EFFECTIVENESS OF ONE-MONTH BASIC HEALTH UNIT PLACEMENT IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AMONG UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PRE-POST STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55519/JAMC-04-15046Keywords:
Effectiveness, Undergraduate Medical Students, Leadership Skills, Basic Health Unit, PlacementAbstract
Background: The concept of leadership development in the context of undergraduate medical education, through placement in the community, has not received much attention in Pakistan. The current study explored how self-reported leadership competencies change in undergraduate medical students after one month of Basic Health Unit (BHU) placement. Methods: The study was a quasi-experimental pre-post study among fourth-year MBBS students at Abbottabad International Medical College (AIMC). Students took part in a one-month supervised placement in Basic health unit. A questionnaire based on the National Health Service UK (NHS) Medical Leadership. The Competency Framework (MLCF) was adapted to measure leadership competencies, Pre and Post-placement, focusing only two domains related to undergraduate education. The paired analysis was conducted with SPSS 27. Result: Both assessments were completed by 40 students. The leadership scores improved statistically (p<0.001) from preplacement leadership scores of 19.6±2.26 to post-intervention of 37.4±4.13 (out of 50) with positive changes observed in all the evaluated areas of leadership. There was a high level of inter-rater variability in supervisor evaluations, and they were descriptively interpreted. Conclusion: Supervised BHU placement was linked to self-reported leadership competency improvements in undergraduate medical students. Community-based clinical placements provide a viable setting in which leadership training can be applied in the context of undergraduate medical education
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