The
purpose of this study was to understand the overall level of key competencies
of medical students and explore the potential profile of key competencies,
promoting quality education, and improving the quality talent cultivation in
medical colleges. A stratified random sampling method selected 734 medical
students from four medical colleges in Chongqing Province of China. A general
information questionnaire and a key competencies survey questionnaire were used
to conduct the survey. The overall score and scores of each dimension of key
competencies were analyzed. Latent profile analysis was conducted to classify
the key competencies of medical students and compare the distribution differences
of demographic variables among different categories. The results showed that
26% of medical students have never heard of the concept of key competencies,
and 59% of them are not familiar with the content related to key competencies.
The score of key competencies is 3.66±0.60,
with the highest score in the dimension of responsibility and the lowest score
in the dimension of humanistic accomplishment. The latent profile analysis
classified them into three categories: “low key competencies group (14.71%)”,
“medium key competencies group (36.79%)”, and “high key competencies group (48.50%)”. The R3STEP regression
analysis results showed statistically significant differences in
educational level and whether they served as student cadres among different key
competencies categories of medical students. This paper discusses three
different potential key competencies categories among medical students, and the
overall level of key competencies is relatively good. However, medical students
lack a comprehensive and systematic understanding of key competencies.
Humanistic accomplishment, healthy living, and practical innovation are the
three dimensions with lower scores and should be given more attention. Medical
colleges should integrate the concept of key competencies into teaching and
implement it in medical practice to cultivate more high-quality medical talents
for society.
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