Participation of 1st-year medical undergraduate students in an anatomy exhibition as “Near-Peer” teachers – An innovative method to implement components of the competency-based curriculum in India

Introduction: To develop a medical professional multidimensionally, experiences must be built in the medical undergraduate curriculum using existing programs and resources. Utilizing the involvement of 1st-year medical students in an anatomy exhibition as “near-peer” teachers, we aimed to develop an interest in teaching among them and to sensitize them to the surrounding community and the need for the development of communication skills. Material and Methods: One hundred 1st-year medical students were involved in teaching anatomy to school students from the community during an anatomy exhibition. The students were divided into 10 groups and they demonstrated the displayed specimens for 4 days on a rotation basis. Feedback was collected to evaluate students' responses to the program. Results: The feedback from the students (n = 88) revealed that students enjoyed the experience (97.7%) and found the experience useful for their appreciation of anatomy (87.4%). About 53.4% of students were able to communicate effectively, although 61.4% had language difficulties. Students appreciated the opportunity to interact with school students (90.9%), the need for educational outreach (94.3%) and also recommended their future involvement in teaching programs (94.3%). In making the learning experience enjoyable to the students, the factors that played a key role were their ability to communicate easily (P = 0.019) and their ability to appreciate the need for community outreach (P = 0.005). Discussion and Conclusion: Developing the interest of 1st-year medical students in teaching and sensitizing them to the need for improved communication skills and societal consciousness can be achieved by enabling them to act as “near-peer” teachers in school teaching programs.