Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development最新文献

Introduction: There is a growing demand for more thoughtful and holistic healthcare. Whole-person integrative medicine (IM) is cost-effective and clinically effective for enhancing health and well-being. However, existing knowledge gaps in IM among healthcare professionals prevent the application of IM practices in patient care. This project aimed to develop and refine an IM elective to improve health education and learning, thereby enhancing future physicians' knowledge, skills, and self-care practices.

Methods: Three separate cohorts of third- and fourth-year medical students (n = 18) participated in a four-week immersive IM elective. Weekly and postelective evaluations were used to assess changes in attitudes, behaviors, and self-reported IM knowledge for each cohort. Descriptive analyses were performed, and just-in-time student feedback was used to iteratively refine the IM curriculum.

Results: Students attended at least 85% of class days. Anonymous weekly course evaluation ratings for meeting course expectations, education depth, and usefulness for patient care ranged between 4 and 5 on a Likert scale, with 5 as the most favorable. Postcourse evaluations and the impact of the course on attitudes related to patient care, personal lifestyle, and self-awareness also ranged from 4 to 5. Knowledge scores significantly improved (p < .01), with moderate to large effect sizes (Hedges g's > 0.8).

Conclusions: The implementation of an immersive elective curriculum in IM resulted in high levels of satisfaction, changes in attitudes and behaviors, as well as knowledge scores. Just-in-time feedback and curricular revisions made this curriculum effective for student training. We consider this our first step in integrating IM into the required curriculum for all students, ensuring that, as educators, we close the knowledge gap in IM among future physicians. Empowered with that knowledge, we anticipate them serving their future patients with a more holistic and patient-centered approach.

Background: Scholarly activity is a key requirement in pediatric subspecialty fellowship training. However, clear guidance on how to effectively support fellows in their scholarly endeavors remains limited.

Objective: This study assesses the impact of a week-long departmental scholarship curriculum designed to enhance fellows' research competencies.

Methods: In 2024, a curriculum was designed and delivered to first-year pediatric subspecialty fellows over 5 days, combining group learning sessions with individualized tasks. Pre- and post-curriculum surveys assessed fellows' confidence and knowledge across key scholarly domains. Daily session evaluations provided additional feedback. Fourteen fellows from 9 pediatric subspecialty programs participated.

Results: All first-year fellows (n = 14, 100%) participated. Improvements in fellows' confidence were observed across all domains (P < .05). While knowledge scores increased, the gains were not statistically significant. Participants rated the overall curriculum positively, and notably, appreciated the individualized tasks and experience of presenting their developing project.

Conclusions: This week-long curriculum increased fellows' confidence in their scholarly abilities, highlighting the value of a structured, departmental approach to fostering academic engagement. While knowledge improvements were modest, the overwhelmingly positive evaluations support this curriculum approach as a potential model for enhancing scholarly activity in fellowship programs. Further research is needed to explore the long-term impacts on fellows' scholarly productivity and career development.

Background: Despite growing interest in implementation and dissemination science as a driver of healthcare quality and equity, practical, competency-based curricula for advanced graduate and postgraduate students remain limited. Existing offerings are often introductory, with varied depth and limited focus on applied skill-building.

Objective: To describe the design and rationale of a competency-based Practical Implementation Science course developed to equip advanced learners with the skills needed to translate evidence into real-world practice.

Methods: The course was developed using the textbook Practical Implementation Science: Moving Evidence into Action as its primary source and structured around the Quality Implementation Framework. It was informed by constructivist, experiential, and adult learning theories and aligned with recognized dissemination and implementation science (IS) competencies.

Results: A flipped classroom model will be used to deliver instruction, supporting active, practice-based learning through pre-class preparation and in-class application of IS concepts. The course includes 15 weekly sessions covering core topics such as identifying practice gaps, adapting evidence-based interventions, stakeholder engagement, evaluation planning, and sustainability. Each session is designed to integrate theory with application via case studies, team exercises, and iterative project work. The course is intended to be flexible in delivery (in-person or online), interdisciplinary in scope, and adaptable to the needs of students in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, public health, and allied health. It targets beginner and intermediate competency levels and incorporates formative and summative assessments. Students will progressively develop capstone projects, with structured opportunities for peer and instructor feedback during interactive in-class discussions.

Conclusions: This proposed course represents a scalable and flexible model for preparing healthcare learners in applied IS. Future directions include pilot testing, formal evaluation, interprofessional adaptation, and global implementation to support a diverse and equity-oriented workforce capable of translating evidence into practice.

Purpose: A doctorate degree in surgery is awarded by universities in recognition of high-standard academic research. This study explores the global heterogeneity of PhD programs in surgery and evaluates them using a standardized rating scale.

Method: A cross-sectional survey was distributed electronically to surgical doctoral programs worldwide. A 25-point rating scale was developed to assess program quality across domains such as dissertation requirements, number and type of publications, journal quartiles, and authorship position. Programs achieving ≥15 points were classified as "excellence-PhD" (e-PhD). Scores were compared across world regions and by university ranking (Shanghai Ranking).

Results: A total of 949 PhD programs from the 193 United Nations member countries were contacted. Completed questionnaires were returned by 187 departments (response rate 19.7%) from 52 countries. Most departments, 138 out of 187 (73.9%) lacked clear requirements for dissertations based on a single research project, while more explicit criteria existed for thesis by publications: originality 77 out of 187 (41.2%), journal metrics 126 out of 187 (67.9%), and candidate authorship. Program scores showed wide heterogeneity, with higher scores more frequently associated with universities ranked higher in the Shanghai classification. Regional differences were also noted in funding opportunities and evaluation processes.

Conclusions: Global PhD programs in surgery demonstrate substantial variability in structure and quality, as measured by a newly developed rating scale. While the scale shows promise in identifying high-quality (e-PhD) programs, its practical application may be limited by response bias and differing academic norms. Nonetheless, these findings offer a framework for benchmarking and improving doctoral training in surgical research globally.

As medical education evolves in response to the transition of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 exam to a pass/fail system, there is growing momentum to shorten the traditional two-year preclinical curriculum. This reflective piece, co-authored by two medical students, explores the motivations behind this shift, including the desire for earlier clinical exposure, reduced academic pressure, and a curriculum better aligned with long-term clinical competence. The authors acknowledge potential benefits, such as enhanced student engagement and improved relevance of foundational knowledge, but caution against a rushed transition. Risks include compromised scientific understanding, inequities among students with differing backgrounds, and insufficient time for professional identity formation. The article calls for thoughtful, evidence-based reform that ensures equity, supports foundational competence, and incorporates diverse student perspectives. Ultimately, while the shortening of preclinical years may offer advantages, it must be implemented carefully to avoid undermining the very foundations of medical education.

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly transformed medical education, exposing both challenges and opportunities in online, in-person, and hybrid instructional models. This Viewpoint proposes a five-pillar framework for effective hybrid medical education: curricular alignment, faculty development, interactive online pedagogy, flexibility with accountability, and data-driven feedback. Drawing on the experience of two medical students and the perspective of an anatomy professor, an award-winning educator and curriculum leader, we offer a framework for hybrid medical education. While our viewpoint centers on undergraduate medical education, we recognize concerns from graduate medical educators about downstream resident preparedness and the need for broader collaboration. Our framework addresses learner engagement, clinical preparedness, and equity. We recommend that academic leaders adopt and periodically audit curricula using this framework to ensure educational quality and readiness for future disruptions.

While anesthesia is frequently characterized by its technical demands and focus on procedural skills, our clinical experiences reveal an equally critical yet often overlooked, need for effective, humanistic communication. Unlike other specialties where rapport builds over time, anesthetists must establish trust, calm fears, and deliver essential information within minutes, often at moments of intense vulnerability for patients. These brief interactions, although fleeting, carry significant emotional and clinical weight. In this perspective, we argue that communication in anesthesia should be treated as a core clinical competency, rather than a peripheral soft skill. We propose low-resource strategies such as brief empathy prompts, simulation debriefs focused on interpersonal tone, and reflective exercises, to help make the hidden curriculum visible. Such interventions not only enhance patient care but also contribute to professional identity formation and may protect against clinician burnout. By elevating the role of communication alongside technical mastery, anesthesia education can better prepare students for the full scope of practice.

Purpose: Implementing Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) as formative educational activities significantly affects postgraduate trainees but could involve challenges to human and financial resources. This study explored senior pediatric residents' experiences in developing and conducting OSCE stations for their junior peers to elucidate the reciprocal benefits of involving senior residents in this educational partnership.

Design and methods: This qualitative study employed a thematic analysis approach in training senior residents to develop and administer OSCEs following adequate training and supervision. After the OSCE implementation, residents reflected on their experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide with the 19 senior pediatric residents who had completed the study. Audio recordings of the interviews were transcribed using a descriptive method, and thematic analysis of the data was performed using NVivo software.

Results: Thematic analysis revealed four interrelated themes: 1) the development of OSCE stations, 2) their conduction, 3) self-reflection, and 4) the Canadian Medical Education Directives for Specialties (CanMEDS) roles. Senior residents described the experience as novel and valuable, significantly enhancing their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. They recognized the benefits of teamwork, teaching skills, and increased confidence across various domains. The activities are aligned with the CanMEDS framework, contributing to their development as medical experts.

Conclusion: This study highlights how and when senior residents empowered as partners in OSCE design can enhance their development and residency programs.

Objectives: Medical students face a vast amount of information to learn and apply in clinical practice. Thus, they need effective strategies to manage and retain this knowledge. We aim to examine the study behaviors and social factors that distinguish high-achieving medical students.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to investigate the study habits during the exam preparation period and social factors of 598 medical student from Damascus University, during the year 2022, focusing on differences between high-achieving and non-high-achieving students. Data were collected using a self-administered paper-based questionnaire randomly distributed across multiple classes. Logistic regression was employed to examine the factors differentiating high-achieving from non-high-achieving students.

Results: Financial status, employment, parents' educational level, study duration during the exam preparation period, sleep duration during the exam period, and some other factors had no relationship with being a high-achieving student. While other factors were positively associated, including having a doctor in the family (OR = 1.583, 95% CI: 1.000, 2.505, P = .05) and "often" (OR = 2.860, 95% CI: 1.571, 5.204, P = .001), "usually" (OR = 2.012, 95% CI: 1.004, 4.032, P = .049), or "always" (OR = 2.554, 95% CI: 1.295, 5.039, P = .007) using faculty textbooks compared to "never/rarely." Conversely, a negative relationship was found between being a high-achieving student and "usually" using lecture handouts (OR = 0.201, 95% CI: 0.044, 0.913, P = .038) compared to "never/rarely."

Conclusions: We found no significant differences in study habits during exam preparation period between high-achieving and non-high-achieving students. Other factors may contribute to the success of high-achieving medical students.

Armed conflict severely disrupts medical education at critical moments of need. Integrating recent literature and experiences from the 12-day Israel-Iran war, we identify key challenges, including infrastructure failures, interrupted rotations, and psychological distress. We propose a "resilience package" with 3 principles: established planning, learner welfare, and institutional partnerships, while underscoring the importance of multilevel teamwork, adapted teaching, and role modeling. This framework supports education continuity, safeguards trainee well-being, and helps preserve the educational mission under challenging conditions.