Interns’ Viewpoints Concerning their Readiness for Entering Internship in Isfahan Medical University

Introduction: It seems that graduated physicians have not acquired some of the necessary skills, while interns are supposed to have the required knowledge and skills to start their internship. In this study, interns’ opinions about their readiness for entering internship period in Isfahan Medical University was determined. Methods: In a descriptive, cross sectional study, 4 domains of interns’ readiness were measured by a valid and reliable questionnaire consisting of 20 items. The study group included 75 interns at their first 4 months of internship in the year 2005. The data was analyzed by SPSS software using frequency, Chi2, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: In the domain of theoretical knowledge, most interns evaluated themselves at an average level, while in the domain of skills they considered themselves at the levels of average and good. In hospitalization and discharge process, most of them evaluated themselves, average to weak. They considered themselves good to average in self confidence and interaction with nursing and medical staff, and patients. There was a significant correlation between pre-internship exam score and the score of knowledge domain. Conclusion: It seems that, interns do not have the required readiness for starting internship, especially in the domains of knowledge and skills. Pre-internship examination does not cover all the requirements for internship period. More extended planning is needed to improve some domains such as skills and familiarity with hospitalization and discharge process.