Abstract

Abstract Introduction: It is imperative that medical graduates develop critical thinking abilities in light of the recent  implementation of a new competency-based medical school curriculum that centers on the expected and  observable capacity of Indian medical graduates in practical settings. One of the most crucial abilities that  any medical student must have in order to provide high-quality care is critical thinking. More attention needs  to be paid to this higher-order thinking ability, which might be a crucial quality of any medical practitioner  given the evolving societal expectations of doctors. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess first-year medical students' perceptions of their critical  thinking abilities. Methods: This descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 156 year one medical  students at Subbaiah Institute of Medical Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka.who were selected by a convenient  sampling method. The data were collected by demographic characteristics and modified California Critical  Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). For the regularly distributed variables, parametric tests (Student's t-test and  ANOVA) were employed, while non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney's test & Kruskal -Wallis) were utilized  for the other parameters by using SPSS V 20.  Results: A total of 156 students participated in the study; 45 (28.8.7%) were male, and 111 (17.2%) are female.  93 (59.8%) were government funded and 63(40.4%) were self-funded. There was no significant difference  between the average critical thinking skills score regarding age, gender, parents’ profession, residence, and  medium of instruction.The median positive attitude score was 30±4.8. The mean negative attitude scale score  was 30±5.5. A highly significant association was noted with attitude towards communication skills (p<0.000).  Conclusions: Based on the results, medical students’ critical thinking skills are weak and lower than the exam  average. The educational system should be reviewed in designing a curriculum to foster critical thinking. 

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