3.2. Needs assessment of targeted learners

The general needs assessment is applied to targeted learners. What kind of doctor do we want to educate it depends mostly on social needs but it can reflect job opportunities, financial rewards and attitudes acquired during process of studding. Sometimes it is very difficult to make balance between these several needs. Needs can be obtained on different ways. It can be done through study of errors in practice. It is very difficult to design curriculum which will fully meet the needs of society and students. Following picture present the relation between needs of different subjects.

Expectations of society from graduate students are view from one perspective. For example, according to the European Qualifications Framework graduate students should possess following performances:

• The descriptors
• Knowledge and understanding
• Application of knowledge and understanding
• Ability to making judgments
• Ability to communicate
• Learning skills
• Level depending on the cycle

If we ask students what they expect from their knowledge after graduation we will probably get another list of expectations.
Curriculum of medical faculties must be designed on the way which can provide performances after the student graduation asked from society but from student as well.

At the base of the general needs and needs of targeted learners should be made essential documents for every institution, the mission statement. Mission statement can include just generalized reasons for existing of institution, but it can be more concrete and include several aspects of student’s knowledge like: theoretical knowledge, skills, performances etc.
The mission statement should partly give sort of picture, what kind of graduated student do we want. Involvement of the key subjects in process of curriculum development should be from the early stages of process of curriculum development, and one of the first steps is creation of mission statement of institution. All stakeholders of institution should be included in this process, and they all should give their view of the reasons why the institution exists.
In the process of defining of mission statement for medical institutions, it is recommendable to include all stakeholders such as: representatives of ministries of health, health care institutions accrediting agencies and scholarly societies and ministries of education. Stakeholders will ensure: financial, political and all other support which mission ask for in the process of implementation of new one or reformed curriculum. Some authors propose strong relationship with other educational institutions that are similar in certain aspects with the institution which try to define its mission.

Mission of B&H medical faculties covers following areas:

I Teaching
II Research
III Medical services and health care
IV Role in society health care