From observation to participation: a needs assessment of clinical clerkship in Korean medicine toward competency-based education.
5 affiliations
- 1College of Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea.
- 2Korean Medicine Hospital, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea.
- 3Department of Korean Medicine Education, College of Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea.
- 4Research Center of Traditional Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea.
- 5Department of Diagnostics, College of Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Health professions education is shifting from simple observation to competency-based education, and Korean Medicine is no exception. Clerkship is increasingly regarded as the stage at which students acquire the competencies needed to deliver primary care independently. However, what learners experience and require in clerkship remains largely unexamined in traditional medicine. This study identified the current state of clerkship education and learner needs at a college of Korean Medicine and explored the causes and solutions to the problems it uncovered. We used an explanatory mixed-methods design with partially overlapping data collection, grounded in pragmatism. Forty-two fourth-year students who had completed a clerkship at the College of Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, completed a survey in 2025; seven survey respondents also participated in in-depth interviews. Preliminary survey responses informed the interview guide, and the qualitative findings were used to explain and contextualize the quantitative results. Paired t-tests were used to examine importance-performance gaps across five competency domains (history taking, physical examination and diagnostic testing, communication skills, clinical reasoning and treatment planning, and clinical skills). Priorities were derived using the Borich needs assessment and the Locus for Focus model. Interview data underwent thematic analysis structured according to educational content, methods, and environment. Most respondents (83.3%) were satisfied with clerkship education, yet 42.9% considered change necessary, most often citing "variation in clerkship across departments." Performance fell below the importance level in all five domains. Borich priorities ranked communication skills the first, followed by clinical skills. The Locus for Focus model placed physical examination and diagnostic testing in the highest-priority quadrant. The interviews identified four issues: limited participation in patient care, the absence of a systematic communication curriculum, too few opportunities for repeated skills practice, and variations in clerkship delivery across hospitals and departments. Clerkship education in colleges of Korean Medicine may benefit from moving beyond passive observation toward structured participation and competency-focused training centered on communication and clinical skills. These findings offer an empirical basis for identifying priority areas in clerkship redesign and serve as foundational evidence for informing future competency-based clerkship development in traditional medicine.
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BibTeX
@article{jeong2026from,
title = {{From observation to participation: a needs assessment of clinical clerkship in Korean medicine toward competency-based education.}},
author = {Seung A Jeong and JongHyeon Hong and Sang Yun Han and Eunbyul Cho},
journal = {Frontiers in medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmed.2026.1969260},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953647},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - From observation to participation: a needs assessment of clinical clerkship in Korean medicine toward competency-based education.
AU - Seung A Jeong
AU - JongHyeon Hong
AU - Sang Yun Han
AU - Eunbyul Cho
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in medicine
DO - 10.3389/fmed.2026.1969260
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953647
AB - Health professions education is shifting from simple observation to competency-based education, and Korean Medicine is no exception. Clerkship is increasingly regarded as the stage at which students acquire the competencies needed to deliver primary care independently. However, what learners experience and require in clerkship remains largely unexamined in traditional medicine. This study identified the current state of clerkship education and learner needs at a college of Korean Medicine and explored the causes and solutions to the problems it uncovered. We used an explanatory mixed-methods design with partially overlapping data collection, grounded in pragmatism. Forty-two fourth-year students who had completed a clerkship at the College of Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, completed a survey in 2025; seven survey respondents also participated in in-depth interviews. Preliminary survey responses informed the interview guide, and the qualitative findings were used to explain and contextualize the quantitative results. Paired t-tests were used to examine importance-performance gaps across five competency domains (history taking, physical examination and diagnostic testing, communication skills, clinical reasoning and treatment planning, and clinical skills). Priorities were derived using the Borich needs assessment and the Locus for Focus model. Interview data underwent thematic analysis structured according to educational content, methods, and environment. Most respondents (83.3%) were satisfied with clerkship education, yet 42.9% considered change necessary, most often citing "variation in clerkship across departments." Performance fell below the importance level in all five domains. Borich priorities ranked communication skills the first, followed by clinical skills. The Locus for Focus model placed physical examination and diagnostic testing in the highest-priority quadrant. The interviews identified four issues: limited participation in patient care, the absence of a systematic communication curriculum, too few opportunities for repeated skills practice, and variations in clerkship delivery across hospitals and departments. Clerkship education in colleges of Korean Medicine may benefit from moving beyond passive observation toward structured participation and competency-focused training centered on communication and clinical skills. These findings offer an empirical basis for identifying priority areas in clerkship redesign and serve as foundational evidence for informing future competency-based clerkship development in traditional medicine.
SN - 2296-858X
ER -