Assessment of students' perceptions of educational environment in clinical wards of University hospitals at an Iranian Medical Sciences University

Educational environment have a significant impact on promote and enhance lifelong learning and continuing academic development. This study measures educational environment across undergraduate medical students of clinical phase at Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS). We compared the perceptions of externs (years 4 and 5) and interns (years 6 and over) regarding educational environment. This cross-sectional study was conducted in clinical wards at university affiliated teaching hospitals by using Dundee Ready Education environment measure (DREEM) during summer 2011. Students were relatively satisfied towards the four sub-realms including total educational environment and learning, perceptions on teachers and atmosphere, and self-perceptions for academic. There was no significant difference between male and female students in educational environment subscales also between interns and externs. It also revealed problematic areas of learning environment in our clinical wards which enabled us to adopt some serious reform in teaching-learning activities. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu