schools and qualitative improvement in medical education. The findings are expected to contribute to guaranteeing the validity and reliability of accreditation decisions and raising the quality of accreditation.
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Purpose@#This study aims to verify whether the Reflective Practice Questionnaire (RPQ) developed by Priddis and Rogers is valid in the Korean context to identify the level of reflection of medical students in clinical practice. @*Methods@#A total of 202 third- and fourth-year medical students from seven universities participated in the study. After receiving approval for use from the authors, a survey was conducted on the students through an adaptation process. The original scale consists of 10 factors with 40 items. The Self-efficacy in Clinical Performance Scale (SECP), Korean Self-reflection and Insight Scale (K-SRIS), and Reflection-in-Learning Scale (RinLS) were used to validate the scale. Exploratory factor, confirmatory factor, correlation, and reliability analyses were used for data analysis. @*Results@#As a result of exploratory factor analysis, 10 subfactors were extracted (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin=0.856, Bartlett’s test: χ 2 =5,044.337, degrees of freedom=780, p<0.001). Among the 40 items, one that showed a high overlapping load for other factors was excluded. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, the 10-factor structure model was found suitable (χ 2 =1.980, comparative fit index=0.859, Tucker-Lewis index=0.841, root mean square error of approximation=0.070). As a result of the criterion validity test, most of the subfactors of the Korean version of the RPQ (K-RPQ) showed a positive correlation with K-SRIS, RinLS, and SECP. The reliability of 10 subfactors was satisfactory, ranging from 0.666 to 0.919. @*Conclusion@#The K-RPQ was confirmed to be a reliable and valid tool to evaluate the level of reflection among Korean medical students in clinical clerkship. This scale can be used as a tool to provide feedback on each student’s level of reflection in clinical clerkship.
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Background@#Patient-centered outcomes can be achieved when common core and specialist competencies are achieved in a balanced manner. This study was conducted to assess the need to fill the gap between the defined competencies and learners’ achievement, in order to improve the internal medicine (IM) training education curriculum for promoting patientcentered outcomes. @*Methods@#A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. The participants were 202 IM specialists who obtained board certification in 2020−2021. We developed a questionnaire to investigate the self-evaluation of common core competencies and achievement level of IM essential competencies. For analysis, frequency tests, paired t-test, Borich priority formula, and χ 2 were performed. @*Results@#In common core competencies, IM specialists recognized that their achievement levels in all competency categories were lower than their importance level (P < 0.001), and the highest educational demands were related to self-management. They assessed their five essential procedure skill levels as novice or advanced beginner status. The achievement level for the essential symptoms and signs that IM specialists should be able to manage was predominantly competent level. However, on average, 34.9% answered that they had never assessed during training for essential skills, and 29.7% answered the same for essential symptoms and signs. @*Conclusion@#We identified the priorities of core competencies, the level of achievement in essential procedures and patient care with essential symptoms and signs for IM training, and the related educational methods and assessment status. This study is expected to be used as basic data for developing and revising IM training educational curriculum.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to reach a consensus among experts on the global health competencies for medical students in Korea. @*Methods@#A global health competency model was developed to identify domains and competencies for medical education, and a three-round modified Delphi method was used to reach consensus among 21 experts on the essential global health competencies. The degree of convergence, degree of consensus, and content validity ratio of the model were used to reach a consensus. @*Results@#A list of 52 competencies in 12 domains were identified according to a literature review. In the first-round Delphi survey, the global health competencies were refined to 30 competencies in eight domains. In the second round, the competencies were reduced to 24. In the final round, consensus was reached among the expert panel members, and the competencies were finalized. The global health competency domains for medical students include global burden of disease (three items), globalization of health and healthcare (five items), determinants of health (two items), healthcare in low-resource settings (two items), global health governance (three items), health as a human right (four items), cultural diversity and health (three items), and participation in global health activities (two items). @*Conclusion@#The group of experts in global health achieved a consensus that 24 global health competencies in eight domains were essential for undergraduate medical education in Korea. The domains and competencies identified herein can be used to develop an undergraduate medical education curriculum in global health.
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This study aimed to investigate the current status of faculty development (FD) programs operated by medical colleges and institutions in Korea, and to suggest future-oriented directions for FD. A survey was conducted targeting medical colleges and medical education institutions that operate FD programs. We investigated the reasons for selecting topics, program themes, program operation methods, longitudinal program status, program improvement and quality control methods, the evaluation of the program effects, the outcomes and problems of the programs, and opinions on the latest trends. Twenty-nine out of 40 medical colleges and three out of six institutions responded. Topics were selected based on an analysis of medical education trends and the educational environment in both groups. The most common program themes were assessments in medical colleges, and teaching/learning and curriculum themes in institutions. FD was perceived to induce professors’ and administrators’ interest in medical education and improve the quality of medical education. The most common program method was workshops. Three medical colleges and one institution had longitudinal programs. Participant surveys constituted the most common method of evaluating programs’ effects. Difficulties in publicizing programs and inducing voluntary participation were the most common problems in both groups. New attempts for FD were perceived as the role of external institutions. Based on the results, it is necessary to develop a framework and quality improvement indications for FD programs in the future, and FD programs are expected to be developed through new initiatives, such as longitudinal programs and those focusing on the community of practice.
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This study investigated the current status and educational needs of global health education (GHE) at medical schools in Korea. Among the 40 medical schools nationwide, 32 schools that agreed to participate in the study collected data through a survey in 2022, and the results were examined by frequency analysis and content analysis. In total, 87.5% of medical schools included global health-related graduation outcomes. In the curriculum, global health lessons within courses were present at 71.9% of medical schools. Regarding extracurricular activities, 66.7% and 63.0% of medical schools offered overseas clerkships and overseas volunteer work, respectively. Although there were not many medical schools with a global health-related educational environment, 96.9% of schools agreed with the necessity of GHE in medical education. The prevailing opinion was that it was appropriate to continuously cover GHE as lessons within courses throughout all years of the program in medical education. The main opinions regarding the improvement of GHE related to curriculum development, personnel expansion, and awareness improvement at medical schools. These findings are expected to serve as a basis for identifying the current status of GHE at Korean medical schools and specifying future directions of GHE.
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Purpose@#: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching impact on society. Understanding the changes perceived by medical students is meaningful in that it can suggest the direction of future changes in medical education. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 social distancing on psychosocial changes in medical students. @*Methods@#: Anxiety and depression caused by COVID-19, changes in fatigue caused by social distancing, areas where significant changes occurred, and changes in social activity participation and media use behavior among medical students who have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic for more than two years by an online survey. Two hundred twenty-one who are 1st and 2nd-year medical students responded, and we analyzed the results by frequency analysis, independent t-test, paired-sample t-test, and ANOVA. Also, we analyzed Post hoc tests with Tamhane T2, which does not assume equal variance. @*Results@#: The second year of medical school showed higher anxiety and depression than the first. The students who experienced COVID-19 showed lower anxiety, and the more severe the degree of corona blue experience, the higher the anxiety and depression. And the fatigue felt by medical students is higher now than during COVID-19. Areas where the changes due to COVID-19 were seen a lot, were lifestyle attitudes, learning methods, and human relationships. And also, social activities and media medical students use increased after social distancing. @*Conclusion@#: Before and After COVID-19 Social Distancing, medical students have experienced many psychosocial changes.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of interprofessional education (IPE) and the efforts required to promote, popularize, and implement it in Korea. The IPE status of 40 medical colleges was investigated using a survey with questions regarding the details of IPE, the future plans and necessary support required, and the reasons for not implementing IPE. Thirty-two medical colleges responded, of which 10 are implementing or have implemented IPE. Most of these colleges started IPE in 2018, and the duration of IPE was less than 9 hours. All medical colleges held classes with nursing students. As for the type of IPE, there were independent courses for IPE, one-time special lectures, or partial sessions in one course. Lectures, discussions and presentations, role playing, and high-fidelity simulations were mainly used as educational methods. The support and interest of the dean was the most important facilitating factor. No medical colleges were currently preparing to implement IPE, four colleges had planned IPE but failed to implement it, and 16 had no plans for IPE at all. All medical colleges cited scheduling or cooperation with other majors as the most significant barrier. All the colleges listed their requirements for educational materials, cases, guidelines, and teaching and learning methods for IPE from external institutions. To activate IPE, it is necessary to create an appropriate atmosphere and conditions for developing IPE competencies and a model suitable for the domestic situation. External medical education support organizations should distribute IPE development guidelines and educational materials, form a network between medical colleges with IPE experience, and make efforts to promote the importance of IPE.
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Background@#The purpose of this study is to conduct a teamwork program for pre-medical students using a table-top simulation game called Friday Night at the ER®, and to investigate the effect. @*Methods@#This is a one group pretest-posttest design study 34 students. The tools were understanding of interpersonal relationships (11 questions), problem-solving initiative (8 questions), and system thinking (20 questions) were used. Satisfaction with the program was investigated, and a self-reflection essay was written. For the analysis, paired t-test, frequency analysis, and content analysis were used. @*Results@#After participating in the program, interpersonal understanding, proactivity in problem-solving, and systems thinking all significantly improved (p<.001), and the effect size of the program was also above medium (Cohen’s d= 0.580∼1.019). As a result of analyzing the contents of the self-reflection journal, it was classified into 7 themes and 3 categories; Teamwork competency, systems thinking skills, interpersonal skills. Students were generally satisfied with the program. @*Conclusion@#The simulation game-based teamwork program was effective in improving students’ teamwork. These results can be used as basic data for medical schools designing such programs.
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Background@#: Emergency physicians are increasingly participating in brain-death organ tissue donation (OTD).It is difficult communication to inform family members about suspected brain-death and potential donor.This study sought to explore the experiences and communication of emergency physicians in brain-death OTD. @*Methods@#: This is a qualitative study that interviewed 10 experienced emergency physicians with brain-death OTD and analyzed the data by thematic analysis method. @*Results@#: The study revealed 20 subthemes and 5 themes; 1) Families who are invited to donate organs make decisions after long periods of consideration by the entire family, 2) It is uncomfortable to recommend organ donation, 3) Explaining and obtaining consent is ‘the hardest job’ for the attending physician, 4) The way the attending physician does ‘the hardest job’ is by explaining, 5) Passively solicit donation. @*Conclusion@#: The experienced emergency physicians with brain-death OTD were using methods of communication to understand and sympathized with the family members and had abundant experiences. The findings of this study will help inexperienced emergency physicians with brain-death OTD.
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Background@#This study aimed to investigate differences in knowledge, and attitudes toward deceased organ and tissue donation of emergency physicians. Additionally, we analyzed factors affecting the attitudes toward deceased organ and tissue donation. @*Methods@#We conducted a survey of specialists and residents registered with the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine in December 2020. The respondents’ sex, age, position, personal registration for organ donation, experience of soliciting organ donation, participation in related education, knowledge, and attitude about brain death organ donation, and attitude toward stopping life-sustaining treatments were investigated.According to the characteristics of the respondents (specialists or residents, experience and education on organ and tissue donation), their knowledge and attitude toward deceased organ donation were compared. Stepwise hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the factors affecting the attitudes toward deceased organ and tissue donation. @*Results@#Of the total 428 respondents, there were 292 emergency medicine specialists and 136 medical residents. Specialists and those who registered or wished to donate organs had higher knowledge and attitude scores regarding deceased organ and tissue donation.Those who had experience recommending organ and tissue donation more than 6 times had higher knowledge scores on deceased organ and tissue donation and higher overall scores in attitude. Those who received education from the Korean Organ Donation Agency had higher knowledge scores. Specialists, and those who wished to donate or had registered as organ donors and had a higher life-sustaining treatment attitude score and knowledge about deceased organ and tissue donation, had more positive attitudes toward deceased organ and tissue donation. @*Conclusion@#For more potential deceased organ and tissue donors to be referred for donation, there should be continuous education for emergency physicians on brain-dead organ and tissue donation-related knowledge and procedures. In addition, institutional or systematic improvements that can lead to organ donation when deciding on the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment should be considered.
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This study examined the relationships among personality traits, coping efficacy, and academic stress in medical and non-medical students in South Korea, and investigated the mediating effect of coping efficacy in the relationship between personality traits and academic stress. The study group comprised 210 medical students and 175 non-medical students. They were asked to rate their personality traits, coping efficacy, and academic stress. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS ver. 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and AMOS ver. 26.0 (IBM Corp.). Medical students scored higher for examination stress and lower for extroversion than non-medical students. In both groups, extroversion and conscientiousness positively affected coping efficacy, while neuroticism influenced it negatively. Neuroticism directly influenced all types of academic stress in both groups, while extroversion and conscientiousness only had direct effects on examination stress among medical students. Coping efficacy mediated the associations between personality traits and academic stress, except for the relationship between neuroticism and grade stress among medical students. The study indicates that coping efficacy had a significant effect on relieving academic stress among students with higher scores for extroversion and conscientiousness. Efforts should be made to decrease neuroticism to lower academic stress, as the relationship between neuroticism and academic stress is not directly influenced by coping efficacy. The implications of these results are discussed regarding a consultation system for students, especially those in medical school.
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This study examined the relationships among personality traits, coping efficacy, and academic stress in medical and non-medical students in South Korea, and investigated the mediating effect of coping efficacy in the relationship between personality traits and academic stress. The study group comprised 210 medical students and 175 non-medical students. They were asked to rate their personality traits, coping efficacy, and academic stress. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS ver. 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and AMOS ver. 26.0 (IBM Corp.). Medical students scored higher for examination stress and lower for extroversion than non-medical students. In both groups, extroversion and conscientiousness positively affected coping efficacy, while neuroticism influenced it negatively. Neuroticism directly influenced all types of academic stress in both groups, while extroversion and conscientiousness only had direct effects on examination stress among medical students. Coping efficacy mediated the associations between personality traits and academic stress, except for the relationship between neuroticism and grade stress among medical students. The study indicates that coping efficacy had a significant effect on relieving academic stress among students with higher scores for extroversion and conscientiousness. Efforts should be made to decrease neuroticism to lower academic stress, as the relationship between neuroticism and academic stress is not directly influenced by coping efficacy. The implications of these results are discussed regarding a consultation system for students, especially those in medical school.
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Purpose@#This study is to develop an interprofessional education (IPE) program for medical, nursing, and pharmacy students and to analyze the effectiveness. @*Methods@#Subjects consisted of 116 students (41 medical, 46 nursing, and 29 pharmacy students) enrolled in their final year. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group, with 58 in each group. A pretest-posttest control group design was used. The program was operated for a single day, and consisted of small-group activities and role-play. We utilized the following tools: Perceptions towards Interprofessional Education (PIPE), Self-Efficacy for Interprofessional Experiential Learning (SEIEL), and Perception towards Interprofessional Competency (PIC). We used t-test and analysis of covariance for analysis. @*Results@#The PIPE tool revealed that the scores of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p=0.000). The result was the same when the scores were categorized into the groups medical students (p=0.001), nursing students (p=0.000), and pharmacy students (p=0.005). The SEIEL study also indicated the intervention group scored significantly higher than the control group (p=0.000). However, pharmacy students did not reveal significant (p=0.983). The intervention group scored significantly higher than the control group in the PIC. A concluding survey of the intervention group indicated that most students were satisfied with the IPE program. @*Conclusion@#We hope this study will provide useful information for designing and improving IPE programs in other universities.
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Purpose@#This study will compare differences in perception of interprofessional education (IPE) in the faculty of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. It will also analyze differences in the level of importance of IPE competences and the present competence levels of their students perceived by the faculty. @*Methods@#The study included 115 participants from the faculty of medicine, 31 from nursing, and 23 from pharmacy. The surveys contained 21 questions on their perceptions of IPE, and perception on the nine competences of IPE. The results were analyzed using analysis of variance and χ2 analysis, and the Borich coefficient was calculated to identify the educational order of priority from the competence levels of their student of IPE. @*Results@#Participants of 14.8% responded that they were aware of IPE, 95.8% responded that they did not have experience in IPE, and 95.8% responded that IPE was necessary. Among the subfactors of perception of IPE, the faculty of medicine had significantly lower perceptions of the importance, effectiveness, and support of IPE (p<0.001). The present competence levels of their students were significantly lower (p<0.001) than the level of importance of IPE competences perceived by the faculty, and its perception was at its lowest in the faculty of medicine. The needs assessment of the IPE program was in the order of communication skills (10.210), conflict-solving skills (10.114), problem-solving skills (9.319), empathy skills (9.110), and collaborative leadership (8.624) among the nine competences. @*Conclusion@#This study will contribute to providing basic data needed to develop faculty development programs on IPE and IPE programs for their students.