Optimal Steps for designing and implementing the extracurriculars through the integrative medical approach

Extracurriculars are those that fall outside the scope of the academic curriculum. The purpose of the work is to outline the steps of planning extracurriculars, practice these steps in the medical program, and evaluate these steps. METHODS: Using Kern’s steps with some modifications, we did some extracurricular reforms. Assessment of the current situation/needs and identification of gaps have been occurred by a questionnaire that revealed low students' satisfaction (36.1%) about the current extracurriculars with points of weakness that have been addressed in the improvement plan. A list of extracurriculars was prepared and aligned with modules and learning outcomes. Allocation of resources and implementation of these extracurriculars were performed. The evaluation was done through a questionnaire that was fulfilled by 404 students. RESULTS: Students' satisfaction was 66.8% in the second questionnaire compared to 36% in the initial questionnaire with a significant association. Further analysis of the respondents who revealed satisfaction showed that 95 out of 140 (67.8%) were high-grade achievers, 88 out of 134 (65.7%) for moderate, and 87 out of 130 (66.9%) in low-grade achievers. A comparison of the student’s satisfaction in the three phases revealed a significant p-value (0.004), but no significance in students' satisfaction within phases of the program between males and females. CONCLUSION: Well-structured extracurriculars might contribute to the achievement of the mission, vision, and goals of the program. Extracurricular activities might be flexible and undergo periodic changes related to the nature of the curriculum. Following the cycle of developing extracurricular activities in designing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting, the extracurricular activities will be more efficient in enhancing the learning climate and making the learning process more enjoyable, especially in a solid medical integrated curriculum.