What Do Medical Students Actually Want from Learning Communities? A Comprehensive Needs Assessment

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Purpose: The demanding nature of medical education has been well-described. Learning Communities (LCs) have been formed in a number of medical schools to address unmet needs such as wellness, social support, and academic/career counseling. However, there is limited information regarding the student perspective in shaping LC goals and activities. This study examined that perspective using a needs assessment survey. Methods: A formal needs assessment survey was completed by 510 medical students. The survey included 16 Likert-scale items and one open response item. Topics focused on student well-being, career planning, meaningful professional relationships, and academic success. Results: As expected, residency success and academic performance were the domains ranked as most important. Of note, the domain of wellness was ranked as less important overall. Results also varied by medical school year and gender. Conclusion: Formal assessment of student needs can serve as a guide to the development of LC programming, hopefully increasing student engagement.