Medical education in difficult circumstances: analysis of the experience of clinical medical students following the new innovative medical curriculum in Aksum, rural Ethiopia.

The combination of poorly resourced hospitals and lack of specialist doctors provides a challenging environment for medical students to learn. However, it is a unique clinical experience that is rarely seen in developed countries and facilitates the acquirement of skills from an early stage. Supervision and specialist input is fundamental in enabling students to learn and this is a key area that was lacking in the students' clinical experience.