Outdoor Camps Experiential Learning Activities for Teamwork and Leadership among Medical Students

Leadership and teamwork are important aspects of personal and professional development (PPD) to be inculcated within medical students. PPD module had been included throughout the five-year period to achieve most of the eleven programme outcomes of UKM medical programme. As a part of the teaching-learning method (TLM) for PPD, three outdoor camps are scheduled for the medical students with main emphasis on teamwork and leadership. To determine the final year students’ perception on the achievement of UKM Medical Doctor (MD) programme outcomes, two self-assessment surveys were conducted. 222 students answered the first self-assessment survey in June 2009 before they attended the third camp in their final year. The questionnaire contained eleven programme learning outcomes including learning outcomes 3 and 4 which cover teamwork and leadership aspects. The student's perceptions on whether they have achieved the learning outcomes were rated on five-point Likert scale. Six months later, 177 students responded to the second survey. Majority of the students had either agreed or strongly agreed that they have achieved both programme learning outcomes before the camp. The percentages further increased after the camp. The outdoor camps are beneficial as experiential learning activities for teamwork and leadership among medical students.