Facilitators’ perspectives on a pre-matriculation program in basic biomedical sciences for medical students: a qualitative study

Background Pre-matriculation programs in basic biomedical sciences are commonly used to help new medical students transition into medical school, especially when students come from varied educational background.. Little is known about facilitators’ perspectives, even though they play a key role in designing and delivering these programs. This study aimed to explore facilitators’ views on the effectiveness, challenges, and future improvement of a basic biomedical sciences pre-matriculation program Methods A qualitative exploratory study was conducted using a focus group discussion involving ten biomedical science facilitators (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology, and chemistry) at a private medical faculty in Indonesia. Participants were purposively sampled to represent diverse disciplines and teaching experience. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English, and analyzed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s framework. Results Four main themes were identified. First, facilitators had different views on the program’s effectiveness. Some saw it as an important bridge that supports students’ academic and mental readiness, while others questioned its impact due to inconsistent delivery and lack of systematic evaluation. Second, students showed weak understanding of key biomedical subjects, often relying on memorization rather than understanding concepts. Third, challenges in implementation included low student motivation, weak literacy and learning culture, generational and cultural gaps, curriculum overload, and limited pedagogical support. Fourth, facilitators proposed recommendations for improvement, emphasizing a shift toward learning skills, stronger integration of basic and clinical sciences, structured evaluation, faculty development, and institutional support. Conclusions Facilitators viewed the pre-matriculation program as valuable but identified ongoing challenges. Addressing these through targeted program redesign may enhance program effectiveness. These findings highlight the importance of learner-centered design, integrated teaching approaches, and systematic evaluation in pre-matriculation programs. Further research involving diverse participant groups and longitudinal evaluation of student outcomes is needed to assess program effectiveness and sustainability. Trial Registration Not applicable