The Journal of Medical Education and Development

Introduction: Critical thinking skills is essential and the ultimate goal for medical education. This study aimed to compare the critical thinking skills among medical and paramedical students in the Fasa University of Medical Science.
Method: A cross- sectional analytical study was conducted on 231 medical and paramedical students in 2015. The subjects were selected using a randomized stratified method. The critical thinking of students was investigated using California B questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics by SPSS v. 22.
Results: The mean score of critical thinking was (2.3 ± 7.11). The results showed an overall weakness of Fasa medical students in utilizing critical thinking skills. Also, the overall mean scores of critical thinking and different aspects of the skill were compared across the two groups. A significant difference was found between the two groups.
Conclusion: University education should address the critical thinking skills. To achieve this universities should train their students accordingly. Decision makers should pay more attention to educational decisions and the role of cognitive styles and techniques in medical universities.