Students’ Reflection on Community Medicine Fieldwork: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives : Khon Kaen University, Thailand, has set up a fieldwork for community medicine for more than 3 decades. Fieldwork education could promote student-centered practice, self-directed learning, knowledgeable of community resources. Student’s reflection to fieldwork would enable teachers to understand deeper what students learned. This study aim to determine students’ reflection to the community medicine fieldwork.

Methodology: Students completed the process of fieldwork study set by community medicine department. After finishing the fieldwork, 12 students, staying in the same house, were in-depth interviewed using structured interview form. The interviews were about achievement of objectives of the fieldwork, what they learned and how it was valuable to them.  Content analysis was performed and interpreted into learnt experiences.

Results: The students have learnt the villager’s lifestyle which helped them to understand the connection between lifestyle and illness. They learned about villager’s culture which influenced people’s health belief and attitude to health. They have learnt and understood better that villagers, sometime, chose alternative treatment instead of modern treatment.  Fieldwork taught them to work together as a team. Fieldwork supported the self-centered practice and self-directed learning.

Conclusion: Students have reflected positive image of community medicine fieldwork that it offered a way of learning and gaining experiences about community.