Background:

Medical education has reached a high point, where theoretical and practical education is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of students and society, and it is essential that medical education centers adopt new teaching and learning strategies.

Methods:

A prospective, observational study of one year duration was conducted on two groups of students of the School of Medicine of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Group A consisted of 50 second-year students, and group B, of 50 fourth-year students. Ten variables were measured that corresponded to competencies held by students in the initial period and at the end of their surgery course. The statistical tests used were the Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Results:

Among the competencies most improved in both groups, were the surgical scrubbing and the performing of a simple stitch. The initial and final evaluations of both group A and group B showed an important progress in each group, with a statistically significant improvement in the development of surgical competencies in group A (second-year students) compared to students in the fourth year (group B).

Conclusion:

This analysis shows that teaching and learning strategies in medical education need to adapt to a competency-based approach.