The Opinions of Students and Professors on the Introduction of the Elective Course in Clinical Clerkship

Choi, Jiho; Kim, Kwangho

Abstract

The elective course was introduced to Inha university college of medicine in clinical clerkship from 1998. In August, 1999, a questionnaire about the change of the curriculum was distributed to 36 senior students and 157 clinical professors in Inha university college of medicine. To the elective course, the students' response was : 41.7% answered 'good', 22.2% answered 'non-judgemental', 36.1% answered 'bad', and the professors' response was : 56.4% answered 'good', 30.9% answered 'non-judgemental', 12.8% answered 'bad'. As for the merit of the elective course, the students' response was : 72.2% answered 'to choose the course they want to study (to provide them study motivation)', 41.7% answered 'to study the subject deeply', 19.4% answered 'to be helpful to choose a course after graduation'. Of the professors' response, 83.0% answered 'to choose the course they want to study (to provide them study motivation)', but 44.7% answered 'self-regulating study attitude'. As for the defect of the elective course, the students' response was : 91.7% answered 'the subjects are restricted', 55.6% answered 'to be too long not efficiently', ?% answered 'to hinder from preparing for Korean medical licensing examination'. And the professors answered in the same order. 55.6% of the students' respond answered 'rarely prepared' even though the term of elective course in each department got longer, but 28.7% of the professors' answered 'prepared very much'. As for the period of elective course, the students' response was : 2 weeks for 6 each subjects (72.2%), 1 week for every subjects(22.2%). But the professors' response was : 3 weeks for 4 each subjects(35.1%), 2 weeks for 6 each subjects(35.1%), over 4 weeks for less 3 each subjects (9.6%). As a conclusion the professors in clinical department must prepare meticulously for the elective course.