The Challenges Faced by Allottees of Medical and Dental Postgraduate Programs during Admission: A Questionnaire-based Survey Study

Abstract

Introduction: The Postgraduate (PG) student admission scheme laid down by Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India require the allottees to report to the allotted institute in online or offline mode in view of ongoing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Aim: To identify the problems faced by Medical and Dental PG allottees during admission process. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, online questionnaire-based survey conducted among newly admitted students of Medical and Dental PG programs. The structured pre-validated questionnaire was filled by the students voluntarily and anonymously after giving consent. The detailed descriptive analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 software. To study statistical significance, variables were tested using Chi-square test. Results: In the present study, 31(67.4%) Medical PG students and 15 (32.6%) Dentistry PG students participated. The students that reported to the allotted institute by both online and offline mode were 35 (76.1%), while only 8 (17.4%) reported by offline mode which was statistically significant (p<0.005). Maximum number of students {30 (65.2%)} found online mode convenient (statistically significant; p<0.005), while 12 (26.1%) said that offline mode was convenient. Conclusion: The online reporting for admission process is time saving. Continuous upgradation of system through feedback from stakeholders is desirable.