title: Students' and junior doctors' preparedness for the reality of practice in sub-Saharan Africa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence tailored to sub-Saharan Africa on outcomes of innovations in medical education is needed to encourage and advance their implementation in this region.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate preparedness for practice of students and graduates from an innovative and a conventional medical curriculum in a sub-Saharan African context.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using mixed methods we compared junior doctors and fifth-year students from two Mozambican medical schools: one with an innovative problem- and community-based curriculum and one with a conventional lecture- and discipline-based curriculum. A questionnaire on professional competencies was administered, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and work diaries were collected. The findings were integrated in a conceptual model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six areas of tension between global health care ideals and local health care practice emerged from the data that challenged doctors' motivation and preparedness for practice. Four elements of the innovative curriculum equipped students and graduates with skills, attitudes and competencies to better cope with these tensions. Students and graduates from the innovative curriculum rated significantly higher levels on various competencies and expressed more satisfaction with the curriculum and its usefulness for their work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An innovative problem- and community-based curriculum can improve sub-Saharan African doctors' motivation and preparedness to tackle the challenges of health care practice in this region.
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University , The Netherlands .
authors.forename: Janneke M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Frambach
authors.forename: Beatriz A F
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Manuel
authors.forename: Afonso M T
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fumo
authors.forename: Cees P M
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Van Der Vleuten
authors.forename: Erik W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Driessen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D054521:Cultural Competency; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D009042:Motivation; D009073:Mozambique; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*