Undergraduate Medical Students’ Perceptions of Clinical Teaching Following Implementation of a Structured Clinical Rotation Program: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52206/jsmc.2026.16.1.1419Abstract
Background: Clinical rotations represent a critical phase in undergraduate medical education, enabling students to integrate theoretical knowledge with real-world clinical practice. Despite nationally standardized curricula, the quality and structure of clinical teaching vary substantially across institutions, often resulting in inconsistent learning experiences. To address these challenges, Saidu Medical College implemented a structured clinical rotation program in 2022, emphasizing clearly defined learning objectives, formal orientation, supervised clinical exposure, and competency-based assessment.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate undergraduate medical students’ perceptions of clinical teaching following implementation of the structured clinical rotation program across four core clinical departments and to examine variations in perceptions by department, professional year, and gender.
Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional secondary analysis was conducted using routine end-of-rotation feedback collected between October and December 2024. A total of 1,377 feedback responses from 357 third-, fourth-, and final-year MBBS students were analyzed. Teaching effectiveness was assessed using the 15-item Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Instrument (CTEI), rated on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and Cronbach’s alpha were used to assess reliability. A linear mixed-effects model estimated the effects of Department, Professional Year, and Gender while accounting for repeated measures, with Bonferroni-adjusted post-hoc comparisons.
Results: The CTEI demonstrated excellent internal consistency across departments (α = 0.949–0.970). Significant main effects were observed for Department (p < .001) and Professional Year (p < .001), whereas Gender showed no significant association with perceived teaching effectiveness (p = .101). Obstetrics & Gynecology received the highest overall ratings, while Surgery was rated lowest. Final-year students consistently reported more favorable perceptions than junior cohorts.
Conclusion: Undergraduate medical students generally perceived the structured clinical rotation program positively. However, significant variation across departments and professional years highlights the need for targeted faculty development, enhanced supervision, and improved learning opportunities, particularly for junior students and lower-performing departments to ensure more consistent and effective clinical teaching.
Keywords: Clinical rotation, Medical education, Student perception, Structured program.
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