Scientific Writing in Radiation Oncology: Development and Implementation of a Virtual Elective Module for Medical Students

Abstract

Background Improving scientific writing abilities and critical thinking is essential to support young doctors in their research endeavors and prepare medical students for careers in academic medicine. This work describes the development and implementation of a virtual and interactive course to encourage student engagement with scientific literature in the field of radiation oncology. Methods An elective course including ten modules was developed. Medical students in their clinical part of their medical studies were able to apply for this optional course without any restrictions regarding previous knowledge or scientific contributions starting in the summer term 2020. Due to the COVD-19 pandemic, the course was specifically developed in digital form. An anonymous questionnaire containing 32 questions using Likert-scale questions was distributed in November 2022 to all participants who successfully completed the elective course. Results In total, 25 (89%) of the questionnaires were filled out, returned, and evaluated. Technical difficulties to attend the course were not reported by any participant. 60% of all participants write an MD thesis in the field of radiation oncology. Besides the live course, 44 % of the participants used writing exercises and 56% self-learning tests on an additional bases. More than 90% of all participants report that the course supported critical thinking, helped with their MD thesis and that they acquired a toolbox of skills (Likert Scale range 4-5). Module rating showed a high satisfaction (Likert Scale range 3-5). Overall, 96% of all students rate the course with very good to good. For further improvement, 64% of the students wish to have additional presence teaching. Discussion Our early experience suggests a valuable role of teaching scientific writing abilities to medical students interested in radiation oncology. Our report demonstrates an improvement in empowerment, technical knowledge, and student satisfaction. However, additional presence teaching should be considered and may further encourage discussion and interaction between medical students. Future plans include increasing student participation from these and other oncology subspecialities and expanding the program to other institutions. We hypothesize that this approach will improve medical student exposure to radiation oncology, which could make a subsequent positive impact on multidisciplinary research and patient care. Improving scientific writing abilities and critical thinking is essential to support young doctors in their research endeavors and prepare medical students for careers in academic medicine. This work describes the development and implementation of a virtual and interactive course to encourage student engagement with scientific literature in the field of radiation oncology. An elective course including ten modules was developed. Medical students in their clinical part of their medical studies were able to apply for this optional course without any restrictions regarding previous knowledge or scientific contributions starting in the summer term 2020. Due to the COVD-19 pandemic, the course was specifically developed in digital form. An anonymous questionnaire containing 32 questions using Likert-scale questions was distributed in November 2022 to all participants who successfully completed the elective course. In total, 25 (89%) of the questionnaires were filled out, returned, and evaluated. Technical difficulties to attend the course were not reported by any participant. 60% of all participants write an MD thesis in the field of radiation oncology. Besides the live course, 44 % of the participants used writing exercises and 56% self-learning tests on an additional bases. More than 90% of all participants report that the course supported critical thinking, helped with their MD thesis and that they acquired a toolbox of skills (Likert Scale range 4-5). Module rating showed a high satisfaction (Likert Scale range 3-5). Overall, 96% of all students rate the course with very good to good. For further improvement, 64% of the students wish to have additional presence teaching. Our early experience suggests a valuable role of teaching scientific writing abilities to medical students interested in radiation oncology. Our report demonstrates an improvement in empowerment, technical knowledge, and student satisfaction. However, additional presence teaching should be considered and may further encourage discussion and interaction between medical students. Future plans include increasing student participation from these and other oncology subspecialities and expanding the program to other institutions. We hypothesize that this approach will improve medical student exposure to radiation oncology, which could make a subsequent positive impact on multidisciplinary research and patient care.