How Medical Students in Portugal and Africa View Their Skills
Author Information
Author(s): Joselina Barbosa, Milton Severo, Mário Fresta, Ismail Mamudo, Maria Amélia Ferreira, Henrique Barros
Primary Institution: Center for Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto
Hypothesis
To determine the extent to which medical students in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking African countries feel they have acquired the core competences to start their clinical practice.
Conclusion
Students have perceived their level of competence in personal attitudes as high, while knowledge and clinical skills showed some weaknesses.
Supporting Evidence
- Students from Mozambique showed higher scores than those from Angola and Portugal.
- Personal Attitudes and Professional Behavior had higher scores across all countries.
- Knowledge and Clinical Skills were perceived as weaker areas by students.
Takeaway
Medical students in Portugal and Africa think they are good at their attitudes but feel less confident about their knowledge and clinical skills.
Methodology
A questionnaire was used to evaluate self-perceived competences across different domains, with data collected from final-year medical students in Portugal, Angola, and Mozambique.
Potential Biases
Self-evaluation may not accurately reflect actual performance.
Limitations
Different educational contexts and self-assessment methods may affect perceived competences.
Participant Demographics
{"Angola":{"age":"15.8% ≤ 25 years","gender":"55.3% female"},"Mozambique":{"age":"60.6% ≤ 25 years","gender":"49.1% female"},"Portugal":{"age":"91.7% ≤ 25 years","gender":"71.3% female"}}
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < 0.001 for Personal Attitudes; p = 0.043 for Professional Behavior
Statistical Significance
p < 0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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