Development of the Undergraduate Rotation Satisfaction Questionnaire and its Validation in a Psychiatry Clerkship

Abstract

Background: Practical clinical training is a crucial part of undergraduate medical education. Assessing students' satisfaction with this training is essential for improving education programmes. While research has often focused on student satisfaction with general or theoretical education, studies on practical clinical training remain more limited. This article presents the development of a questionnaire to assess medical students' satisfaction with clinical rotations and its validation in a psychiatric clerkship.

Methods: An initial draft of the Undergraduate Rotation Satisfaction Questionnaire (URSQ) was based on a literature review, and was refined in several phases, including structured reviews by panels of psychiatric and education experts. Exploratory factor analysis was performed using principal component analysis (PCA). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and test-retest reliability were calculated.

Results: The resulting questionnaire was piloted with 30 sixth-year students who had completed their psychiatry rotation in three hospitals affiliated with the University of Valencia. It was then distributed to all sixth-year medical students completing their psychiatry rotations in these hospitals during the 2023/24 academic year (total potential n = 235). Factor analysis revealed a cohesive two-factorial structure. The final questionnaire included nine quantitative and five qualitative items. Cronbach's alpha was 0.841, and the test-retest Cohen's kappa coefficients were ≥0.444.

Conclusions: The URSQ is a valid and reliable tool to help universities assess student satisfaction with their psychiatry training programmes.