Medical Students’ Perception and Attitude towards Embryology Course in Khartoum State Universities, Sudan -2023

Abstract Background: Embryology teaching is challenging; it is important to determine how students think about it to develop the best teaching strategies. This study was conducted to assess Sudanese medical students’ perception towards embryology course. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted in medical schools at Khartoum state, Sudan. The study included all the medical students who have completed the embryology course within their faculty curricula. Data was collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. The collected data were cleaned using Microsoft excel 2016 and analyzed using SPSS V28, the results are presented in terms of tables and figures. Results: The study included 385 participants with a mean age of 22.3 ± 2 years, females were 273 (71%), and they were from public governmental universities 264 (68.6%). Medical students perceived that integrating embryology and gross anatomy courses in the first and second years are better than teaching each discipline alone 225(58.5%), and they preferred problem-based learning 244(63.4%), and virtual reality for teaching embryology 307(79.7%). Only 22 (5.7%) of them reported that they would pursue embryology as a career due to absence of role model 248 (64.4%), followed by lack of future specialization 238 (61.8%), lack of promotion chances 194 (49.6%), difficulty of the subject 171 (44.4%), and the slow financial growth 110 (28.6%). Conclusion: The study found that medical students preferred problem based learning and use of technology to enhance the learning experience. While they showed positive attitude towards embryology course, only few considered it as a future career.