Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development最新文献

Background: Ethics and professionalism are fundamental elements in the practice of medicine consisting of a set of values, behaviors, and relationships that reinforce the trust and respect for the physician in a society. It consists of several key elements that are learnt during their formative years of study. This study aims to compare knowledge and self-reported practice of ethics and professionalism between preclinical and clinical undergraduate medical students.

Methods: We included 427 medical students including males and females of age 18 and above. They were further divided into preclinical and clinical groups. We assessed knowledge and practice of medical professionalism through a validated questionnaire containing 11 core elements (components) of medical professionalism and ethics. The assessment was carried out by comparing median scores assigned to the components of professionalism against each question. Data was analyzed through SPSS v.22 and GraphPad Prism v.8.

Results: Clinical medical students had significantly higher knowledge of medical professionalism as compared to nonclinical students (P = .0016). Moreover, among the components of professionalism, there was a significantly higher score for confidentiality (P = .006), communication skills (P = .001), self-directed learning (P = .011), peer and self-assessment (P = .0011) along with ethics in research and patient care (P = .0042) in clinical students as compared to preclinical medical students. However, no significant difference was found between students of preclinical and clinical years for honesty, accountability, respect, responsibility, compassion, and maturity (P > .05). The findings were comparable across students of different ethnicities in our study cohort (P > .05).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that knowledge and practice of certain elements of ethics and professionalism are enhanced through clinical exposure, however, few remain consistent across different stages of study. Moreover, lack of significant differences in practice of professionalism based on ethnic differences underscores the potential universal standards in medical education.

The obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) clerkship is a uniquely enriching and challenging rotation for medical students. Available literature prepares students for medicine and surgery clerkships, but few guides identify and discuss the unique characteristics of OB/GYN that impact student learning and performance during the clerkship. Here, we aim to highlight the specific clinical learning environments, emotionally sensitive experiences, and technical performance expectations that students should anticipate and be prepared for in the OB/GYN clerkship. We believe all students benefit from learning these skills to care for their future patients no matter their chosen specialty.

Background: The demographics of medical schools reveal a growing trend towards greater gender and underrepresented in medicine (UIM) representation among students, yet surgical residency lags behind. This study explores the demographics of first-year medical students (M1s) and their initial career interests.

Methods: A panel of faculty physicians and fourth-year medical students in surgical and nonsurgical specialties was held for M1s during orientation week. Demographic differences and career interests were collected.

Results: Fifty-six M1s, 31 (55%) female and 13 (24%) UIM, attended the event. While 35 students (62.5%) reported interest in surgery, only 7 (20%) identified as UIM and 16 (46%) as female.

Conclusion: Initial interest in surgery is comprised of mostly male and non-UIM students. Throughout medical school, this pattern persists, with current match rates into surgery not reflecting the population of students. Focusing on initial interest to surgery is crucial as it is the foundation for the pipeline of diversifying future surgeons.

Objectives: This research explores the perceptions of medical students regarding self-assessment techniques in clinical studies at public universities in Anambra State, Nigeria. Specifically, it investigates the benefits of these techniques and their perceived alignment with formal evaluations conducted by supervisors.

Methods: Utilizing a descriptive cross-sectional study design, data were collected from 273 consenting medical students through an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed to capture students' demographics, experiences with self-assessment, and perceptions of its benefits in relation to supervisor evaluations.

Results: Results indicate a balanced representation of gender among respondents, with the majority falling within the 21‒25 years' age range, and nearly equal participation from students at the 500 and 600 levels across two institution types, Federal and State. The findings reveal a positive alignment between students' perception of self-assessments and formal evaluations, with no significant discrepancies observed between institutions or levels of study. Additionally, participants widely perceive self-assessment as beneficial for enhancing confidence, identifying learning gaps, fostering professional growth, and improving communication skills. Furthermore, students from both institutions and across different levels of study report similar perceived benefits from engaging in self-assessment practices.

Conclusions: There is a strong alignment between medical students' perceptions of self-assessments and formal evaluations, with no significant differences found across institutions or stages of study. Overall, self-assessment was viewed as valuable for boosting confidence, identifying areas for improvement, supporting professional development, and enhancing communication skills. Further exploration of students' perspectives will offer valuable insights for educators to design effective learning strategies and promote lifelong learning habits among medical students.

This perspective piece addresses the challenges junior clinician-educators face as they navigate career development within academic medical centers. In addition to understanding local promotion and tenure processes and seeking mentorship, we argue that faculty feedback is an often neglected, but essential, component in clinician-educator development. We repurpose and use the MISCA model-Message, Implementation, Student, Context, and Agents-as a framework to better understand and improve feedback for faculty. Crafting effective feedback messages, nurturing holistic growth, understanding contextual dynamics, acknowledging diverse feedback agents, and recognizing learner characteristics are key components of this model. Within each element of MISCA, we interpret how this model applies to clinician-educators and provide practical examples. We propose that combining insights around feedback derived from MISCA, with mentorship and frameworks for faculty competence, offers individuals and institutions opportunities to transform how they grow and develop faculty.

Objective: In Lebanon, HIV prevalence among key populations such as men who have sex with men is high at 12%, warranting a need for targeted healthcare efforts. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective prevention measure, yet global challenges persist, including limited awareness of PrEP among healthcare professionals. This study investigates PrEP awareness within the Lebanese medical community.

Methods: A survey targeted 201 participants from the Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Faculty of Medicine, comprising students, residents, and physicians. Analyses, including chi-square tests, mid-P exact test, and point-biserial correlation, assessed PrEP knowledge and perceptions.

Results: Significant disparities in PrEP awareness were noted among medical students, residents, and physicians, revealing misconceptions about its purpose, administration, and effectiveness. Positive correlations between age and awareness among medical students suggest evolving awareness during medical education. Residents exhibited higher awareness compared to physicians, emphasizing the impact of recent training. No significant correlation based on specialty was found among physicians, indicating the need for uniform PrEP education across all medical fields.

Conclusion: Addressing PrEP awareness gaps among medical professionals is crucial for effective HIV prevention in Lebanon, necessitating tailored educational strategies integrated into medical curricula and ongoing professional development.

Advocating for integrating a cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum into Internal Medicine residency, this letter emphasizes the unique advantages of cardiac POCUS, particularly its rapid utility and safety, while highlighting existing knowledge gaps among trainees. This perspective research letter underscores the need for a structured advanced cardiac POCUS elective to address the knowledge and skill gaps among internal medicine trainees who have taken the introductory POCUS elective, providing a career preparatory course for internal medicine residents interested in cardiology, critical care, hospital medicine, primary care, and rural medicine. The perspective research paper also underscores the feasibility and benefits of such training, ultimately supporting the implementation of an advanced cardiac POCUS elective in the United States Internal Medicine residency programs.

Objectives: This qualitative study aimed to explore student perspectives toward extracurricular activities and motivating and/or demotivating factors of students for involvement with medical student association (MSA) at Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Qualitative analysis of focus group interviews was employed. Inclusion criteria required participants to be College of Medicine students in years 1-5 of undergraduate study and have been a member of the MSA for at least a year or more. A total of four focus group interviews were conducted with four to six participants in each interview. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, following which an inductive thematic framework analysis was employed for data analyses. Similar ideas and concepts were grouped using codes, and themes were developed.

Results: The first theme identified was motivating factors of students for joining the MSA, which included improvement of self-esteem and résumé, to avoid burnout, social experiences, to overcome shyness, to adjust to the university environment, and to increase research opportunities. The second theme revealed were the skills gained including problem-solving, conflict resolution and communication skills, organizational planning and management skills, and peer mentorship. The third theme identified were the various demerits of being involved with the MSA, including a lack of commitment from other students, lack of recognition, and for some, adverse effects on academic activities.

Conclusion: We conclude that the MSA appears to provide a positive opportunity to medical students to be part of various activities, creating a conducive environment for supporting overall well-being and potentially supporting adjusting to the university environment and facilitating the acquisition of various skills.

Background: The importance of integrating humanities into medical education has been recognized. However, the medical humanities curriculum is usually lacking during standardized training for residents in China. This study aims to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of pilot-specific courses in medical humanities in standardized residency training.

Methods: We designed specific courses in medical humanities, composed of 3 courses: Identifying and Managing Common Psychological Disorders of Patients, Patient-Clinician Communication, and Medical Dispute Cases Analysis and Resolution. The courses were scheduled monthly throughout the one semester, and a total of 118 residents participated in the curriculum. Participants completed the evaluation containing ethic-legal knowledge and humanistic competencies related to course content before and after the curriculum.

Results: Most participant residents had a bachelor's degree (85.6%) and were in the first year of standardized residency training (61.0%). Their disciplinary backgrounds are diverse, encompassing 18 different clinical medical specialties. The residents' average scores of postcourse self-assessments keep a steady increase in humanistic competencies compared with precourse average scores. All postcourse self-assessments showed significant improvement compared to precourse (P < .05), particularly in influential communication skills and diagnostic associations of processing ability.

Conclusion: The specific courses in medical humanities are feasible and effective in teaching residents in China. The pre-post course evaluation indicates that this humanities-based curriculum significantly improved residents' ethic-legal knowledge and humanistic competencies during standardized residency training.

This article examines the need for reform in medical school admissions to better align with the collaborative and patient-centered nature of contemporary healthcare. Traditional admissions processes prioritize academic excellence, often neglecting essential interpersonal and team-based skills. We advocate for several strategies to address this gap. Firstly, diversifying admissions committees to include healthcare professionals such as nurses and pharmacists, as well as patients can provide insights into candidates' teamwork abilities. Secondly, incorporating group interviews and exercises can better assess applicants' interpersonal skills and collaboration potential. We also propose leveraging the "Voice of the Consumer" (VOC) concept, using patient and family feedback to guide the selection of future physicians. This aligns with the shift toward shared decision-making in patient care. The paper underscores the importance of interprofessional education in addressing communication challenges within healthcare. By integrating these reforms early in medical education, we can cultivate physicians who excel in both evidence-based and patient-centered care. This perspective calls for a holistic evaluation process in medical school admissions, prioritizing patient-centered values and effective teamwork to develop healthcare professionals capable of navigating modern healthcare complexities.