Competition-based learning in medical school: A literature review

Introduction: The healthcare sector faces increasingly complex challenges, prompting curriculum reforms in medical education to enhance healthcare service. The prevalent curriculum, Integrative System-Based utilizes a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) variation for consistent and structured medical practice. Additionally, an alternative method, Competition-Based Learning, has been identified to boost student motivation, improve final grades, and foster collaboration and self-confidence. The aim of this study is to provide a brief summary about the role of competition-based learning in the learning process of medical students.

Materials and Methods: Articles and studies were acquired from PubMed and ScienceDirect. Keywords used were: ‘competition’, ‘medical student’, ‘learning process’, ‘medical education’.

Results: Several studies have shown that students’ participation in competitions can transform their perspective toward the competed field in a more positive manner, increase motivation to study specific fields, and serves as a evaluative instrument for refining competencies and addressing weakness. The implementation of competitions in the learning process has been proven to enhance students’ final grades.

Conclusion: The implementation of Competition-Based Learning can be considered as a complement to the existing medical education curriculum.