Development Strategies in Medical Education

Introduction
Lifelong learning is a term that is widely used in adult education [1]. Nowadays, the development of lifelong learning in all aspects of life has become a major global educational challenge [2]. Currently, universities and higher education institutions are considered as key places for the development of lifelong learning [3]. Despite the fact that the policies of the educational system, especially in the field of health and treatment, play an important role in creating opportunities for the development of lifelong learning knowledge and their transformation into professional behavior in medical students, it is still not considered as an accepted and supported value [4]. Clinical environments have unpredictable and stressful conditions that affect medical students' education [5]. The conditions of clinical learning environments play an important role in creating opportunities for the development of lifelong learning and can provide or prevent the tendency towards lifelong learning [6]. Clinical teaching is known as one of the most important parts of professional education [7, 8]. The need for lifelong learning in health-related professions is a necessity due to the speed of science and technology developments in health care and the growing concerns about maintaining or improving the quality of care in clinical settings [9]. The present study aims to investigate the lifelong learning skills of students, externs and interns from Jahrom University of Medical Sciences (JUMS) in Iran.

Methods
This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 with the participation of the medical students of JUMS at the clinical level (students, externs and interns). Participants were selected using a census sampling method. The data collection tools included a demographic form (surveying age, gender, grade point average [GPA], marital status and place of residence) and the lifelong learning scale with 50 items rated on a 5-option Likert scale from very high (4 points) to very low (0 points). In this scale, 11 items measure lifelong learning goals, 10 items measure content, 7 items are for teaching methods, 7 items for professors, 7 items for assessment methods, and 8 items for educational conditions and facilities. The total score ranges from 0 to 200.

Results
In this study, 94 medical students participated; 55 (58.5%) were female and the rest were male; 81 (86.2%) were single and 62 (66%) were living in the dormitory. Among the dimensions of lifelong learning, the dimensions of professors and facilities had the highest and lowest scores, respectively. The results showed that the mean total score of lifelong learning, professors, assessment methods, and facilities in male students were significantly higher than in female students (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the mean score of lifelong learning or its dimensions based on other demographic variables. The results of Spearman's correlation coefficient showed no significant relationship between students' GPA and total lifelong learning score (P=0.344). Regarding the dimensions of lifelong learning, it was found that students with higher GPA had significantly higher goals (r=0.246, P=0.038). There was no relationship between students' GPA and other dimensions of lifelong learning.

Conclusion
The findings showed that the lifelong learning skills of medical students at JUMS was lower than the average level. Among the dimensions of lifelong learning, professors and facilities had the highest and lowest scores, respectively. Compared to female students, male students had higher scores in lifelong learning and its dimensions of professors, assessment methods, and facilities. Students with higher GPAs also had higher lifelong learning goals. This indicates that the medical students who earn higher GPAs during their medical education are more likely to set long-term goals for learning and development throughout their careers.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the ethics committee of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences (Code:IR.JUMS.REC.1403.002).

Funding
This study was funded by Jahrom University of Medical Sciences.

Authors' contributions
The authors contributed equally to preparing this paper.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the deputy for research of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences for their support and all the students who participated in this study for their cooperation.


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