TPTH 1.13 Medical Student Perceptions of Clinical Learning Following the Introduction of a Second Medical School Cohort
TL;DR
Evidence is presented that medical student perception of the quality of their clinical experience and learning was generally positive, despite the recent introduction of a second medical school to a large London hospital.
Abstract
The creation of new medical schools has presented a challenge to providing high quality medical education in UK hospitals. A second medical school cohort was introduced to a large London hospital in September 2024, with a further year group joining in September 2025. This presented an opportunity to evaluate the impact on student learning. Evaluation of medical student perceptions of learning was undertaken through a single centre cross-sectional study. A 15-component questionnaire was distributed to all medical students on placement over a two-week period in November 2025. The questionnaire evaluated all barriers to learning, rather than explicitly mentioning the introduction of a new medical school, to avoid bias. 35 students responded to the survey with 80% responses from one medical school and 20% from the other (approximately reflecting overall cohort numbers). The results showed high student satisfaction with 74% of students stating they ‘strongly agreed’ with the phrase “I had enough teaching to meet my learning needs”. Where students cited barriers to learning, only 2.5% of students reported this being due to the presence of medical students from a different university. This study presents evidence that medical student perception of the quality of their clinical experience and learning was generally positive, despite the recent introduction of a second school. This situation is likely to become more common given the increasing number of medical school places; the findings of this study may help alleviate fears that this will have an inherently negative impact on student learning.