Student underperformance in health professions education: A risk management perspective to help underperforming students

  • Azam S Afzal Aga Khan University Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi 74800 Pakistan
  • Shazia Babar Senior Instructor, Department for Educational Development Senior Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Syed Moyn Aly Assistant Professor / Head of Department Department of Medical Education College of Medicine Taif University

Abstract

Medical students suffer from stress and psychological morbidity during their academic years which is mostly related to course work and workload. It has been a general concern in the educational arena regarding the underperformance of medical students. Literature provides a clear catalogue of reasons correlated with academic underperformance including: time management; reliance on passive learning; insufficient background and content knowledge; weakness in study skills, test-taking strategies or critical thinking and lack of self -regulation and metacognition.This article aims to offer a holistic yet detailed risk-management perspective to limit the risk of student underperformance among medical students. The literature will be used to identify and characterize risks; assess the vulnerability of students and the expected likelihood and consequences of specific type’s risk; identify ways to reduce those risks and prioritize risk reduction measures that can be implanted as well as strategies for academic rehabilitation.

Author Biography

Azam S Afzal, Aga Khan University Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi 74800 Pakistan

Senior Instructor
Department for Education Development / Department of Medicine

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Published
2016-01-15