Original Article
Mahmood Reza Dehghani; Elham Talebian; Rahele Zareshahi; Elham Pourkhandani; Ali Pourkhandani; Pardis Sasani; Shima Vaziri Nasab; Azam Bazrafshan; Ali Akbar Haghdoost; Azam Shamsadini
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 99-109
Abstract
Background & Objective : The importance of dispatching students to foreign countries to continue education is so obvious that even developed countries are not needless of that Hence this study was conducted to evaluate the opinion of overseas graduates who were on a scholarship about the meaning ...
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Background & Objective : The importance of dispatching students to foreign countries to continue education is so obvious that even developed countries are not needless of that Hence this study was conducted to evaluate the opinion of overseas graduates who were on a scholarship about the meaning and concepts of educational achievement and its effective factors Methods : In this qualitative study 11 faculty members of Kerman University of Medical Sciences who have been graduated from foreign universities participated They were inquired into their opinions about assessment criteria of educational achievement and its effective factors using an open interview Results : Among the most important concepts of educational achievement regarding education quantity attending seminars and conferences can be pointed out The efficiency of learned materials and learning professional scientific topics are important considering education quality and learning extra topics respectively The interviewees also believed that personal factors including personality family economic affairs having professional knowledge in the field of study necessary skills in the language of the target university and its status especially tutors topic and field of research were also substantial Conclusion : Our findings suggest that concepts of academic achievement are vast and one cannot be considered successful assessing only one or some criteria Hence duration of study the amount of scientific products and their quality the amount of scientific connections and the application of learned topics by the learner are to be noted
Original Article
Azam Meyari; Ahmad Sabouri Kashani; Mitra Gharib; Mahdi Beiglarkhani
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 110-118
Abstract
Background & Objective : Students learning style as one of the effective factors on learning and academic achievement is always taken into consideration in a successful educational system Identifying learners learning style would lead to selecting more appropriate teaching methods by teachers ...
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Background & Objective : Students learning style as one of the effective factors on learning and academic achievement is always taken into consideration in a successful educational system Identifying learners learning style would lead to selecting more appropriate teaching methods by teachers and learning styles by learners Therefore this study was aimed to identify medical students learning style and its relationship with their academic achievement Methods : In this descriptiveanalytic study medical freshmen and fifthyear students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences participated by completing the standard questionnaire of Kolbs The average of all students theoretical and practical exam scores together with the fifthyear students OSCE and preinternship exam scores were considered as indices for academic achievement Results : The most common learning styles among the freshmen were convergent (503%) and assimilation (366%) whereas the fifthyear medical students mentioned convergent (69%) and accommodation (167%) There was a statistically significant difference between learning styles in both student groups (P=00001) convergent and accommodation learning styles were more common among fifthyear students compared with the freshmen while such a result was the inverse for divergent and assimilation learning styles There was no significant difference between learning style and students academic achievement Conclusion : As convergent learning style was considered to be the dominant one and simulation laboratory assignments and problem–based learning are the most suitable learning atmospheres it is appreciated if educational planners prepare such environments
Original Article
Leila Jouybari; Akram Sanagoo
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 119-128
Abstract
Background & Objective : In a clinical environment where students learn their professions practical skills and become acquainted with their future roles and responsibilities having a capable and effective clinical instructor is vital to assure an appropriate atmosphere for learning and applying ...
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Background & Objective : In a clinical environment where students learn their professions practical skills and become acquainted with their future roles and responsibilities having a capable and effective clinical instructor is vital to assure an appropriate atmosphere for learning and applying skills and organizing learning in a clinical environment This study aimed to determine the characteristics of an effective instructor according to nursing & midwifery students and instructors point of view Methods : In this qualitative phenomenological study 30 students and 8 instructors of nursing and midwifery in Gorgan University of Medical Sciences were selected using purposive sampling method Data was collected using semi structured deep and interactive interviews They were analyzed using an approach recommended by Collaizi Results : The analysis of documents revealed three common concepts of characteristics of an effective clinical instructor according to the students and instructors point of view They included practical and scientific competencies educational management competencies and good behavior Participants also mentioned a variety of issues as inhibitors for effectiveness of an instructor and clinical learning The most important of them were lack of enough facilities old educational centers a paternalistic state created by medical doctors in educational centers and reluctance of nursing students to their career Conclusion : Our findings suggest that a systematic and alternative thinking is essential for improvement of a clinical education setting The enhancement of the instructors theoretical and clinical skills should accompany physical structural and qualitative changes of educational centers
Original Article
Abdolhussein Shakurnia; Azar Khosravi Borojeni; Alireza Mozaffari; Houssein Elhampour
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 129-138
Abstract
Background & Objective : Evaluation of educational achievement is an important part of an educational process such an evaluation is possible via holding exams Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) as an objective testing method is the most common tool for evaluating students Hence this study was ...
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Background & Objective : Evaluation of educational achievement is an important part of an educational process such an evaluation is possible via holding exams Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) as an objective testing method is the most common tool for evaluating students Hence this study was conducted to evaluate the exam questions designed by faculty members with emphasis on the MCQ structure in Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences Methods : In this descriptive study questions designed by 197 nonclinician faculty members were analyzed Data was collected using a checklist including demographic information properties of exam questions and items related to comparing MCQs with design rules of such questions Results : The results revealed that 81% of the questions developed by faculty members were essay 5532% and 3654% were objective and a combination of essay and objective respectively Among a total of 5208 evaluated questions 6496% contained no structural flaw The most common flaws included ambiguous or unclear question stems (1594%) use of negative verb in the stem (1222%) using “all” or “none” among option (1085%) and use of blank space in the beginning or middle of the stem (1041%) Almost 90% of the MCQs were at cognitive level (taxonomy I) Conclusion : Due to the importance of developing standard questions corresponding to guidelines for MCQs in acceptable exams regular revision of exam questions and further training courses for designing questions is recommended
Original Article
Tahereh Ramezani; Eshagh Dortaj Ravari
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 139-148
Abstract
Background & Objective : To assess the characteristics of a good teacher one must inquire the teachers opinion in addition to the students Hence this study was aimed to determine the characteristics of effective teachers and pertinent effective educational factors according to the nursing ...
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Background & Objective : To assess the characteristics of a good teacher one must inquire the teachers opinion in addition to the students Hence this study was aimed to determine the characteristics of effective teachers and pertinent effective educational factors according to the nursing teachers and students point of view in schools of nursing in Kerman University of Medical Sciences Methods : In t his descriptivecomparative study 358 students and 89 teachers from Kerman Bam Zarand and Jiroft schools of nursing participated Data was collected using a researchermade questionnaire which covered five domains Results : A ccording to the students point of view interpersonal communication teaching skill personal characteristics evaluation skill and educational rules were priorities in order of importance whereas teachers gave priority to teaching skill educational rules evaluation skill personal characteristics and interpersonal communication The importance of interpersonal communication and personal characteristics according to the students opinion was significantly higher than what teachers believed (P=00001 and P=004 respectively) However the importance of teaching skill and educational rules was significantly higher in teachers opinion when compared to the students (P=00001 in both cases) Lack of enough time to study was the most important effective factor in teachers efficacy regarding the opinion of both teachers and students Conclusion : Despite the big difference between the teachers and the students point of view it is suggested to consider improvement of communication skills together with modern teaching methods in teachers empowerment programs Educational managers should also direct their programs to gain a better background for studying learning and efficacy with a decrease in working hours
Original Article
Zahra Karami; Mahmoud Keyvanara
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 149-156
Abstract
Background & Objective : An appropriate relationship between a physician and a patient will lead to earning patients trust prevention of frequent referrals to multiple physicians and patients bewilderment and lastly it results in saving time and money Hence this study was conducted to determine ...
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Background & Objective : An appropriate relationship between a physician and a patient will lead to earning patients trust prevention of frequent referrals to multiple physicians and patients bewilderment and lastly it results in saving time and money Hence this study was conducted to determine the dominant model of relationship between physicians and patients according to patients opinion Methods : In this crosssectional study 305 patients who for the first time referred to the physicians of the clinic of Isfahan Shahid Beheshti Hospital for their recent illness were recruited Data was collected using a researchermade questionnaire including 10 general and 19 attitudeassessing questions The questionnaires reliability and validity were already confirmed Results : The dominant models of relationship between patients and physicians were guidancecooperation (865%) activepassive (111%) and mutual participation (24%) in order of frequency There was no significant difference between the relationship model and the patients educational or social class Guidancecooperation and activepassive models were significantly more frequent in older and younger individuals respectively (P=0047) Conclusion : A ccording to mutual participation model (the most effective model of relationship between physicians and patients) and considering its low frequency in our study we can conclude that enhancing patients awareness about their health status and encouraging them to participate in the treatment process (which results in increasing both sides responsibility for a common goal) would improve the relationship between physicians and patients Having earned both physicians and patients trust all mentioned issues would finally facilitate health access
Original Article
Hamid Najafipour; Sodaif Darvish Moghadam; Jalal Azmandian; Hamed Hosseini
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 157-164
Abstract
Background & Objective : Evaluating research indicators amongst clinical and basic science faculty members reveals that such indicators are lower in clinical faculty members Hence we decided to assess the effect of providing educationresearch services by founding a clinical research development ...
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Background & Objective : Evaluating research indicators amongst clinical and basic science faculty members reveals that such indicators are lower in clinical faculty members Hence we decided to assess the effect of providing educationresearch services by founding a clinical research development center on the research performance of clinical faculty members of Kerman University of Medical Sciences Methods : In this intervention field study 66 faculty members of Afzalipour teaching hospital and 45 ones in Shafa teaching hospital were recruited as cases and controls respectively After founding the research center in cases work place educationresearch services were provided for two years The research activities of cases and controls were compared two years before and two years after founding the center Results : 39 and 33 percent increase were observed in the cases total and per capita number of published articles respectively similar indicators showed 21% and 216% decrease in the controls accordingly The differences between two groups regarding both indicators were significant (P
Original Article
Narges Bahri; Talat Khadivzadeh; Nasrin Bahri
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 165-172
Abstract
Background & Objective : Evidences reveal that continuing education courses for employees have not really influenced the improvement of clinical skills and patient care This implies the need to alter educational methods of such courses Hence this study was conducted to assess the effect of ...
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Background & Objective : Evidences reveal that continuing education courses for employees have not really influenced the improvement of clinical skills and patient care This implies the need to alter educational methods of such courses Hence this study was conducted to assess the effect of integrated teaching on learning clinical skills among rural trained birth attendants participating in a continuing midwifery education course Methods : In this experimental study 63 participants of a continuing education course were randomly divided into two groups of integrated education and conventional one Data was collected using a questionnaire and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) After pre test an 8 hour specific educational program for each group about midwifery emergencies was conducted for two days The participants skills were evaluated instantly and one month after the course by OSCE Results : The pretest mean score was not significantly different between two groups but the mean scores of integrated method were significantly higher than the conventional one regarding posttest (6009 versus 4823) and consistency test (5116 versus 4055)(P=00001 in both cases) The skill score difference between pretest and posttest and the same difference in consistency test in integrated teaching was significantly higher than the conventional method (P=00001 in both cases) Conclusion : Our findings suggest that consistency in learning and a higher level of skills was observed in the integrated method Hence it is proposed to apply such methods in continuing education workshops to teach clinical skills
Original Article
Fatemeh Balali Meybodi; Minoo Mahmoudi Zarandi
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 173-180
Abstract
Background & Objective : AIDS is not only a health problem but also a sociocultural challenge leading to economic problems Since appropriate health behavior is the result of adequate knowledge and attitude this study was performed on couples referring to Kerman premarriage counseling center ...
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Background & Objective : AIDS is not only a health problem but also a sociocultural challenge leading to economic problems Since appropriate health behavior is the result of adequate knowledge and attitude this study was performed on couples referring to Kerman premarriage counseling center to determine their knowledge and attitude towards AIDS and its related factors Methods : In this crosssectional study 1020 couples participated Data was collected using a questionnaire concerning demographic information and including 22 questions about knowledge and 10 items about attitudes Results : According to our findings the couples knowledge level was excellent in 401% good in 374% moderate in 20% and poor in 26% The attitude was excellent in 584% good in 335% moderate in 71% and poor in 11% There was a significant relationships between knowledge and attitude with age educational status and career using Chisquare test (P=00001 in all cases) in a way that those with higher educational levels in age group between 16 to 35 years old and employees had better knowledge and a more positive attitude There was also a significant relationship between the attitude and sex (P=00001) male participants showed a more positive attitude compared with women Among sources of knowledge radio and TV were the most frequently mentioned ones (599%) Conclusion : Our results suggest that TV and radio are the most frequent information resources so improving their related educational programs according to addressed group is necessary More attention to health education in schools accompanied with cooperation and supervision of health sector is recommended
short communication
Somayeh Noori Hekmat; Mohamad Reza Maleki; Hamid Reza Baradaran Attarmoghadam; Reza Dehnavieh
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 181-184
Abstract
Background & Objective : Nowadays immigration of health care graduates is one of the most important challenges for which health care policy makers should try to find a solution Hence t his study was conducted to determine the most significant contributors to immigration of graduates to foreign ...
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Background & Objective : Nowadays immigration of health care graduates is one of the most important challenges for which health care policy makers should try to find a solution Hence t his study was conducted to determine the most significant contributors to immigration of graduates to foreign countries Methods : In this crosssectional study conducted on the students of Iran University of Medical sciences 407 students were selected using stratified sampling method Data was collected using a questionnaire its validity was already confirmed by experts and its internal consistency reliability was calculated by Chronbachs alpha (r=089) Results : According to the study samples point of view the highest scores were given to economic factors with the mean score ( ± SD) of 431 ( ± 03) out of 5 while official and educational factors ( =429 SD=05) professional factors ( =404 SD=07) globalization ( =345 SD=068) social factors ( =333 SD=077) and cul tural factors ( =326 SD=11) were in the next steps Conclusion: Our results suggest that policymakers should consider significant factors such as economic and educational ones to maintain expert health care workforce In planning such strategies one must focus on expanding educational and career opportunities It is also recommended that Iranian health policymakers notice issues like oversaturation of job market in some especial fields
short communication
Mitra Amini; Mohammad Reza Dehghani; Javad Kojuri; Gholam Reza Safaee Ardekani; Mohammad Mehdi Sagheb; Mahboobeh Saber; Leila Bazrafcan; Zahra Karimian
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 185-188
Abstract
Background & Objective : The importance of considering general trainings of students and gaining updated knowledge together with curriculum overload and large volume of lessons especially in medicine necessitate presenting most of the students educational needs in form of short term courses ...
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Background & Objective : The importance of considering general trainings of students and gaining updated knowledge together with curriculum overload and large volume of lessons especially in medicine necessitate presenting most of the students educational needs in form of short term courses Hence this study aimed to assess the participants point of view about the first national interdisciplinary summer school regarding achievement of educational objectives in Shiraz Methods : In overall 63 students from 13 universities of medical sciences participated in this course The topics were divided into four major groups including medical education medical ethics management ingenuity and creativity with their subgroups They were discussed in 83 issues during 100 working hours using lectures and other active educational methods Results : According to the students point of view the highest educational efficiency belonged to medical education and then to ingenuity and creativity More than 90% of executers mentioned that achieving educational objectives in each subgroup was very good or excellent According to the evaluation the mean score ( ± SD) of the programs executers and lecturers was 1897( ± 118) out of 20 Conclusion : Considering the effectiveness of this program continuing such a program allocating resources and developing them should be noticed in all universities
Letter to editor
Masoud Rahimi
Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2010, Pages 189-190
