Evaluation Of Medical Students Research Articles

Are script concordance tests suitable for the assessment of undergraduate students? A multicenter comparative study

IntroductionScript concordance tests (SCTs) have been developed to assess clinical reasoning in uncertain situations. Their reliability for the evaluation of undergraduate medical students has not been evaluated. MethodsTwenty internal medicine SCT cases were implemented in undergraduate students of two programs. The results obtained on the SCTs were compared to those obtained by the same students on clinical-based classical multiple-choice questions (MCQs). ResultsA total of 551/883 students (62%) answered the SCTs. The mean aggregate score (based on a total 20 points) was 11.54 (3.29). The success rate and mean score for each question did not differ depending on the modal response but the discrimination rate did. The results obtained by the students on the SCT test correlated with their scores on the MCQ tests. Among students, 446/517 (86%) considered the SCTs to be more difficult than classical MCQs, although the mean score did not differ between the SCT and MCQ tests. ConclusionThe use of SCTs is a feasible option for the evaluation of undergraduate students. The SCT scores correlated with those obtained on classical MCQ tests.

A Renewed Call for a More Equitable and Holistic Review of Residency Applications in the Era of COVID-19.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated racial disparities within healthcare1-4;unfortunately, the pandemic may also exacerbate the impact of disparities that exist within medical student evaluation Without proper acknowledgement or intervention, the outsized impact of COVID-19 on the Underrepresented-in-Medicine (URiM) student will have significant consequences

Implicit Gender Bias in Third-Year Surgery Clerkship MSPE Narratives

To assess implicit gender bias in surgery clerkship evaluations of third-year medical students at a large, academic hospital in the Southeast. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has multiple branch campuses where students can complete their surgical clerkship including 1 large academic center, 1 hybrid academic and community-based practice, and 3 community-based hospitals. All residents and faculty evaluations of medical students who completed the surgery clerkship from March 1, 2018 to February 28, 2019 were analyzed. Evaluations were anonymized and names and pronouns were removed to mitigate evaluator bias. A word dictionary was created guided by previous literature and categorized descriptive adjectives into 4 categories: ability, grindstone, standout, and personality traits. Adjectives used to describe students, and references to the student using gendered pronouns or gender-fair language were coded and quantified as percentage of total evaluation word content. These percentages were compared between male and female students. A subsequent analysis was completed to assess the effects of gendered pronouns on linguistic patterns. A total of 583 evaluations from the surgery clerkship were available for 183 students (51.9% female, 48.1% male). When gender-fair language was used, there was no difference in the adjectives used to describe female and male students. Male evaluators were more likely to use female gendered pronouns compared to male gendered pronouns (3.1% vs 2.3%, p = 0.028). When gendered pronouns were present, evaluations of female students were more likely to contain grindstone adjectives but less likely to contain standout terms compared to evaluations of male students (4.4% vs 2.8%, p = 0.006; 0.6% vs 1.3%, p = 0.006). For students who have completed their surgical clerkship, the language patterns in evaluations differ between female students and male students. When the female pronoun was used, narratives contained more grindstone adjectives and fewer standout adjectives. Our results are consistent with previous literature and may be a manifestation of "othering" or a compensatory means of describing female students. This is potential manifestation of implicit gender bias.

Three Decades Later: A Scoping Review of the Literature Related to the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

To conduct a scoping review of the timing, scope, and purpose of literature related to the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) given the recent impetus to revise USMLE scoring. The authors searched PubMed, PsycInfo, and ERIC for relevant articles published from 1990 to 2019. Articles selected for review were labeled as research or commentaries and coded by USMLE Step level, sample characteristics (e.g., year(s), single/multiple institutions), how scores were used (e.g., predictor/outcome/descriptor), and purpose (e.g., clarification/justification/description). Of the 741 articles meeting inclusion criteria, 636 were research and 105 were commentaries. Publication totals in the past 5 years exceeded those of the first 20 years.Step 1 was the sole focus of 38%, and included in 84%, of all publications. Approximately half of all research articles used scores as a predictor or outcome measure related to other curricular/assessment efforts, with a marked increase in the use of scores as predictors in the past 10 years. The overwhelming majority of studies were classified as descriptive in purpose. Nearly 30 years after the inception of the USMLE, aspirations for its predictive utility are rising faster than evidence supporting the manner in which the scores are used. A closer look is warranted to systematically review and analyze the contexts and purposes for which USMLE scores can productively be used. Future research should explore cognitive and noncognitive factors that can be used in conjunction with constrained use of USMLE results to inform evaluation of medical students and schools and to support the residency selection process.

Plastic Surgery Subinternships: Current Perspectives and Future Considerations

Subinternships are an important feature of the integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery residency application process. In our experience, there exists institutional heterogeneity in how subinterns are evaluated, how they are given feedback, and how their performance is compared across institutions. In this report, we conducted standardized interviews with 9 past and present integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery residency program directors, eliciting their expert opinions on current limitations of subinternships as a method of medical student education and evaluation. There near-unanimous agreement that subinternships were an important tool for evaluating the intangible traits of subinterns, with emphasis on teamwork, work ethic, and preparation for cases. However, our respondents suggested that subinterns lack direct feedback about real-time subinternship performance, and that there is a lack of transparency to subinterns regarding the quality of letters of recommendation. In the current system of subinternship evaluation, the letter-writer's reputation possibly overshadows the subintern's actual performance, which can be unfair to the student. We encourage the academic plastic and reconstructive surgery community to work toward more consistent and equitable evaluation of subinterns to the benefit of both residency applicants and programs.

Impact of panelists\u2019 experience on script concordance test scores of medical students

BackgroundThe evaluation process of French medical students will evolve in the next few years in order to improve assessment validity. Script concordance testing (SCT) offers the possibility to assess medical knowledge alongside clinical reasoning under conditions of uncertainty. In this study, we aimed at comparing the SCT scores of a large cohort of undergraduate medical students, according to the experience level of the reference panel.MethodsIn 2019, the authors developed a 30-item SCT and sent it to experts with varying levels of experience. Data analysis included score comparisons with paired Wilcoxon rank sum tests and concordance analysis with Bland & Altman plots.ResultsA panel of 75 experts was divided into three groups: 31 residents, 21 non-experienced physicians (NEP) and 23 experienced physicians (EP). Among each group, random samples of N = 20, 15 and 10 were selected. A total of 985 students from nine different medical schools participated in the SCT examination. No matter the size of the panel (N = 20, 15 or 10), students’ SCT scores were lower with the NEP group when compared to the resident panel (median score 67.1 vs 69.1, p < 0.0001 if N = 20; 67.2 vs 70.1, p < 0.0001 if N = 15 and 67.7 vs 68.4, p < 0.0001 if N = 10) and with EP compared to NEP (65.4 vs 67.1, p < 0.0001 if N = 20; 66.0 vs 67.2, p < 0.0001 if N = 15 and 62.5 vs 67.7, p < 0.0001 if N = 10). Bland & Altman plots showed good concordances between students’ SCT scores, whatever the experience level of the expert panel.ConclusionsEven though student SCT scores differed statistically according to the expert panels, these differences were rather weak. These results open the possibility of including less-experienced experts in panels for the evaluation of medical students.

The Relationship Between Surgeon Faculty Emotional Intelligence and Medical Student Evaluations

We sought to measure the emotional intelligence (EI) of surgical faculty and the relationship between faculty EI and medical student (MS) evaluations of faculty. Faculty completed the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal. Aggregate, anonymous MS evaluations were collected from the Program Director's office. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used for analysis. This study was first performed in a single surgical division at 1 center which informed an expanded study including the entire General Surgery Department at a single academic institution. A pilot study was conducted in 1 surgical division which was then expanded to all clinical faculty in the Department of Surgery. All clinical faculty in the Department of Surgery were eligible for enrollment. Pilot study faculty EI scores were positively correlated with MS evaluations (r = 0.92, p < 0.001). The follow-up study enrolled 41 surgeons with a median age of 48 (inter-quartile range 12). The sample was mostly white (70.7%). Mean EI for the group was 76 (standard deviation ± 7.8). Total faculty EI scores were not significantly correlated with MS evaluations (r = 0.30, p = 0.06). MS evaluations of surgeon faculty were not related to EI in the larger sample. However, EI did correlate to MS evaluations in 2 surgical specialties. Further exploration into the utility of EI training in surgical departments should be conducted to determine the true value of such endeavors.

Use of virtual medical cases as a learning tool in medicine

ABSTRACT Diagnostics-related errors made by medical students represent a considerable issue for the field, as they very often have negative consequences that reduce learning effectiveness. This study proposes a means of ameliorating problems with diagnostic reasoning and improving the learning process. The description of a virtual case, containing necessary information, is used within a knowledge-based system for evaluation of medical students’ diagnostic abilities. This system is grounded in a branch-oriented model, where every decision reveals part of the information about the patient in each iteration, depending on the diagnostician`s choice, which supports evaluation of the flow of students’ thoughts. By fostering the acquisition of “negative knowledge” about typical cognitive errors in the medical reasoning process, the system helps eliminate learners` errors specific to any type of situation that the system might be set up to address in any given case. Descriptions of teachers’ inputs, the process model, the evaluation procedure for student’s performance, and a method for configuring virtual patient cases are provided. Apart from the accuracy of the diagnosis, other aspects such as patients’ comfort and the cost of the diagnosis are also taken into consideration when evaluating students’ diagnostic process.

Characterizing the Effect of Pass/Fail U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Scoring in Neurosurgery: Program Directors’ Perspectives

The neurosurgery match is among the most competitive across all specialties. As a result, numerical Step U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 scores have historically played a major role in selecting applicants for interviews. With the anticipated change in Step 1 scoring to pass/fail will come significant ramifications for how program directors (PDs) screen and select applicants. The present study characterized the responses of PDs to the change in U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 scoring and its consequences on medical students applying to neurosurgery. After receipt of an institutional review board exemption, a validated 19-item survey was electronically distributed to 99 PDs of neurosurgery training programs as a part of a national study across 30 residency specialties. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed, and statistical significance was determined by nonoverlapping 95% confidence intervals. A total of 48 responses were obtained (48.5%). Most PDs were men, with a mean age of 52 years, and, on average, had served 7.4 years as a PD. Most PDs (79%) disagreed with binary Step 1 scoring. Most (85%) believed the change will make objective comparison of applicants more difficult, and 83% reported they will begin to require Step 2 clinical knowledge scores with application submission. More than one half (71%) believed medical school reputation will become more important in resident selection. Only 15% believed that pass/fail Step 1 scoring will improve medical student well-being. Binary Step 1 scoring represents a significant change in medical student evaluations, with consequences for the neurosurgery residency application process. The results from the present study might help guide PD practices and prepare medical students for the anticipated changes to the application process.

Evaluation of Tabriz medical students’ expectations of learning English for specific purposes (ESP): A focus on gender and subject field

Background:Teaching professional English is a field that began in the 1960s simultaneously with the worldwide recognition of English as a common scientific language among scientists and researchers. Learners’ language needs and expectations have received much attention during the last decade. Likewise, within the scope of medical English, understanding the expectations of students is of the utmost importance. This study was designed to investigate the expectations of medical students regarding English language learning and application.Methods:This cross-sectional study examined the expectations of 362 medical students in three program groups (medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy) in learning professional English during their coursework. A reliable and valid questionnaire was distributed among students who had a specific professional English course in various semesters in the faculty of medicine. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses were conducted using SPSS software version 16.0Results:In this study, the most frequent expectation from medical students was for their teachers to translate texts into the Persian language and help them to comprehend medical texts and final examinations, including translating from Persian to English as well. The results also found a difference between the expectations of male and female students, with female students having higher expectations than male students. There was no significant difference among the students of the three program groups (medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy) for total expectations or evaluation. However, there was a significant difference between the medical and pharmacy students.Conclusion:Measuring student expectations is a critical factor in addressing English language learning, including professors’ knowledge and interest, of students’ various abilities in English for specific purposes (ESP).

Evaluator Agreement in Medical Student Assessment Across a Multi-Campus Medical School During a Standardized Patient Encounter.

Class rank and clerkship grades impact a medical student's residency application. The variability and inter-rater reliability in assessment across multiple clinical sites within a single university system is unknown. We aimed to determine if medical student assessment across medical school campuses is consistent when using a standardized scoring rubric. Attending physicians who participate in assignment of clerkship grades for neurology from three separate clinical campuses of the same medical school observed 10 identical standardized patient encounters completed by third year medical students during the 2017-2018 academic year. Scoring was completed using a standardized rubric. Descriptive analysis and intra-rater comparisons were completed. Evaluations as a part of this study were completed in 2018. Of 50 possible points for the patient encounter, the median score among all medical students and all evaluators was 43 (IQR 40, 45.5). Evaluator number 1 provided a statistically significant lower overall score as compared to evaluators 2 and 3 (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0006, respectively), who were consistently similar in their overall medical student assessment (p = 0.46). Overall agreement between evaluators was good (ICC = 0.805, 95% CI 0.36-0.95) and consistency was excellent (ICC = 0.91, 95% CI 0.75-0.97). Medical student evaluation across multiple clinical campus sites via observation of identical standardized patient encounters and use of a standardized scoring rubric generally demonstrated good inter-rater agreement and consistency, but the small variation seen may affect overall clerkship scores.

Comparing Objective Structured Clinical Examinations and Traditional Clinical Examinations in the Summative Evaluation of Final-Year Medical Students.

Background:Medical schools have traditionally assessed medical students using long and short cases. Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been found to be more reliable.Aim:To compare OSCE and traditional method of assessment in the summative assessment of final-year medical students.Methodology:This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Enugu State University of Science and Technology College of Medicine. The Department of Internal Medicine organized clinical examinations consisting of long and short cases. The Department of Surgery organized an OSCE consisting of two parts (picture OSCE and clinical OSCE). Students' scores in both internal medicine and surgery were collated and subjected to analysis with SPSS version 23 (IBM; SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). Pearson's correlation was used to assess the correlations, paired t-test was used to compare the mean scores, and Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the reliability. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:Out of the 73 candidates, 41 were female and 32 were male giving a female: male ratio of 1.3:1. Using paired sample t test, there were significant differences between the mean score in long case (mean = 52.86, standard deviation [SD] = 4.315) and mean score in clinical OSCE (mean = 58.356, SD = 7.906), t (72) = −7.181, P = 0.000; mean score in short case (mean = 52.86, SD = 4.097) and mean score in picture OSCE (mean = 48.580, SD = 8.992, t (72) =4.558, P = 0.000; no significant difference between the mean total score in internal medicine clinicals (mean = 105.712, SD = 6.680) and mean total score in surgery clinicals (mean = 106.915, SD = 15.846), t (72) = −0.788, P = 0.433. The Cronbach's alpha for traditional examination and OSCE was 0.437 and 0.863, respectively.Conclusion:OSCE gives a similar mean score to traditional method, but OSCE is more reliable.

Practical skills evaluation of undergraduate medical students by an objective structured practical examination (OSPE): An effective tool for formative assessment in microbiology

Background: Objective structured practical examination (OSPE) has ended up being a decent choice to beat traps of customary technique for evaluation. OSPE is not typically used in medical colleges in India in view of requirements of assets. Consequently, the two teachers and students are very little mindful of the OSPE model. Consequently, we led this examination to make mindfulness on the OSPE strategy and break down Student’s assessment with respect to the technique. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to know how the subjectivity of conventional practical methods of evaluation in medical education is overcome in OSPE. Materials and Methods: A total of 130 second-year professional MBBS students were included in the study. The skills of the medical students were assessed on the basis of their performance. Four stations were formed, of which two were procedure stations and other response stations. Students were evaluated using the OSPE model. OSPE additionally broke down to see the lacuna in any progression or any inquiry with respect to students. Traditional techniques and procedural and response stations in OSPE were investigated to learn the knowledge, skill, and competency of students in this subject. Student’s opinion about the new method was collected through a questionnaire and analyzed. Results: A total of 130 students from MBBS’ second professional year were included in the study. Of which, 91.54% of students felt that they were given adequate time at each station adequate, 71.54% responded that they were prior sensitized about OSPE, 93.08% responded that the exam was not stressful, 94.62% said that the OSPE was very much organized, applicable, and uniform, 80.77% said that the exam covers the appropriate knowledge than the traditional examination, and 76.15% opined that such type of exams should be included in the future as a method of formative assessment in practical examination. Conclusion: It was proved in this study that OSPE had overcome the subjectivity in conventional methods. The students showed lacunae in some steps of the exercise, which were informed to the teachers for more concentration on those steps. The students had good knowledge and skills but less competency, our study highlights the implementation of OSPE for formative assessment in the curriculum of undergraduate medical education, so that students can achieve more skills and knowledge to improve their competency.

New directions in medical student clerkship evaluations

Purpose: To compare the number of requested medical student evaluations with mean evaluation scores and final clerkship grades. Background: The University of Iowa Obstetrics & Gynecology (OBGYN) clerkship requires six evaluations for each student: two assigned and four requested by the student. Many students request more evaluations than required, contributing to a backlog that slows the grading process. Methods: Medical student evaluations from 2014 to 2016 were analyzed. Three groups were created based on the number of evaluations an individual student received. Group 1 received 3-4 evaluations (73), Group 2 received 5-6 evaluations (240) and Group 3 received 7-16 evaluations (222). A paired T-test compared mean evaluation scores and a chi-square test was used to compare mean shelf exam scores and percentages of pass, near honors, and honors grades. Results: A total of 535 independent students and their evaluations were reviewed for the study. The difference in mean evaluation scores for groups 1 and 2 and groups 2 and 3 were statistically significant (p 0.05). Similarly, the differences in rates of pass, near honors, and honors grades between groups were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Discussion: Increased number of requested evaluations did not translate to differences in rates of pass, near honors, and honors grades for medical students on their OBGYN clerkship, indicating that decreasing the mandatory evaluations per student would not be detrimental to student outcomes and would potentially expedite the grading process.

THE EFFICACY OF CASE-BASED INSTRUCTION ON STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARDS PAIN AND OPIOID RISK ASSESSMENT IN OLDER ADULTS

A survey of US medical schools found that only 10-12 hours of the 4 year curriculum are dedicated to instruction in pain management in older adults. Since chronic pain afflicts 100 million Americans, and older adults have a higher risk of prescription medication misuse, there is urgency regarding proper education.This study evaluates the success of case-based instruction on the topics of pain management and opioid risk assessment, with a goal of increasing instructional hours in a format other than didactic. 200 fourth-year medical students were split into groups of 20, with 2 instructors in each room. A survey was administered pre/post workshop asking participants to rate 10 statements using a Likert scale. The 2 hour workshop involved case studies to work through while using a created pain instructional card.The case-based instruction format demonstrated high efficacy in shaping the beliefs and personal evaluations of medical students. Prior to the workshop, only 34% of students were positive about their pain assessment abilities. 9.5% were positive about their opioid conversion skills, and only 4% were positive about opioid risk assessment skills. After the workshop, these positive evaluations increased to 97%, 95%, and 92% respectively. The McNemar test proved these findings to be statistically significant (p<.0001). Case-based instruction with small-group discussion is a reliable tool in teaching medical trainees about pain management and opioid risk assessment in adults aged 65 and older. This workshop needs to be run with geriatric/palliative care residents to evaluate clinical incorporation of session concepts through resident charting.

Evaluation of medical students to interest in the health research in Kazakhstan at 2018

Abstract Background Since medical education is significantly different from other conditions of higher education, it is necessary to analyze the influence of the health research component on the quality of training a future health specialist. Methods A quantitative analysis based on the survey. 2 types of original questionnaires were based on the AGREE method: a) to analyze the involvement of medical students, and b) to analyze the teachers of medical universities to integrate health research into the educational process. The survey involved 1,439 medical students. Results 85±1.02% of medical students agree that the triangle of science, education and practice is the main principle of doctors. 63±2.76% of students indicate a discussion with the teacher about the latest advances in medical science. 77±3.24% of surveyed students believe that health research is conducted at a good level. 78±5.8% of students confirm a good health research infrastructure at the University. The continuity of the scientific school and the discussion of the health research results was confirmed by 74±1.24% of students. Evaluation of the participation of teachers in the study showed that 32±3.41% of respondents do health research at the time of the survey. 63±7.1% of teachers agree that the “science-education-practice” triangle is the main principle of doctors. 70±5.17% of teachers indicated the use of Case-based learning, Project-based learning and Research-based learning in their teaching practice. Conclusions The analysis showed a lack of involvement of medical students in health research and a lack of commitment of educational organizations to the principle of the triunity of science, education and practice. Key messages Medical students who are engaged in research have professional competencies related to the practical use of their knowledge and skills than their peers who are not involved in research. Involving medical students in research provides benefits for Universities, medical students and stakeholders.

Audiological evaluation of medical students of tertiary care center and its relation with mobile phone use

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; In the modern era mobile phone uses is constantly increasing day by day after its commercial availability from 1983. The mobile is an electromagnetic device which work on radiofrequency band, it receives and send signals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; In this study we selected tertiary level centre students for hearing evaluation including higher frequency in chronic mobile user. Volunteers from medical college students between 20 to 30 were included who have been using mobile phone for more than a year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; Among the 200 subjects male candidates were 118 and female candidates were 82. Age of the volunteers was between 20 years and 30 years&lt;strong&gt;. &lt;/strong&gt;After careful assessment of audiogram obtained from the volunteers segregation done in two groups, one with no hearing loss and other with hearing loss. 69% of total volunteers had no hearing impairments that is 138 volunteers where as 31% had hearing impairments that is 62 volunteers. If we compare these two groups the age of group having hearing loss was near 30 years&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; In our study we observed that pronged mobile phone uses predispose to the hearing loss at the dominant ear. This hearing loss was noticed on long term use of hearing and since it involve the unilateral ear we presumed mobile phone use is the responsible factor. We observed that more the duration of mobile phone use more will be hearing loss.&lt;/p&gt;

Objective structured practical examination as a formative assessment tool compared to traditional method for third year M.B.B.S. community medicine students

Background: Assessment of students in medical colleges was done by traditional practical examination for evaluation of practical or clinical skills, which is subjective in nature and suffer from lack of objectivity. So a uniform system of clinical and practical evaluation of medical students is always desirable. An objective structured practical examination (OSPE) is one such method believed to meet the deficiencies of the conventional system of practical/clinical examination. This study is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of OSPE as a formative assessment tool compared to traditional methods for M.B.B.S. students.Methods: A cross sectional comparative study was carried out on 56 MBBS students in KAMSRC, Hyderabad, Telangana. Students of 3rd year M.B.B.S were subjected to traditional practical evaluation followed by OSPE. A eight station OSPE was conducted one week after the TPE. The scores obtained in both were compared. All the data collected was entered and analyzed with MS excel software 2007.Results: Average marks scored by the students in OSPE (17.78±2.69) were higher as compared to traditional practical examination (15.00±3.49) which was statistically significant. 74.4% of the students strongly agreed that OSPE is fairer in comparison to traditional practical examination. 90.5% students strongly agreed that variability of examiner and patient can be removed to a large extent by OSPE.Conclusions: Based on the observation, OSPE was found to be a more effective assessment tool than traditional method.

Minimal effects of reduced teaching hours on undergraduate medical student learning outcomes and course evaluations

Introduction: Various pressures exist for curricular change, including economic forces, burgeoning knowledge, broadening learning outcomes, and improving quality and outcomes of learning experiences. In an Australian 5-year undergraduate medical course, staff were asked to reduce teaching hours by 20% to alleviate perceived overcrowded preclinical curriculum, achieve operating efficiencies and liberate time for students’ self-directed learning.Methods: A case study design with mixed methods was used to evaluate outcomes.Results: Teaching hours were reduced by 198 hours (14%) overall, lectures by 153 hours (19%) and other learning activities by 45 hours (7%). Summative assessment scores did not change significantly after the reductions: 0.4% increase, 1.5% decrease and 1.7% increase in Years 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The percentage of students successfully completing their academic year did not change significantly: 94.4% before and 93.3% after the reductions. Student evaluations from eVALUate surveys changed little, except workload was perceived to be more reasonable.Conclusions: Teaching hours, particularly lectures, can be moderately reduced with little impact on student learning outcomes or satisfaction with an undergraduate medical course.

31. BRINGING BACK THE CHALK TALK: A NOVEL CURRICULUM UTILIZING THE MINI CHALK TALK TO IMPROVE CLINICAL TEACHING IN A PEDIATRIC RESIDENCY PROGRAM.

BackgroundIn addition to becoming superb clinicians, residency is tasked with training residents to be excellent educators in the clinical environment for patients, peers, medical students and other learners. Our program aimed to improve our residents’ abilities to teach in the clinical environment by developing a curriculum to enhance resident teaching based on the mini chalk talk (MCT). The MCT is an old but highly applicable teaching modality that is based on a short 3-5 minute talk and is grounded in adult learning theory using both auditory and visual cues to engage learners.ObjectiveImprove residents’ ability to educate in the clinical setting through the use of the MCT.MethodsInstituted in September 2017, the curriculum is based on the conceptual framework of Bandura's Social Learning Theory which highlights attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation. The curriculum had residents read a short article on a specific topic, develop an outline for a MCT, discuss and optimize their ideas in small groups, and finally present their MCT to a different small group of colleagues. Pre and post surveys in addition to a peer-to-peer teaching evaluation rubric were used to evaluate the curriculum which was performed monthly for 6 months.Results76% (13/19) of residents who completed both pre and post surveys went from feeling uncomfortable to comfortable teaching and 42% (8/19) went from feeling their teaching was not adequate to the level of a role model. As Fig. 1 shows, the percentage of residents who scored at the role model level also increased on peer-to-peer evaluations in multiple assessors of quality of resident teaching over time. Medical student evaluations of residents in inpatient and outpatient settings also noted excellent chalk talks being given by residents, an observation not previously noted.ConclusionsInstitution of a novel curriculum utilizing the MCT improved residents’ ability as educators based on self-perceived and peer-to-peer teaching evaluations. In addition to becoming superb clinicians, residency is tasked with training residents to be excellent educators in the clinical environment for patients, peers, medical students and other learners. Our program aimed to improve our residents’ abilities to teach in the clinical environment by developing a curriculum to enhance resident teaching based on the mini chalk talk (MCT). The MCT is an old but highly applicable teaching modality that is based on a short 3-5 minute talk and is grounded in adult learning theory using both auditory and visual cues to engage learners. Improve residents’ ability to educate in the clinical setting through the use of the MCT. Instituted in September 2017, the curriculum is based on the conceptual framework of Bandura's Social Learning Theory which highlights attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation. The curriculum had residents read a short article on a specific topic, develop an outline for a MCT, discuss and optimize their ideas in small groups, and finally present their MCT to a different small group of colleagues. Pre and post surveys in addition to a peer-to-peer teaching evaluation rubric were used to evaluate the curriculum which was performed monthly for 6 months. 76% (13/19) of residents who completed both pre and post surveys went from feeling uncomfortable to comfortable teaching and 42% (8/19) went from feeling their teaching was not adequate to the level of a role model. As Fig. 1 shows, the percentage of residents who scored at the role model level also increased on peer-to-peer evaluations in multiple assessors of quality of resident teaching over time. Medical student evaluations of residents in inpatient and outpatient settings also noted excellent chalk talks being given by residents, an observation not previously noted. Institution of a novel curriculum utilizing the MCT improved residents’ ability as educators based on self-perceived and peer-to-peer teaching evaluations.