TheEffectivenessoftheComm unityM edicineUndergraduateProgram in M edicalSchoolson EnablingM edicalGraduatesto W ork inthe HealthSystems

ArticleType: OriginalResearch Introduction: The mainmission of medicalschoolsisto train competent medical traineesforproviding primaryhealthcareservices,managementofhealthcareteam and improving thehealth statusofthepopulation.Theaim ofthisstudy wasto determine the effectiveness of the undergraduateprogram of community medicine department amongthegraduatesasgeneral(family)physiciansinhealth system ofEastAzerbaijan, North-WestofIran.Methods:In thiscross-sectionalstudy allfamily physicians of EastAzerbaijanprovince were included.A questionnaire on the views ofgraduates aboutthe effectiveness ofcommunity medicine undergraduateprogram wasused for gathering data.DatawereanalyzedbyT-test,AN OVA,andPearsoncorrelation.Results: Performance ofcommu nity medicine departmentincreating competency forproviding effectivehealthservicesamongphysicianswas2.13andmanagementcompetency was 1.96 outof4.To teach thenecessary skillsto meettheprofessionalneedsin Primary HealthCare (PHC),TabrizComm unity Medicine Department was bettercompared toAzad and other medicalschools(p<0.001).Conclusions:The resultsofthe study showed thatthecomm unity medicine program inundergraduatemedicaleducation was effectiveforfuturecareerofphysiciansinthehealthsystem.Thereis aneedtorevisethe healthmanagementcoursesincomm unitymedicineprogram.