Introduction Pathologists play a pivotal role in diagnosing diseases and improving patient care. Nonetheless, research indicates that a mere fraction of medical school graduates opt for a career in pathology, ranging from 1% to 3%. Diverse factors influence students\' perceptions of pathology, encompassing lifestyle, patient interaction, and income. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions and factors that influence students\' selection of pathology as a career in Saudi Arabia. Methodology A cross-sectional, self-administered electronic questionnaire was distributed among students from various regions of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire encompassed both quantitative and qualitative data. To ensure statistical rigor, a confidence level of 95%, response distribution of 10%, and margin of error of 5% were applied. Accordingly, the recommended sample size of 150 participants was determined. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), with the chi-square test applied at a significance level of P < 0.05. Results Among the 664 participating students, 130 (19.6%) indicated an interest in pathology, of whom only 19 (2.9%) regarded it as their primary choice. No statistically significant difference was found between the male and female students or between the students in foundational and clinical years. Conclusions The female students generally held a more favorable perception of pathology, acknowledging its clinical significance and role in diagnosis, prognosis, and patient management. The absence of nocturnal calls emerged as the most encouraging factor, while limited patient interaction emerged as the primary deterrent in choosing pathology.

Background and objective The Medical Council of India [now replaced by the National Medical Commission (NMC)] has implemented a new competency-based curriculum for medical education. Eight competencies in the curriculum are related to the principles of disability-inclusive compassionate care. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes among undergraduate medical students about people with disability after attending learning sessions on disability competency. Materials and methods After they attended the learning session during the foundation course, participants were evaluated by using a questionnaire involving 26 questions, of which 17 were based on the Likert scale to assess general perceptions towards the person with a disability, while three questions aimed to assess attitudes, and six closed-ended questions tried to assess knowledge about disability. Results In the present study, 79.7% (n=157) of the students thought that people with disabilities faced problems getting involved in society, and 81.2% (n=160) felt that it was harder for them to make friends than others. The majority of the students disagreed with the idea that people with disabilities are a burden on society (n=149, 75.6%) or their families (n=119, 60.4%); 65% (n=128) of the students thought that people with disabilities are more determined than others to reach their goals and achieve more owing to their disability (n=104, 52.85%). A total of 161 (81.7%) students disagreed with the statement that people with disabilities should not be optimistic about their future. A comparison of the pre- and post-test data revealed that students\' knowledge regarding disability increased and they gained a more positive attitude towards people with a disability after attending teaching and learning sessions (p<0.0001). Conclusion Our findings showed a significant improvement in the undergraduate medical students\' understanding and empathy toward individuals with disabilities following sessions on disability competency. Teaching and learning sessions on disability competencies for newly admitted students in medical school can sensitize, orient, increase knowledge, and develop positive attitudes toward people with disabilities. Further studies on the topic are needed involving different phases of clinical teaching.

BACKGROUND: Many of the educational institutions in developed countries have shifted to online learning. While transition from traditional to electronic learning (e-learning) has remained a great challenge in low-middle income countries, where limited resources for teaching and learning are important factors. Medical education involves not only lecturing but also deep understanding through laboratories and patient exposure. The debate about the effectiveness of e-learning in medical education is still in contradiction due to its limitations. This cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess pre-clinical undergraduate medical students\' perception of their first online learning in a lower-middle income country.
METHODS: The survey was conducted among the students who had participated in online learning during COVID-19 for at least a year. A total of 824 preclinical medical students who completed the survey from public and private medical universities in Sindh, Pakistan were included in the study. We used a validated online-based questionnaire, distributed through E-mail and social media platforms to assess the perception of students regarding their first online learning experience.
RESULTS: The response rate of the survey was 87.9%. The mean age of students was 20.7 ± 3.8 years. 392/824 (47%) were males and 57% were females. Our study indicated that 613/824 (75%) of students were experiencing online learning for the very first time while 631/824 (77%) were facing technical issues like internet accessibility and lack of IT-related skills. 381/824 (46%) were not satisfied with the institute\'s readiness for online teaching. However, 79% (654/824) of participants were of the idea that traditional learning is more effective in developing their practical skills as compared to e-learning. Of note, 668/824 (81%) showed overall dissatisfaction with e-learning.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on our study findings, we concluded that most students have a negative perception of e-learning. Difficulty in connectivity, electricity issues, less interaction with colleagues and teachers, and issues with the structure of online courses were the most frequently reported problems by the students.

One of the most significant extracurricular activities throughout the medical students\' college years is journal club. It aids in the development of several abilities in students, including reasoning skills, searching ability, and social skills like giving and taking criticism. Our study\'s objective is to comprehend how students felt about the installation of journal clubs. This research was carried out at Alfaisal University College of Medicine, a private institution of higher learning in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-two undergraduate medical students were interviewed as part of our qualitative, interview-based approach to data collection. We made an effort to obtain a deeper understanding of how they perceived the various facets of the journal club, including the difficulties they encountered, the advantages of participating and presenting, as well as their interaction with their team and mentors. Four primary themes emerged from our thematic data analysis: (i) interaction between participants and their mentors, (ii) challenges that the participants faced during their preparation and presentation, (iii) advantages participants gained from their experience in the journal club, and (iv) participants\' experience with communication and teamwork. The findings of this study indicate that students gain many advantages from their participation; however, they still face some challenges, which provide a platform for improving journal clubs for a more beneficial experience for the students. A more targeted mentoring and improved journal club scheduling that takes into consideration the students\' schedules may help students have a more positive journal club experience.

UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to assess the perception of PBL among Japanese medical students.
UNASSIGNED: Learning effects and challenges of PBL from the students\' viewpoint were assessed with an exploratory sequential mixed method. Focus group discussions followed by thematic analysis were conducted with 27 students and residents. Then a questionnaire survey was carried out. A total of 119 out of 258 students (46.1%) responded. The results from 24 questions were analyzed with a residual analysis.
UNASSIGNED: Thematic analysis extracted 14 themes from four discussion topics. The participants in focus group discussion regarded the PBL program as a better learning method than lectures. But some key phrases on the challenge of social interaction, including reluctance to actively discuss and collaborate with unfamiliar peers, were found. The questionnaire survey revealed a significantly lower adjusted standardized residual (ASR) for the positive response in five of six questions in the category of social interaction; improvement of communication skills (ASR = -3.303, n = 118, p < .001), enhancement of responsibility at group discussions (ASR = -2.078, n = 119, p = .038), building social networking (ASR = -3.006, n = 119, p = .003), becoming to sympathize with patients (ASR = -2.449, n = 119, p = .014) and understanding social aspects of clinical practice (ASR = -5.790, n = 119, p < .001). Conclusion: The Japanese medical students perceived PBL as an effective learning strategy. However, they had a problem with social interactions.

The major impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting all social dimensions. Its specific impact on education is extensive and quite evident in the adaptation from Face-to-Face (F2F) teaching to online methodologies throughout the first wave of the pandemic and the strict rules on lockdown. As lesson formats changed radically, the relevance of evaluating student on-line learning processes in university degrees throughout this period became clear. For this purpose, the perceptions of engineering students towards five specific course units forming part of engineering degree courses at the University of Burgos, Spain, were evaluated to assess the quality of the online teaching they received. Comparisons were also drawn with their perceptions of the F2F teaching of the course units prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. According to the students\' perceptions, the teachers possessed the technical knowledge, the social skills, and the personal capabilities (empathy and understanding of the at times troubled situation of each student) for a very abrupt adaptation of their courses to an online methodology. The shortcomings of the online teaching were related to its particularities and each teacher\'s personality traits. Overall, engineering teachers appeared well prepared for a situation of these characteristics and, if similar online teaching scenarios were ever repeated, the quality of engineering teaching appears to be guaranteed.

UNASSIGNED: To determine student\'s perception of bedside clinical teaching and to correlate it with their performance in assessment.
UNASSIGNED: This cross-sectional study of correlational survey was conducted at Services Institute of Medical Sciences in September 2019, involving students of final professional year who filled a proforma to rate their bedside teaching experience during clinical rotations using rating scale. Mean scores of items were determined with score < 3 reflecting dis-satisfaction. Mean scores were compared between high and low performing students using student\'s t test.
UNASSIGNED: Total of 160 students participated. Physical environment domain was assigned lowest scores by students (mean 2.94±0.74) followed by teaching task by teachers (3.04±0.72), group dynamics (3.16±0.81) and patient comfort and attitude towards patient (3.87±0.60). Teaching task by teacher had maximum stems with scores < 3 needing significant improvement. Students with low academic performance were more unsatisfied with group dynamics of bedside teaching (p value 0.009), especially lack of equal opportunities of participation for every member (p value <0.000) in clinical rotations.
UNASSIGNED: Small size group with adequate space for bedside training and faculty training can enhance learning experience of students. Ensuring active participation of each group member during bedside learning can improve academic performance of students.

UNASSIGNED: Problem-based learning (PBL) was introduced into Basic Medical Sciences early in the 1980s at Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal, followed by other universities where didactic lecture method was still followed as the main teaching strategy. Despite gaining its popularity worldwide as integrated teaching learning method, PBL is not given importance in Nepal. This study aimed to assess the attitude and perceptions of undergraduate medical students regarding learning outcomes of PBL and to know their views about role and qualities of effective tutors for its successful implementation.
UNASSIGNED: This descriptive study was based on a self-administered questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire measured students\' perception and attitude toward benefits of PBL and the second part measured students\' perception about role of PBL tutor. Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) first year (2014/2015 academic year) students at Chitwan Medical College, TU, were asked to express their opinions about the importance of learning outcomes by rating each statement on a five-point Likert scale and the responses were combined into three categorical variables: \"agree\" (strongly agree plus agree), \"neutral\", and \"disagree\" (strongly disagree plus disagree). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0.
UNASSIGNED: Approximately 85.5% participants agreed that PBL is an interesting method of teaching learning. Most of them (86.7%) accepted that PBL is an interactive and a mutual learning method and improves self-directed learning (83.2%). Although 78% had recommended it better than lecture, many (54.2%) pointed it out as a time-consuming method. The participants were also highly rated (80.5%) to the statement - the tutor\'s role in enhancing the constructive active learning and maintaining good intra-personal behavior.
UNASSIGNED: Student\'s attitude toward PBL was positive. They highly appreciated the roles of a tutor as facilitators and motivators for proper activities in PBL session. PBL sessions were considered effective in improving students professional knowledge and refining problem-solving and self-directed learning skills along with enriching teamwork experience.