A QUESTIONNAIRE BASED ASSESSMENT OF OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY (ENT) UNDERGRADUATE COURSE DESIGN BY THIRD YEAR MBBS STUDENTS IN A SINGLE MEDICAL INSTITUTION

Abstract

Background: A sizable number of patients attend to Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) Out- patient department(OPD) across the country for various symptoms. Being treated as a minor subject in undergraduate (UG) course, the minds of the students are not fully open about the subject and the variety it offers . This often leads to Otorhinolaryngology being chosen as one of the last options during post graduation counselling in surgical subspecialties. 1 The popularity of Otorhinolaryngology is quite different in western countries and is much sought after. The present study was planned to gain an insight into the mindset of Undergraduate students in India on the study course design. 142 medical students in Materials And Methods: a medical college and tertiary care hospital in western India, were assessed at the end of third year ,in form of questionnaire for methods ,form of learning and exam pattern. 82% students like Otorhinolaryngology as a subject but only 42% Observations: are satised with the current curriculum. Students prefer bedside clinics over lectures and tutorial. Videos and models help them to understand the anatomy better. They wish their evaluation to be based more on practical examinations than theory exam. Only two percent considered taking up ENT as a career. Conclusion: We need to conduct more studies similar to the present one in order to understand the study pattern of all UG subjects and choice of UG students for undertaking post-graduation in specic specialties. Some changes have been suggested in the present study curriculum which may help to generate deeper interest in the subject of Otorhinolaryngology.