Role of Basic Science Courses on Promoting the Medical Graduate’s Competencies in Medical Schools of Iran

Introduction. Medical education leaders in different countries try to pay attention to the appropriateness of medical education programs and their role in the development of medical graduates' competencies. This study was performed to determine the role of basic science courses in promoting the medical graduate’s competencies in medical schools of Iran. Methods. In a descriptive study 165 basic science faculty members from 11 medical schools of Iran were randomly selected through multi-stage method. Data-gathering tool was a questionnaire which assessed the nine main competencies in medical graduates using 5 point ranking scale ranging from very much to never. The results were analyzed by SPSS software using frequency distribution and mean of the frequencies. Results. Based on faculty members' view points, role of basic science courses was assessed less than %20 in promoting the competencies such as: “effective communication’’, “basic clinical skills”, “using the science in guiding diagnosis, management, therapy and prevention”, “life long learning”, “self-awareness, self-care and personal development”, “social context and community health care”, “moral judgment and clinical reasoning”, “problem solving” and “professionalism and role cognitions” in medical graduates. Conclusion. The role of basic science courses for developing the nine competencies in medical graduates was assessed “low”. It is recommended that the use of specific strategies in teaching basic science courses and also, integration of basic sciences and clinical courses in medical curriculum be considered.