MD Students Research Articles

First person – Anthea Weng and Erik Rabin

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Anthea Weng and Erik Rabin are co-first authors on ‘ Alpha-T-catenin is expressed in peripheral nerves as a constituent of Schwann cell adherens junctions’, published in BiO. Anthea is a PhD student and Erik is an MD student in the lab of Dr. Cara J. Gottardi, PhD at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA, investigating the role of cell adhesion proteins in the manifestations of disease.

Advocacy for Health Justice: An Innovative Pilot Course for MD and Master of Public Policy Students

Problem : U.S. medical schools are searching for ways to address issues of health justice in undergraduate medical education. Physicians have not typically received training in how to be effective advocates for systemic change and individuals in policy fields are not usually equipped to understand the complex issues of health science and their intersection with the health system and society. To address this gap, medical school faculty partnered with school of public policy faculty on a collaborative learning model that engaged MD and Master of Public Policy students together to strengthen their collective knowledge of the healthcare landscape, and to build skills to work for health justice. Intervention: We hypothesized that pairing medical students with public policy students to learn about the intersections of health justice and advocacy could enhance the efficacy of each group and provide a new model of collaboration between medical and policy professionals. The students collaborated on a health justice advocacy project through which they provided consultation to an established community organization. Context : The 8-week course took place in the spring of 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Due to Covid-19 the course was taught online and included asynchronous learning modules and live Zoom sessions. The project also served as a pilot for the post-clerkship phase of a new longitudinal health justice curriculum for MD students that launched in August 2021. Impact : Analysis of student work products, course evaluations, partner interviews, and student focus groups showed that students valued learning through their interdisciplinary collaborative work which gave them new perspectives on health justice issues. The community partners indicated that the students consultative work products were useful for their initiatives, and that they found working with MD and MPP students to be a valuable way to think about how to build stronger and more inclusive coalitions to advocate for health justice. This project has the potential for national impact as it aligns with the Association of American Medical Colleges’ renewed focus on the responsibility of academic medicine to partner with communities for health justice. The project also contributed to the national conversation on how to align health systems science education with the aims of health justice through our participation in the American Medical Association Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium. Lessons Learned : Leveraging faculty relationships with community partners was crucial for developing meaningful projects for students. Cultivating and expanding community partner networks is necessary to sustain and scale up this type of intervention. Centering the needs of communities and supporting their on-going work for health justice is essential for becoming an effective advocate. Learning communities that bring interdisciplinary students, healthcare providers, policy professionals, and community partners together to learn from one another can create key opportunities for ameliorating health inequities.

Communication skills training in advance care planning: a survey among medical students at the University of Antwerp

BackgroundPalliative care (PC) is a strongly emerging discipline worldwide. Despite efforts to integrate this important topic in the medical curriculum in Belgium, still little time is spent on PC and its implementation during theoretical and practical training.Materials & methodsWe had two cohorts of second master’s year MD students at the University of Antwerp complete a survey compromising a custom-built PC knowledge test and a self-confidence assessment of communicative skills used in end-of-life conversations. We evaluated students’ self-confidence regarding end-of-life-conversations before and after a PC training program. We also explored whether the PC classes enabled the students to adequately reflect on factors that might influence end-of-life conversations with an open-end question about the potential implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on advance care planning (ACP) conversations. Finally, we compared the results of the respondents having enjoyed face-to-face training (cohort 1) with those having received online training only (cohort 2, COVID-19 pandemic).ResultsAlthough the respondents in both cohorts indicated that the overall curriculum did not pay enough attention to PC training, their average scores on the theoretical questions were good. Feeling confident about their communicative skills in general, they indicated to be less confident when it came to communications concerning PC and ACP in particular. The COVID-19 pandemic was initially equally deemed to impede and facilitate ACP and end-of-life conversations, but after the ACP training class more respondents saw the pandemic as an opportunity to broach end-of-life issues. Finally, we found no differences in scores between online and regular classroom teaching.ConclusionStudents experience a lack of confidence in communication skills used in end-of-life conversations and ACP. To help improve skills and competencies in conducting end-of-life conversations, it is recommended to have medical students assess PC/ACP training programs regularly and to modify the curriculum and course content based on these outcomes and current developments.

Creating Virtual Learning for 3-Year Accelerated MD Students During the COVID Pandemic.

Creating Virtual Learning for 3-Year Accelerated MD Students During the COVID Pandemic.

Assessment of Accommodation Requests Reported by a National Sample of US MD Students by Category of Disability

This cross-sectional study of US second-year medical students examines the proportion of accommodation requests made across disability categories.

Differences in Fourth-Year Orthopaedic Away Rotation Opportunities and Fees Among Osteopathic and Allopathic Medical Students 1 Year After the Implementation of the Single Accreditation System.

Introduction:Fourth-year away rotations are well recognized as an important modifiable variable that has been shown to increase a student’s opportunity to match into orthopaedic surgery. The purpose of this article was to determine whether allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical students have equal opportunities for away rotations in terms of (1) eligibility and (2) fees associated with rotations after the single accreditation merger.Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed during the 2021 application cycle (April to November) by reviewing all nonmilitary, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited orthopaedic surgery programs (n = 194). Each program’s website, affiliated school of medicine’s website, and visiting student applications service portal were searched. Eligibility criteria for an away rotation and associated fees were recorded.Results:Of the 194 programs, 18 (9.3%) of programs were found to have publicly published eligibility for away rotations that prohibited students based on applicant degree. Five (2.6%) programs/medical schools had fees that were larger for DO medical students compared with MD medical students ranging for $50 to $5,000. No programs/medical schools had larger fees for MD medical students compared with DO medical students.Conclusions:Although DO and MD degrees are equivalent degrees for licensing and credentialing and graduate medical education has transitioned to a single accrediting body, there remained discord in the opportunities for fourth-year away rotations between osteopathic and allopathic medical students. This study highlights the necessity for greater reform, consistency, and transparency among orthopaedic surgery residency programs and their affiliated institutions.

First person – Takashi Owaki

ABSTRACTFirst Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Takashi Owaki is first author on ‘ Involvement of the liver-gut peripheral neural axis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease pathologies via hepatic HTR2A’, published in DMM. Takashi is an MD and PhD student in the lab of Kenya Kamimura and Professor Shuji Terai at Niigata University, Niigata, Japan, investigating the effect of inter-organ communication on liver diseases via the autonomic nervous system.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

First Author Spotlight

AnnouncementFirst Author SpotlightPublished Online:07 Jun 2022https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.2022.322.6.AUMoreSectionsPDF (247 KB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat MADELINE GAUTHIERDepartment of Physiology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, ArizonaFigure 1.Madeline GauthierDownload figureDownload PowerPointMadeline Gauthier is an MD student and PhD candidate, conducting a PhD while on a leave of absence from medical school at Loyola University Chicago. She is currently completing her PhD in the Physiological Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at the University of Arizona [Photo: Fig. 1].https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00009.2022OLHA KRAVTSOVADepartment of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FloridaFigure 2.Olha KravtsovaDownload figureDownload PowerPointOlha Kravtsova is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Alexander Staruschenko’s laboratory at the University of South Florida in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology. She earned her PhD degree at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Kyiv, Ukraine. Her current research focuses on renal transporters, specifically in the proximal tubule. Outside of work, she enjoys workouts, traveling, and hiking [Photo: Fig. 2].https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00053.2022This article has no references to display. Download PDF Back to Top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Collections Related ArticlesSGLT2 inhibition effect on salt-induced hypertension, RAAS, and Na+ transport in Dahl SS rats 16 May 2022American Journal of Physiology-Renal PhysiologyContributions of afferent and sympathetic renal nerves to cystogenesis and arterial pressure regulation in a preclinical model of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease 16 May 2022American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology More from this issue > Volume 322Issue 6June 2022Pages i-i Crossmark Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2022 the American Physiological Society.https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.2022.322.6.AUHistory Received 2 November 2021 Accepted 30 March 2022 Published online 7 June 2022 Published in print 1 June 2022 Metrics

What Is the Status of Academic Cynicism and Its Relationship with Academic Variables Among Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences Students?

Background: Academic cynicism means feeling tired because of demands and being pessimistic and unwilling about the texts and assignments. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the correlation among academic cynicism and academic variables among Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 288 KUMS students in 2018, who were collected using simple random sampling method proportional to the selected sample size. The data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed by nonparametric methods using SPSS Version 16. Results: The mean score of academic cynicism was as much as 11.48 ± 3.50, indicating that the participants obtained 57.4% of the maximum score of academic cynicism. According to results, there was a significant and inverse correlation among academic cynicism and academic achievement (r = -0.195). The mean rank of academic cynicism was significantly higher among MD students (P = 0.001) and dentistry (P = 0.008). Conclusions: Students received more than half of the possible score for academic cynicism, which was significant and inversely affected academic achievement. Therefore, developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions are essential to prevent and reduce academic cynicism among students.

Health literacy and fear among Iranian medical students due to COVID-19: An observational study.

IntroductionThe coronavirus disease of the 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has created a sense of fear due to uncertainties in medical students’ personal and professional lives. Medical education is challenging and poses a more significant academic and emotional rigor when compared with other professional programs. With the COVID‐19 having limited treatment options, health literacy (HL) is crucial for managing and responding to the pandemic. This research aims to examine the impact of HL on COVID‐19‐associated fear among Iranian medical students.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was conducted measuring the HL and fear of COVID‐19 using validated scales. Two hundred and seventy‐eight survey responses were received and analyzed descriptively by using SPSS software inferential statistics.ResultsMean age of participants was 22.93 ± 5.427 years. The correlation between students’ total health literacy (HELIA) scores and their fear of COVID‐19 (FCV‐19S) scores was −0.279 (p value = .019). The FCV‐19S has a negative correlation with total HELIA in the group of females and males, single and married people, bachelor and MD students, and students living in rural areas and urban areas. The negative correlation of FCV‐19S with total HELIA in males and students who reside in rural areas was the only one that was not significant. In associate degree students, the correlation between FCV‐19S and total HELIA was positive but not significant. Education grades had a significant impact on FCV‐19S. Furthermore, the place of residence also had a significant impact on FCV‐19S. However, the gender and marital status did not significantly impact FCV‐19S.ConclusionsThe present study showed that students with higher HL scores had lesser fear of COVID‐19. The key stakeholders require several positive strategies to reduce fear and improve health, and such vital policies will assist in improving the students’ health and achieving the sustainable developmental goals.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Hand Hygiene among Medical and Nursing Students

Aims: This study aims to determine and compare the levels of handwashing knowledge, attitude and practice among medical and nursing students of All Saints University School of Medicine, Dominica.
 Study Design: This was a quantitative, cross-sectional study.
 Place and Duration of Study: All Saints University School of Medicine, Dominica between May and August, 2021.
 Methodology: A total of 73 students (26 MD students, 18 Clinical students, 22 Nursing students and 7 Pre-med students) of All Saints University Dominica participated in the study, after their informed consent was obtained. The study data was collected from registered medical and nursing students of All Saints University, Dominica. This involved the use of a self-designed, structured questionnaire that was electronically distributed to students and analyzed electronically using SPSS version 21.
 Results: Though all participants admitted having heard of hand hygiene practices, all nursing students (100%) affirmed having sufficient knowledge about hand hygiene while 28.6% of the pre-med students participating did not feel they had sufficient knowledge (P<0.05). Also, a large percentage of the respondents that were nursing students (90.9) claimed to have had a formal training in hand hygiene. This was closely followed by clinical students (72.2%) while MD and pre-med students only had 38.5% and 28.6% respectively.
 Conclusion: Although there seem to be a high level of awareness of hand hygiene among the participants, certain gaps in knowledge still exist which may be due to lack of proper training. There seem to be a better level of practice of hand hygiene among the nursing students and those in clinicals, compared to other medical students which draws the need to re-introduce formal training on hand hygiene into medical schools especially from early years of training.

Evaluation of the Utility of Online Objective Structured Clinical Examination Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic led to profound restrictions on the face-to-face learning and assessment in all educational institutions, particularly the medical schools. The College of Medicine and Medical Sciences of the Arabian Gulf University (CMMS-AGU) conducted the final exams, both theoretical and clinical components, for its MD students online. This study was conducted to evaluate the utility of online clinical exams held at CMMS-AGU.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional, mixed method study that included samples from final year medical students, examiners, and heads of clinical departments. Data were collected through surveys, structured interviews, documents’ review, and calculation of online examination’s psychometrics. Descriptive statistics were used. Quantitative data were presented in the form of means and standard deviations. Responses of heads of clinical departments in the structured interview were transcribed and analyzed thematically based on three pre-established themes.ResultsQuantitative and qualitative data on the utility (validity, reliability, acceptability, educational impact, and cost and feasibility) of online objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) were collected. Content validity of the online clinical examination was established through high mean scores of content representativeness, which was confirmed by the heads of clinical departments regarding the proper coverage of clinical skills. Criterion validity was established through a high correlation between clinical and theoretical exam results (r = 0.75). Reliability of the exam was established through an acceptable Cronbach’s alpha value (0.70 to 0.78) over the four days of the examinations. The examinations were perceived as highly acceptable by both students and examiners. High educational impact was inferred from students’ responses and review of documents. The examination was found to be feasible and of reasonable cost.ConclusionOnline OSCE might be a good alternative of conventional clinical assessments in times of crises and impossibility of having in-person contact between students, examiners, and patients. An important major drawback is still present in such initiatives, which is the inability to assess students’ physical examination skills.

Gaps between college and starting an MD-PhD program are adding years to physician-scientist training time.

The average age when physician-scientists begin their career has been rising. Here, we focused on one contributor to this change: the increasingly common decision by candidates to postpone applying to MD-PhD programs until after college. This creates a time gap between college and medical school. Data were obtained from 3544 trainees in 73 programs, 72 program directors, and AAMC databases. From 2013 to 2020, the prevalence of gaps rose from 53% to 75%, with the time usually spent doing research. Gap prevalence for MD students also increased but not to the same extent and for different reasons. Differences by gender, underrepresented status, and program size were minimal. Most candidates who took a gap did so because they believed it would improve their chances of admission, but gaps were as common among those not accepted to MD-PhD programs as among those who were. Many program directors preferred candidates with gaps, believing without evidence that gaps reflects greater commitment. Although candidates with gaps were more likely to have a publication at the time of admission, gaps were not associated with a shorter time to degree nor have they been shown to improve outcomes. Together, these observations raise concerns that, by promoting gaps after college, current admissions practices have had unintended consequences without commensurate advantages.

Otolaryngology Program Director, House-Staff, and Student Opinions: Step 1 Pass/Fail Score Reporting.

To compare otolaryngology program director, house-staff, and medical student perspectives on the score reporting change of USMLE Step 1 to pass/fail. Separate electronic surveys were sent to program directors of ACGME-accredited otolaryngology programs (Cronbach's alpha = .87), otolaryngology house-staff (Cronbach's alpha = .91), and medical students interested in otolaryngology (Cronbach's alpha = .76). Among the 51 otolaryngology program directors that completed the survey (response rate of 46.8%), 17.6% favored reporting USMLE Step 1 as pass/fail. A majority believed the reporting change would make it more difficult to screen (74.5%) and objectively compare applicants (82.4%). Step 2 CK scores will be more important to most program directors due to the reporting change (83.7%). Of the 93 house-staff that completed surveys, most did not favor the reporting change (61.3%). Over half (54.0%) of the 87 medical students that completed surveys did not support the scoring change, and most (65.5%) did not feel that it would decrease anxiety around residency applications (65.5%). Most house-staff and medical students felt that the scoring change would put non-U.S. MD students at a disadvantage (65.6% of house-staff, 69.8% of medical students). Most survey respondents do not agree with the decision to report Step 1 as pass/fail. Despite its intended goals, most do not believe pass/fail Step 1 reporting will improve medical student well-being and believe it will put certain student populations at a greater disadvantage.

COMLEX-USA and USMLE for Osteopathic Medical Students: Should We Duplicate, Divide, or Unify?

COMLEX-USA and USMLE for Osteopathic Medical Students: Should We Duplicate, Divide, or Unify?

A Preliminary Evaluation of Students' Learning and Performance Outcomes in an Accelerated 3-Year MD Pathway Program.

Little outcome data exist on 3-year MD (3YMD) programs to guide residency program directors (PDs) in deciding whether to select these graduates for their programs. To compare performance outcomes of 3YMD and 4-year MD (4YMD) students at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. In 2020, using the Kirkpatrick 4-level evaluation model, outcomes from 3 graduating cohorts of 3YMD students (2016-2018) were compared with the 4YMD counterparts. Descriptive statistics compared outcomes among consented student cohorts: 92% (49 of 53) 3YMD, 87% (399 of 459) 4YMD-G, and 84% (367 of 437) 4YMD-S. Student survey response rates were 93% (14 of 15), 74% (14 of 19), and 89% (17 of 19) from 2016 to 2018. PDs' response rates were 58% (31 of 53, 3YMD) and 51% (225 of 441, 4YMD). Besides age, 3YMD and 4YMD cohorts did not differ significantly in admissions variables. Other than small statistically significant differences in the medicine shelf examination (3YMD mean 74.67, SD 7.81 vs 4YMD-G mean 78.18, SD 7.60; t test=3.02; P=.003) and USMLE Step 1 (3YMD mean 235.13, SD 17.61 vs 4YMD-S mean 241.70, SD 15.92; t test=2.644; P=.009 and vs 4YMD-G mean 242.39, SD 15.65; t test=2.97; P=.003) and Step 2 CK scores (3YMD mean 242.57, SD 15.58 vs 4YMD-S mean 248.55, SD 15.33; t test=2.55; P=.01 and vs 4YMD-G mean 247.83, SD 15.38; t test=2.97; P=.03), other metrics and overall intern ratings did not differ by pathway. Exploratory findings from a single institution suggest that 3YMD students performed similarly to 4YMD students in medical school and the first year of residency.

Generational characteristics of general medicine students in Iran.

BACKGROUND:Purpose: The success of any educational system depends on the fitness of the curriculum components with the characteristics of its audience. The students of the present generation are different from the previous ones due to the changes resulting from the changes that have taken place in society, media, technology, and communication as we entered the 21th century. Hence, this study was conducted to identify the characteristics of MD students in universities of medical sciences in Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This qualitative study was conducted on 32 MD students among 7 universities of medical universities of Iran. The participants were selected through purposive sampling method, and the data were collected via semi-structured interviews after getting informed consent. Then, the data were analyzed using conventional content analysis method.RESULTS:Technology as a Double-Edged Sword, in digital age, Quick access, Reasoning the basis of acceptance. Evaluation ambiguity, Seeking independence,get involved in problems, desirable teaching qualities, my favorite teacher, features of content, Role models traces,my favorite teacher, The rest are unchanged.CONCLUSION:MD students are interested in using various teaching methods and technologies, applying methods that are similar to their future job and learning by doing; they also tend to use visual materials and shortening the time and memorizing content. They prefer professors who love to teach and are good role models for them. What motivates them is to be involved in the classroom, to be active, to be respected, and not to be ignored.

Structured feedback: A teaching and learning tool for the postgraduate medical students in transfusion medicine.

Structured Feedback is a learning and assessment tool designed to provide feedback to students and educators to adjust learning and teaching during the training. Lack of provision of structured feedback to postgraduate (PG) medical students prompted us to plan a study to introduce a structured feedback module into the existing monthly assessment schedules in the Department of Transfusion Medicine. This study aims to introduce a structured feedback module and evaluate its efficacy after incorporation into the existing monthly assessment schedules for the PG students in the Department of Transfusion Medicine. A quasi-experimental study was commenced after obtaining clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee in the Department of Transfusion Medicine for the students pursuing postgraduation in Transfusion Medicine. A peer-validated feedback module was designed and implemented for MD students by the core team faculty. The students underwent the structured feedback sessions after each monthly assessment for of 3 months. One on one, verbal feedback was conducted using Pendleton's method, for monthly online assessment for the learning that happened during study period. The data were collected from the open-ended and closed-ended questions using Google form-based Student/Faculty perception and students' pre-post self-efficacy questionnaires on 5-point Likert Scale and the quantitative data analysis was done using percentage of Likert scores, median values for each item for pre-and post-responses and comparison using nonparametric test - Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The qualitative data analysis was done using thematic analysis from the open ended questions. All (n = 9; 100%) the PG students strongly agreed and agreed (median score of 5 and 4) that the feedback they received made them aware of their learning gaps, enabled them in bridging those gaps and provided ample opportunity to interact with faculty. Both students and faculty agreed that the feedback session should be an ongoing and continuous process in the department. Both the students as well as faculty were satisfied with the implementation of the feedback module in the department. Students reported awareness about the learning gaps, identification of appropriate study resources, and ample opportunity to interact with faculty, after taking the feedback sessions. The faculty felt satisfied on the acquisition of new skill for delivering structured feedback to students.

Generation-dependent non-educational characteristics of medical students.

Educational centers accommodate people of varying generations. Indeed, each generation has its specific priorities and values that affect its performance and decisions in various aspects, including educational aspects. Understanding the traits of members of a given generation facilitates understanding how their performance can be improved inside and outside the classroom. So, this study was designed to identify the non-educational characteristics of MD students in the universities of medical sciences in Iran. The present study adopted a qualitative exploratory approach. Data were collected through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Participants included general medicine students who had completed at least one semester. Sampling was purposive with maximum variation. Sampling was continued until data saturation, and a total of 32 interviews were conducted. Graneheim and Lundman's content analysis approach was adopted to analyze the data. Lincoln and Guba's reliability criteria were used to achieve the accuracy and reliability of the data. A total of 32 students were interviewed (n = 18 women and n = 14 men; age range: 19-27 years). The participants had completed 2-13 semesters and had between one and six siblings. A total of 10 major categories emerged as the generational traits of students. The main categories included devoted parents, money as the key reference of value, non-sexism, religious perplexity, experiencing oneself with others, my life's address, tunnel vision, evasion from responsibility, winning fame, and I and nothing else. For them, gender and religion have lost their former meaning and they believe in more freedom. They are also one-dimensional people, lethargic and night people, who evade responsibility and have a strong desire to be seen, approved, and respected. They also prioritize themselves and their peace of mind. Since these characteristics can have many direct and indirect effects on various aspects of their lives, including the educational aspect, it can be very beneficial for people interacting with them to identify and consider these characteristics.