Evaluating Biosciences Education Across Medicine, Nursing, and Podiatric Medicine: Challenges, Opportunities and Student Perspectives from Ireland

Background: Biosciences form a foundational component of health professions education, supporting clinical reasoning, diagnostic skills, and evidence-based practice. Despite this centrality, students frequently perceive bioscience content as challenging, abstract, and insufficiently integrated with clinical learning. Understanding these perceptions is essential for informing curriculum design and supporting learner engagement. This study explored undergraduate student perceptions of bioscience education across Medicine, Nursing, and Podiatric Medicine at the University of Galway. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to undergraduate students across the three programmes (N = 1470; response rate 55.3%). The survey captured quantitative ratings and qualitative feedback relating to curriculum organisation, teaching methods, workload, assessment, feedback, and perceived clinical relevance. First-year students were also asked about the influence of prior secondary school science education on preparedness for university-level biosciences. Results: First-year findings indicated that prior secondary school science shaped preparedness and confidence, with Nursing students reporting lower perceived readiness compared with Medicine and Podiatric Medicine. Across all programmes, students valued interactive lectures, practical sessions, and clinically applied teaching. Common challenges included heavy content load, insufficient feedback, and a perceived disconnect between bioscience content and clinical practice, with these concerns more pronounced among Nursing students. Podiatric Medicine students reported higher overall satisfaction, attributing this to smaller class sizes, greater access to teaching staff, and clearer alignment of biosciences with professional practice. They nevertheless requested more practical sessions and enhanced exam preparation. Medical students described declining motivation and confidence in later years of the programme despite strong initial engagement. Conclusion: Across health professions programmes, students recognise the importance of biosciences but face common challenges related to workload, feedback, and clinical integration. Discipline-specific differences highlight the influence of cohort size, curriculum structure, and access to applied learning opportunities. The findings suggest a need for curriculum reform that strengthens clinical integration, expands active and practical learning, and ensures timely, constructive feedback to support engagement and confidence. Addressing both shared and programme-specific issues may enhance the effectiveness of bioscience education and better prepare students for safe, competent clinical practice.