Purpose
Few studies have assessed different health care discipline students’ perceptions of the importance of learning standard competencies in AI technology. This study aimed to evaluate the learning needs, apprehensions/anxieties, and digital self-efficacy of students in medicine, nursing, and pharmacy regarding AI technology in healthcare.

Methods
This cross-sectional survey study included 521 students: 384 medical, 67 nursing, and 78 pharmacy students, with response rates of 32%, 61%, and 52% from the colleges of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy, respectively. Survey data were collected over a 3-month period using a self-reported questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS, including descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and chi-square tests.

Results
Our study found the three different discipline groups exhibited mostly comparable demographic profiles, though nursing students were generally older and reported slightly more months in their school training. Students from all three discipline generally agreed on the importance of learning about AI in healthcare with agreement rates for the six core competency domains ranging from 80 to 92%. The AI Learning Anxiety/Fears questionnaire revealed varying levels of anxiety about AI technology learning across the disciplines. Over 20% of students across all disciplines, including 37% of medical students, agreed or strongly agreed that they experience anxiety when engaging with AI-related content. Digital self-efficacy was similar across the disciplines, with high agreement rates among students’ ability to adapt to new technologies, can use digital devices, and can benefit expert guidance on new technologies. Digital self-efficacy scale score was negatively correlated with AI learning anxiety (r=-0.32, p=0.01).

Conclusion
This study offers insights into students' perspectives on learning about AI, which will inform the development of effective AI curricula. These findings highlight the need for standardized AI curricula that can address learning needs and reduce apprehensions across healthcare disciplines.