Harnessing the Strengths of the Mentored Student Project to Compile a Handbook of Case Scenarios for Undergraduate Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: To be trained as problem-solvers, medical students need to be exposed to activities that integrate and apply knowledge. Student research projects in the medical curriculum are a means of achieving these objectives. At Melaka Manipal Medical College (MMMC), the Mentored Student Project (MSP) is a platform for research by students guided by a teacher-mentor. The MSP lends itself to innovative ideas to empower students for the future.Aim: To use the MSP as a platform, to compile a handbook of case scenarios for medical students.Materials and Methods: To construct the case scenarios,students (n=5) chose various medical topics (n=50), which were familiar to them from their curriculum of the first and second year. They were instructed to refer to authentic online and offline sources of medical literature. After ‘Turnitin’ analysis to check for plagiarism, the case scenarios were vetted by a clinician based on a questionnaire and compiled into a handbook. Students also presented a poster about the MSP experience. MCQ test designed by the faculty was used to as certain learning of the participants of the MSP (n=5) and performance was graded.A questionnaire on a Likert’s scale was used to analyse the students’ engagement with the MSP. Individual and focus group discussions to ascertain students’ opinion were also held.Results: The study demonstrated that students were capable of designing case scenarios of good quality free of plagiarism.They scored between 60-70% in the MCQ test providing evidence of substantial knowledge retention. They felt that the experience had integrated their knowledge and would help them in problem- solving.Conclusion: The evidence from this study brings to light the multifaceted role that MSPs play in the personal and professional development of medical students.