Perceptions, attitudes, and curriculum reflections: exploring healthcare students’ engagement with basic medical sciences in Saudi Arabia

Background Understanding healthcare students’ perceptions of basic medical sciences (BMS) and curriculum structure is essential for informed educational reform in Saudi Arabia. This study explored attitudes toward BMS subjects and curriculum design among undergraduate healthcare students across medicine, dentistry, nursing, and applied medical sciences programs. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from June to December 2023 among 397 students from public and private universities in and around Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected via a validated, self-administered online questionnaire using snowball sampling. The instrument assessed interest in BMS subjects and careers, attitudes toward foundational sciences, and curriculum structure preferences. Exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation, Mann–Whitney U , Kruskal–Wallis, multiple regression, and Spearman correlation were performed using SPSS v29 (IBM Corp.); p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Dentistry students comprised 45.1% of respondents. While 56.7% showed strong interest in BMS courses, only 26.2% intended to pursue BMS careers due to perceived lack of excitement (14.4%) and financial incentives (10.6%). anatomy (80.9%), pathology (79.1%), and physiology (68.0%) were rated as the most clinically relevant; biochemistry was rated the lowest (27.7%). A majority (70.3%) supported integrating BMS into clinical teaching and preferred integrated, problem-based learning (PBL) curricula. PBL students expressed significantly more positive BMS attitudes ( p < 0.05). Sex, academic program, and university type influenced attitudes. Positive BMS perceptions correlated moderately with PBL support ( r = 0.366, p < 0.001). Conclusion Students value clinically relevant BMS but show limited career interest. PBL and integrated curricula enhance engagement. Targeted mentorship may strengthen BMS career pathways.