Perception and Feedback of First-Year MBBS Students Regarding the Foundation Course: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The transition from school education to professional medical education involves major academic, social and emotional changes. The Foundation Course introduced within competency-based undergraduate medical education is intended to facilitate this transition through orientation, professional development, communication, basic clinical skills and other competencies. The objective is to assess the perception and feedback of first-year MBBS students regarding the Foundation Course, identify modules perceived as most beneficial, assess changes in orientation and anxiety, and identify suggestions for improving future implementation. Material and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based evaluation was conducted among first-year MBBS students. The dataset contained 195 records; 179 students provided affirmative consent and constituted the primary analytical sample. Categorical variables were summarized as frequency and percentage. Age was summarized using mean, standard deviation, median and range. Likert responses were coded from 1 to 5, and positive responses were defined as Agree or strongly agree. No inferential statistical tests were performed. Results: Among 179 consenting students, 91 (50.8%) were male and 88 (49.2%) female. Mean age was 20.08 ± 1.56 years and median age was 20 years. Before the course, 61 (34.1%) reported sufficient orientation, 76 (42.5%) reported insufficient orientation and 53 (29.6%) were uncertain. Anxiety regarding MBBS was reported by 101 (56.4%) students and homesickness by 69 (38.5%). After the course, 170 (95.0%) reported sufficient orientation and 163 (91.1%) reported relief of anxiety. The most frequently selected beneficial modules were Professional Development and Ethics (103; 57.5%), Skills (101; 56.4%) and Orientation (97; 54.2%). Positive responses were highest for First Aid (96.1%), Basic Life Support (94.4%), and interaction with patients/families/community (94.4%), Stress Management (94.4%) and Professionalism and Ethics (93.3%). Conclusion: The Foundation Course was favorably perceived and was particularly valued for orientation, adaptation, confidence building, professional development and practical skills. Future iterations should emphasize interactive and practical learning, early clinical exposure, peer interaction, updated learning resources and appropriate scheduling.

Keywords: Foundation Course, MBBS, competency-based medical education, undergraduate medical education, student perception, feedback, medical education.