Medical Students’ Viewpoints about Clinical Competency Exam: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: The goal of clinical education in general medicine program is to achieve the minimum skills expected of graduates. Clinical competency exam is designed as a tool for assessing these minimum learning essentials. Exploring the viewpoints of examinees could be a step towards improving the quality of this exam and resolving its problems. The purpose of this study was to examine the viewpoints of interns participating in the clinical competency exam.   Methods: This qualitative study employed conventional content analysis approach. Subjects included 17 interns participating in the clinical competency exam in 2016 in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences who were interviewed in four groups of 4-6 people. Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed in MAXQDA-10 software.   Results: A total of 93 preliminary codes were extracted. Having the duplicates removed and similar codes integrated, 72 codes were extracted and classified into 4 main categories and 9 subcategories. The main categories were: “conditions of the exam administration, content of the exam, educational factors affecting the exam, and conditions of exam stations”. Conclusion: It seems that educational factors affecting the exam are the major factors that influenced the clinical competency exam. Also, the objectives of the exam were not clear from the perspective of examinees which could affect the results. Since the clinical competency exam can be used as a tool to make students try more to acquire the necessary and expected skills, taking corrective measures and organized regular planning are essential in this area.