A study into how well a preclinical Problem-Based Learning medical curriculum is preparing medical students for their clinical training years

Background In problem-based learning (PBL) medical programmes, students are exposed to hypothetical clinical cases that stimulate discussion and are used as vehicles for learning both preclinical and clinical medical knowledge. With the constant changes occurring in medicine it is important to be able to ensure that the knowledge being generated in PBL reflects the needs of students entering the clinical portion of their training and to be able to indentify gaps, when present, so they can be corrected. AIMS 1. Identify areas of medical knowledge taught in preclinical years found to be useful to students in clinical years. 2. Identify areas that students feel are deficient. 3. Identify areas that clinical teachers feel are strong or proficient in students. 4. Identify areas that clinical teachers feel are lacking in students. METHODS 600 surveys were sent to participants including current and former UL medical students and clinicians directly involved in the training of these students. Surveys consisted of both quantitative and qualitative questions that asked the participant for their opinion on the level of preclinical knowledge, broken into several recognizable disciplines, present in UL students during their clinical training. A further group of 6 participants, selected from the survey participants, took part in semi-structured interviews to further elaborate on the answers given in the surveys. Results and Conclusion: Results are currently being compiled and relevant findings will be presented following detailed analysis.