SWOT analysis of medical educationists' preparations to make their university a regional medical education hub: A qualitative study

Abstract Objective This study aimed to analyse medical educationists' perceptions of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to their university's efforts to become a regional hub in medical education. Materials and methods In this qualitative study, we employed a strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of medical educators to gather data. Focus group discussion (FGD) was utilised to gather data about the participants’ evaluations of the current situation in the four quadrants of the SWOT matrix. Nine medical educators participated in this study. The data obtained from educators at the Universiti Sains Malaysia were clustered by theme in each of the four categories of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Results The average age of the participants was 34 years, with an average length of service of seven years. The positive factors influencing the respondents in this study included high motivation and interest on the part of lecturers, interest in writing, a strong medical background, experience in clinical practice and management, good health, postgraduate medical education, and the presence of international students on campus. The negative factors affecting the respondents included personal challenges, lack of experience, and the absence of PhDs. Additionally, support from family, capable support staff, positive perceptions of top management regarding the medical education department, and the availability of research and grant opportunities were identified as positive factors affecting the respondents. Finally, we noticed financial issues and inadequate facilities as possible areas of improvement for the medical education department discussed in our study. Conclusion Based on our findings, we can report a generally positive outlook regarding medical educators’ efforts to establish the Universiti Sains Malaysia as a medical education hub in the near future.