Orientation program for first year undergraduate medical students: Collecting evidence from student feedback

Background: Orientation programs are globally common and conducted in medical schools. This study was conducted to assess students’ perceptions and to quantify students’ feedback. Methods: This study was conducted at Rai Medical College, Sargodha, Pakistan. Students’ feedback was sought related to the organization of orientation program, topics covered and the material presented to them, benefits gained by them and logistics. Being on the Likert scale, Median scores were calculated for each response. Suggestions were asked at the end using open ended questions. Results: Response Rate was 100% (n=97). When asked about the organization of the entire week, topic preparations, and speakers’ presentations, students agreed that it was good, with the median score of 4 out of 5. Students also agreed regarding their better orientation towards what they would be taught during their 5 year MBBS course, with median scores of 4. Regarding logistics arrangement, the score was 3.5. Conclusion: Assessment of feedback obtained from students helps in analyzing the effectiveness of the program and shows that conducting orientation sessions gives clarity to the students and alleviates their anxiety.