Generic-skills in medical education: Self-reflection among preclinical medical students

Background: In addition to academic and clinical knowledge, medical students need to develop generic skills that support learning, collaboration, professional adaptation, and readiness for clinical training. Systematic evaluation of these skills is important for medical schools to identify students’ developmental needs and to inform curriculum improvement before students enter more complex clinical and community-based learning environments.Aims: This study aims to describe preclinical medical students’ self-reflections on their generic skills.Methods: This study employed a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach, utilizing the Generic Skills Self-Assessment Instrument as the survey tool. A total of 277 preclinical students participated in the study.Results: Most students reported positive perceptions of their generic skills. The highest mean score was observed for teamwork skills (4.22 ± 0.80), while the lowest was for perseverance (3.08 ± 1.20). Differences across cohorts were minimal, with the class of 2024 showing the highest mean scores in nearly all domains.Conclusion: Overall, students demonstrated a favorable self-assessment of their generic skills. Nonetheless, efforts to strengthen perseverance remain important for preparing future medical doctors.