1.Feedbacks by the Sixth Year Medical Students (Academic Year 2010-2011) on the Current Teaching-Learning of Faculty of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Vientiane, Laos
Sengdeuane Hang ; Tua Kowa ; Paoyang Chongying ; Xialor Yiachao ; Somchit Boupha ; Sing Menorath ; Mayfong Mayxay
Lao Medical Journal 2012;non(3):32-40
Rational and Background: The University of Health Sciences (UHS) is the only health institution training
medical doctors in the Lao PDR. The curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine has been developed and improved
but no formal evaluation has been performed. Feedbacks on the current learning-teaching situation by medical
students are essential and important as they are directly exposed to the real learning-teaching situation.
Methodology: This was a descriptive study of feedback from the sixth year medical students (academic year
2010-2011) on the current learning-teaching situation of the Faculty of Medicine, UHS, using a pre-designed,
pre-tested and self-administered questionnaire between January – February 2011.
Results: Of a total of 162 students, 161 participated in the survey. Only 50% of the respondents reported that
they ‘really like’ to study medicine at enrollment. This figure was consistent with the proportion of the students
who said that they had successfully passed the entrance examination (56%). However, 86% of the interviewees
stated that they ‘like medicine’ after six years of study. Only 44% of the students reported that they had regularly
paid attention to the lectures. Approximately half of them mentioned that the basic sciences they had learnt at the
beginning of their medical training were useful for medicine and 94% suggested adding anatomy and physiology
to the first year class. The majority (78%) of students complained that they had had too little practical experience
in the laboratories and hospitals. Forty-two and 54 % suggested that the students should have worked in the
hospitals from the second and third years of their training, respectively. More than half (60%) said that the
number of lecturers was insufficient, 36% stated that the lecturers are sufficiently knowledgeable, 20% stated
that the lecturers were knowledgeable and adequately passed on their knowledge to the students, and 63% of
them reported that the lectures were not always updated. Most of the respondents (84%) said that the number of
the students in the class was too big and crowded and this negatively affected the learning-teaching atmosphere.
Two third of the interviewers said that educational materials and equipment were not adequate, 86% mentioned
that textbooks in the University library were not sufficient and lacking while the internet room did not respond to the need of the students (94% said that the internet room opened late in the morning but closed too early, there
are not enough computers, and internet speed was too slow). Eighty-three percent of the students complained
that the laboratories and hospitals were too small and did not respond to the need of the students.
Conclusion: This study clearly demonstrated that the current learning-teaching of the Faculty of Medicine,
University of Health Sciences needs to be evaluated, revised, and improved urgently in order to ensure that the
newly graduated doctors are fully knowledgeable and qualified.
Copyright: ! 2012 Hang et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author and source are credited.