Basic Foundation Course for the Students of Allied Health Sciences

Introduction

Nothing is permanent but change

The education system in India is undergoing significant changes, especially in the field of Medicine. The major recent change is the introduction of Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) in 2019 by the Medical Council of India.¹ It is focussed on producing Indian medical graduates who can function efficiently as physicians of first contact and be globally competent. The students begin their Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) journey with a onemonth Foundation course which is mainly intended to familiarize and orient them to the new environment. A Foundation course of this nature becomes very important for the students of Allied Health Sciences (AHS) as they are exposed to a new and challenging medical college environment which is very different from the highly protected environment in schools.² Hence, we conducted the course for these students.

Methods

The Foundation course was of four days’ duration. A total of 144 students of various AHS courses such as Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology (BSc MLT), Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging Technology (BSc MIT), Bachelor of Science in Radiotherapy Technology (BSc RTT), Bachelor of Science in Renal Dialysis Technology (BSc RDT), Bachelor of Science in Anesthesia and Operation Theater Technology (BSc AT and OTT), and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) attended it. The course included various topics related to communication skills, sports, basic life support, time management, mental health, etc. The schedule is presented in Table 1. The resource persons were experts in that particular field. In-charge faculties were appointed for the smooth conduct of the sessions.

Results

The Foundation course, which is of one-month duration, is being conducted for MBBS students for over two years now. The basic Foundation course with very few important topics conducted over a period of four days was liked by the students. There was an improvement in the orientation of the students to the new environment and community, their knowledge about the professional and ethical aspects, and language and communication skills. This basic course conducted for the AHS students is the first of its kind.

Discussion

Studies of a shorter duration and covering topics like campus orientation, professionalism, computer language training, etc., have been conducted previously.³ In a study by Suman et al, findings similar to our study, such as improvement in computer-related skills, were reported following an introductory course that was comparable to the Foundation course.⁴ Improvement in knowledge related to communication, behavior, patient care, time management, stress management, and professional ethics were reported in studies on MBBS students by Mittal et al and Francis et al.^5,6

The students joining the MBBS course are exposed to a new environment and curriculum. Many of them would be staying away from their family and home for the first time. They would be surrounded by strangers. All these factors could lead to anxiety. Patel et al⁷ reported that a Foundation course reduces the anxiety level among these students and helps in building their confidence, apart from increasing their knowledge in various domains.

The other advantages include better interaction among the batch-mates and between the teachers and students. This eventually would help in effective teaching and small-group discussions.

Conclusion

Overall, it was observed that the students liked the Foundation course and found it helpful. They not only acquired skills and gained knowledge but also felt more confident and comfortable. This could be a good adjunct to the course, and its utility should be further explored.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the AHS faculty, Ms Claudia, Mrs Avita, Mr Omakareshwar, Ms Nandhini, and Mrs Sharonraju for their help.