Enhancing Medical Education: A Pathway to Nurturing Future Healthcare Professionals.

Introduction As medical knowledge, technology, and healthcare delivery continue to evolve, it is critical that upcoming healthcare workers possess the skills and information needed to ensure optimal patient care. Numerous studies indicate that students achieve better learning outcomes through active practice rather than solely relying on theoretical knowledge. The average human attention span is only 8.25 seconds, so an effective teaching program should employ various modes and techniques to ensure that students remain involved and interested. Aims and objectives The aim is to identify the primary areas where medical students need teaching and guidance and form the basis of a new teaching program to meet those needs. Materials and methods An anonymous online questionnaire, designed by the author was distributed to medical students who came for their clinical rotations at Basildon University Hospital, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom, and that laid the foundations for introducing a new teaching program at the education department of the hospital in April 2023. The progress of the teaching program was evaluated by a second questionnaire-based survey conducted after six months, in October 2023. The teaching program we designed employed various modes and techniques including simulation, flip classroom, graded quizzes, and constructive feedback. The technique we used for giving feedback to students was the "star star wish" to encourage growth and further participation. The teaching program also made use of Lev Vygotsky's "Learning zone model" to ensure optimum learning. Results and discussion The program received immensely positive feedback from the students, and they felt that it catered perfectly to their requirements. Twenty-three students took part in this study and the results showed that 39% of the students felt adequately prepared for ward rounds in October 2023 in contrast to only 17% in April 2023. The mean score, on a scale of 1-10 on how comfortable the students felt in discussing patient care plans and management with the rest of the team rose from 2.78 in April 2023 to 4.26 in October 2023. When asked to score how confident the students felt in performing bedside examinations in wards, 26% scored 5 or above (on a scale of 1-10) in April 2023 as compared to 62% scoring 5 or above in October 2023. The students were then asked how confident they felt in using their theoretical knowledge in practical situations and the majority scored 2 or 3 (on a scale of 1-10) in April 2023 whereas in October, the majority scored 4 or above. Conclusions A significant number of medical students were satisfied with the teaching program and demanded more frequent sessions. The results of this study showed that in order to foster increased student engagement and effective participation, it is essential for teaching to incorporate diverse techniques and approaches.