Attitude, behavioural improvement and preferences; in medical students as they move up to the next higher class

ABSTRACT

Present study endeavoured to assess medical student's ethical behaviour, preferences and improvements one year later. Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based. Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro. Sindh. Pakistan. October 2013 - Jan 2014. First year [FY] and second year [SY] MBBS students [n = 122 each year] of both genders, were randomly selected and a questionnaire administered. Fifty six percent male and 40% female students of FY marked proxy attendance; 72% males and 65% female would mark proxy attendance if given a chance. Percentages increased in SY. Significant co-relation existed between gender and proxy attendance [p = 0.01]; self-financed or hostlers showed no association with marking proxy attendance. Sense of responsibility in females and courteous behavior in both genders improved in SY. Teacher's behaviour affected student's conduct; and improvement in understanding English was noted in both genders in both years, however, the small% of students finding English as a barrier were prone to mark proxy attendance [p = 0.05]. Males preferred physiology whereas female preferred anatomy in both years. In FY, subject of choice was anatomy, substituted for Physiology in SY. Majority students preferred chalk and black board vs. multimedia based teaching. Cheating behaviour and sense of responsibility, but civilised behaviour, did not improve after one year education