Feasibility and Challenges in Implementation of Electives in Psychiatry as Per Competency-based Medical Education: A Cross-sectional Survey from South India

Background: Competency-based medical education (CBME) has come a long way globally whilst India has adopted it since 2020. Electives have been implemented to diversify the learning experiences for the students. Understanding of selection of a minor subject like psychiatry, which is of utmost community importance, would be interesting to note. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and challenges in the implementation of electives in psychiatry as per CBME in medical colleges of South India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out with Google Forms containing semistructured questionnaires which were sent to various institutions through WhatsApp and Gmail, and responses from head of the department/coordinators from respective departments were collected after consent. Results: In our study, the feasibility of implementation of electives in psychiatry was at 75%, with issues including lack of awareness, staff deficit, and noninvolvement of students. Addiction psychiatry remained the most preferred module for electives across the institutions. With CBME in place for 5 years, the departments were able to execute optimized teaching–learning methods with the utilization of postgraduates as a teaching force to reduce the burden on department functioning. Conclusions: This study was an innovative attempt to comprehend South Indian psychiatric electives. Using other department staff members, such as postgraduates, to overcome the obstacles may involve optimizing teaching and learning strategies, followed by evaluation and feedback, which may help to sustain students’ attention and facilitate the efficient transfer of knowledge.