Medical Student Involvement Research Articles

Impact of Medical Student Participation in Student-Run Clinics on Education, Residency Selection, and Patient Care: A Review of Selected Articles.

Student-run clinics (SRCs) are becoming increasingly popular at medical schools in the United States. These clinics have provided a variety of benefits, including serving disadvantaged populations and providing early clinical exposure for students. There has been no consensus on the impact of SRCs on medical education, specialty selection, and patient care. This review provides a thorough overview of student and patient outcomes as a function of medical students volunteering at SRCs. We queried PubMed for original literature published in English between the years 2000 and 2020. Inclusion criteria included primary research articles evaluating the impact of medical student participation in SRCs on education, specialty selection, and patient care. All articles included in the final review were agreed upon by three reviewers, and the pertinent data were extracted. Of 10,200 initial search results, seven papers were included in this review. These included two studies evaluating medical education, five studies evaluating residency selection, and three studies analyzing patient care. Three studies were included in multiple evaluations. The relationship between volunteering at SRCs and academic performance is unclear. Clinic volunteers had increased retention of empathy compared to non-volunteers. Additionally, clinic volunteers provided satisfactory care as determined by patient-reported outcomes, and were not more likely to pursue primary care specialties. As SRCs are increasing in number, research into the impact on medical students and patients is necessary to understand how these clinics may affect the field of health care. It is important to further evaluate how medical student involvement in SRCs can further improve patient care and outcomes.

Shifting Medical Student Involvement in Curriculum Design: From Liaisons to Cocreators.

Shifting Medical Student Involvement in Curriculum Design: From Liaisons to Cocreators.

A Comprehensive COVID-19 Daily News and Medical Literature Briefing to Inform Health Care and Policy in New Mexico: Implementation Study.

BackgroundOn March 11, 2020, the New Mexico Governor declared a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Mexico medical advisory team contacted University of New Mexico (UNM) faculty to form a team to consolidate growing information on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its disease to facilitate New Mexico’s pandemic management. Thus, faculty, physicians, staff, graduate students, and medical students created the “UNM Global Health COVID-19 Intelligence Briefing.”ObjectiveIn this paper, we sought to (1) share how to create an informative briefing to guide public policy and medical practice and manage information overload with rapidly evolving scientific evidence; (2) determine the qualitative usefulness of the briefing to its readers; and (3) determine the qualitative effect this project has had on virtual medical education.MethodsMicrosoft Teams was used for manual and automated capture of COVID-19 articles and composition of briefings. Multilevel triaging saved impactful articles to be reviewed, and priority was placed on randomized controlled studies, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and information on health care and policy response to COVID-19. The finalized briefing was disseminated by email, a listserv, and posted on the UNM digital repository. A survey was sent to readers to determine briefing usefulness and whether it led to policy or medical practice changes. Medical students, unable to partake in direct patient care, proposed to the School of Medicine that involvement in the briefing should count as course credit, which was approved. The maintenance of medical student involvement in the briefings as well as this publication was led by medical students.ResultsAn average of 456 articles were assessed daily. The briefings reached approximately 1000 people by email and listserv directly, with an unknown amount of forwarding. Digital repository tracking showed 5047 downloads across 116 countries as of July 5, 2020. The survey found 108 (95%) of 114 participants gained relevant knowledge, 90 (79%) believed it decreased misinformation, 27 (24%) used the briefing as their primary source of information, and 90 (79%) forwarded it to colleagues. Specific and impactful public policy decisions were informed based on the briefing. Medical students reported that the project allowed them to improve on their scientific literature assessment, stay current on the pandemic, and serve their community.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 briefings succeeded in informing and guiding New Mexico policy and clinical practice. The project received positive feedback from the community and was shown to decrease information burden and misinformation. The virtual platforms allowed for the continuation of medical education. Variability in subject matter expertise was addressed with training, standardized article selection criteria, and collaborative editing led by faculty.

Patients’ attitude and factors influencing the acceptance of medical students’ participation in pelvic examination

Introduction: Pelvic examination of patients in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology (Ob-Gyn) is an important skill for medical students. Because it involves a physical assessment of the patients' genitalia, patients may refuse medical students to participate in the examination, affecting the medical students' clinical skills. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Naresuan University Hospital to determine the factors that influence the acceptance of medical student participation in the pelvic examinations. A total of 198 out-patients from the Ob-Gyn department were included. A Likert scale questionnaire was designed which featured topics on patients’ attitudes and circumstances related to medical student involvement in gynaecological procedures. Results: The majority of outpatients (71.7%) accepted the participation of medical students in pelvic examinations. Patients with prior experiences in physical and pelvic examination by medical students had a significant impact on the patients' acceptance (P-value<0.001). The patients’ impressions had an influence on the decision to accept students in pelvic exam participation. Approximately 40% of patients were concerned about the breach of confidentiality. However, most patients strongly agreed that allowing medical students to perform pelvic examination would benefit their medical education. Conclusion: Most of the participants permitted medical students to participate in pelvic examinations and preferred that the medical instructor be the one to request permission. The patients’ impressions of medical students were crucial factors that significantly influence their decision whether to allow or deny them to participate in the procedure. Disclosure of confidentiality was found to be matters of concern to most patients.

A Medical Student Postpartum Telehealth Initiative During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PurposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on our health systems and delivery of care and on the disruption of medical education. It has forced hospitals to move to a telehealth model for prenatal and postpartum visits and expedite discharges for postpartum patients in order to reduce exposure. We describe our medical school and hospital system initiative to employ medical student volunteers for postpartum telehealth calls during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.DescriptionTen medical students conducted phone interviews with postpartum patients within 72 h of discharge at three hospitals in a large NYC health system, with faculty preceptors at each site who provided daily call assignments and oversight. Students called patients to screen for risk factors for postpartum complications, including preeclampsia and postpartum depression; provide additional contraception counseling; and address newborn care and health. One week and 2 week post-discharge calls were also made for COVID-19 positive patients for ongoing symptom monitoring and counseling.AssessmentWe found numerous opportunities for intervention in postpartum health via telehealth, including addressing pharmacy-related needs, patient counseling, improving pain management, and identifying patients in need of emergent re-evaluation.ConclusionAs this pandemic continues to evolve, our model demonstrates the feasibility of telehealth and medical student involvement in postpartum care and its benefits to patients, medical student learning, and alleviation of burden on obstetric staff.

Puzzle Based Learning in Undergraduate Studies

All undergraduate Radiography students require training in image interpretation and evaluation of x-ray images in their second year of studies as part of work integrated learning. The method of teaching pedagogy influences the student's learning process and recall ability during examinations. if the teaching process moves to a student-centred approach, students become responsible for their own learning allowing active engagement and construction of their knowledge systems. Aim/ Objectives The aim of the study is to implement and evaluate the use of puzzle-based learning in the teaching and learning process of undergraduate studies Objectives To determine the efficacy of crossword and jigsaw puzzles as a novel teaching tool for medical imaging education To increase student's interest and involvement with image interpretation topics To improve and assess recognition and recall of medical terminology To improve the understanding of innovative learning Methods The study is a cross sectional qualitative research design. Approval will be obtained from the Research and Ethics Committee of health Sciences. Online consent will be obtained from students involved, by means of Google Form submission, followed by an information session on Blackboard collaborate on the topic "Image evaluation and interpretation of radiographic imaging". Conclusion The research will prove the important collaboration of active teaching methodologies with simple, easy to use didactic material to improve student's understanding of basic concepts in their core module subject

Medical Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Justice-Involved Health.

Despite the demonstrated need for sustainable and effective carceral health care, justice-involved medical education curricula are limited, and it’s unclear if informal clinical education is sufficient. Investigators aimed to quantify medical student involvement with carceral populations and explore how students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards justice-involved patients changed over the course of their training. A survey was designed by the investigators and sent to all current medical students at a single United States medical school. Stata 14.0 was used to compare results between the years of medical school. Differences between groups were tested using linear regression. Most 4th year students reported working in a carceral health setting. An increase in overall knowledge of justice-involved patients was observed as carceral medicine education (ptrend = 0.02), hours worked in a jail (ptrend < 0.01), and substance abuse training (ptrend < 0.01) increased. Overall attitude score increased with the students’ reported number of hours working in a jail (ptrend < 0.01) and the amount of substance abuse training (ptrend < 0.01). Finally, we found a trend of increasing knowledge and attitude scores as the year of standing increased (ptrend < 0.01). Our data suggest that most USC medical students work in a carceral setting during medical school. Didactic and experiential learning opportunities correlated with improved knowledge of and attitude toward justice-involved patients, with increases in both metrics increasing as the year in medical school increased. However, senior medical students still scored poorly. These findings underscore the need for a formal curriculum to train our healthcare workforce in health equity for carceral populations.

Medical students as disaster volunteers: A strategy for improving emergency department surge response in times of crisis.

Disasters resulting in mass casualty incidents can rapidly overwhelm the Emergency Department (ED). To address critical manpower needs in the ED’s disaster response, medical student involvement has been advocated. Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School is in proximity to Singapore General Hospital and represents an untapped manpower resource. With appropriate training and integration into ED disaster workflows, medical students can be leveraged upon as qualified manpower. This review provides a snapshot of the conceptualization and setting up of the Disaster Volunteer Corps – a programme where medical students were recruited to receive regular training and assessment from emergency physicians on disaster response principles to fulfil specific roles during a crisis, while working as part of a team under supervision. We discuss overall strategy and benefits to stakeholders, emphasizing the close symbiotic relationship between academia and healthcare services.

Terra pericolosa: medical student involvement in intimate patient examinations or procedures.

Terra pericolosa: medical student involvement in intimate patient examinations or procedures.

Educational and scholarly opportunities for medical students and residents in the United States dermatology societies

Educational and scholarly opportunities for medical students and residents in the United States dermatology societies

Frameworks for Radiation Oncology Global Health Initiatives in US Residency Programs.

PURPOSETo understand trends, pathways, and experiences and to establish a framework for radiation oncology (RO) programs interested in developing global health (GH) initiatives.METHODSAn in-depth interview was conducted of all US RO programs with established GH initiatives. Programs were identified by reviewing results of the 2018 Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology Global Health Resident Survey and individualized outreach to screen for additional programs meeting the following criteria: (1) active resident involvement in RO-specific GH opportunities, (2) active faculty involvement in these initiatives, and (3) department chair or program director awareness and support for ongoing opportunities. Among 88 residency programs, 11 were identified. Standardized questions explored the type of initiative, planning, staff and resident involvement, challenges, components to success, and history of programs through December 2018.RESULTSBetween 2010 and 2018, 11 programs started initiatives. Total resident participants ranged from one to 13 (median = 3) in each program's history. Initiatives spanned education (n = 9 [82%]), clinical mentorship (73%), innovative technology (55%), bilateral hosting programs (45%), clinical development and equipment (45%), promotion of local research (36%), clinical care (36%), industry partnerships (27%), and remote tumor board (18%). Faculty involvement included radiation oncologists (91%), medical physicists (55%), and non-RO department faculty (27%). Six programs (55%) had faculty with prior GH experience. Four (36%) programs reported medical student involvement in projects. Barriers included international communication (36%), time for faculty (18%), funding (9%), and legal (9%) concerns. Commonest components of success included fostering relationships with international sites and identifying needs before solutions.CONCLUSIONRO GH initiatives were reported as positive, educational, and feasible across 11 US residency programs. Growth is expected, representing opportunities for innovation and service among US programs.

Factors Predictive of Medical Student Involvement in Research: Results from a New Zealand Institution.

BackgroundPrevious studies have elucidated several benefits of engagement in research by medical students. The aim of the current study was to assess if any factors influenced the student’s actual involvement (not mere interest) in scholarly activities during medical school.MethodsAll medical students at the University of Otago were invited via e-mail to complete an online questionnaire. The outcome was a substantial contribution to a research project. The predictors were prior research experience, student’s entry route, and planned career type. Multiple regression analysis was undertaken to control for any confounding factors influencing medical students’ involvement in research.ResultsValid responses were gathered from 669 students (yielding a response rate of 44.8%). Of those, 254 students (38.3%) had engaged in one or more research activities. Students who engaged in research activities indicated a higher likelihood of future involvement in research but expressed less interest in internal medicine sub-specialties as potential future careers.ConclusionA sizeable proportion of our samples has been involved in the research. Targeting medical students not yet involved in research may necessitate additional curricular and faculty support in order to stimulate their research curiosity.

Reducing "Treble" with Performance Focused Music Programs in Medical School

Introduction: The beneficial impact of performing arts involvement within undergraduate medical education, such as music, has been studied, but support for the arts varies significantly by institution. Research has suggested that medical student involvement in the arts can help develop their identities as physicians and may reduce stress and burnout, an increasingly difficult problem within the medical student community. Methods: We used a mixed-method cross-sectional study design, using a questionnaire and semi-structured interview designed amongst a team of music professionals and healthcare providers with music backgrounds. Out of 511 enrolled medical students, 93 students participated in the study for a response rate of 18.2%. Questions were piloted among eight medical students, with modifications made in response to feedback. Participants were recruited to participate in an online survey via social media. Results: Within our sample, the most popular background instrument was piano (58.5%) and voice (50.0%). Of those who responded, most preferred to perform alone (85.7%) or in small groups (51.4%). 78.8% of respondents agreed that music was essential to their wellbeing. Only 62.5% of the respondents with musical backgrounds still play music or sing. Of those who no longer play music, 90.5% of respondents reported time constraint as the limiting factor, followed by lack of access to instruments (42.9%). Conclusion: This study suggests there are diverse music backgrounds and interests amongst the medical student population. Although most participants believed music was a form of stress relief, undergraduate medical training demands impose time restrictions on student engagement. Investments in music programs that enable adequate involvement and meet student demand have the potential to improve medical student engagement with the arts, alleviate stress, and may even lead to stronger/more empathetic physicians. Periodic needs assessments may be a powerful tool to better align programming to address student desires and reduce barriers.

Medical Student Involvement in a Human Rights Program: Impact on Student Development and Career Vision.

Background:There is consensus among many medical school deans that exposure to human rights is a necessary component of physician training [78], however little is known about the impact of engagement in human rights programs on students’ personal and professional development [1516171819202122232425262728].Objective:This study aimed to examine medical students’ experiences in the Mount Sinai Human Rights Program (MSHRP), their motivations for involvement, and the possible influence of engagement on their professional identities, personal growth, and career choices.Methods:Through semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study gathered the experiences of 15 fourth year and recently graduated medical students who participated in the comprehensive training, research, and direct service opportunities provided by the program. Responses were coded using a content analysis approach.Findings:The results of this research highlight the motivations behind students’ involvement in a medical human rights program, as well as the challenges they experienced engaging with this work. The study captured students’ perceptions of the role of the program on their personal growth, clinical skills, and career vision. Nearly all the students interviewed indicated they developed important, clinically applicable skills that enhanced their traditional medical education. Students indicated that their participation directly influenced their professional identities and future career directions by reinforcing previous interests in human rights and social justice work, impacting medical specialty and residency program selections and fostering commitment to working with immigrant populations.Conclusions:The results of this study indicate that longitudinal involvement with the MSHRP contributed to the acquisition of important clinical skills that were not otherwise attained in students’ early medical education. Findings suggest that there is significant opportunity for clinical and leadership development outside the traditional preclinical and clinical setting, and that exposure to human rights education shapes students’ professional identities and career paths. Finally, the findings highlight the essential role of human rights and social justice in medical education.

A Rapid Systematic Review Exploring the Involvement of Medical Students in Pandemics and Other Global Health Emergencies.

The role of medical students in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving. The aim of this review is to explore the involvement of medical students in past global health emergencies, to help inform current and future scenarios. A rapid systematic review was undertaken, including articles from online databases discussing the roles, willingness and appropriateness of medical student involvement in global health emergencies. Data were extracted, appraised and written up as a narrative synthesis. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020177231). Twenty-eight articles were included. Medical students played a wide variety of clinical and nonclinical roles including education and logistics, although medical assistance was the most commonly reported role. Challenges included a lack of preparedness and negative mental health impacts. A total of 91.7% of included articles about willingness found medical students were more willing to be involved than not. This review shows medical students are capable and willing to be involved in global health emergencies. However, there should be clear protocols for the roles that they play, taking into account the appropriateness. As a rapid review, there were study limitations and more research is required regarding the impact of these roles on medical students and the system.

Medical Student Mobilization During a Crisis: Lessons From a COVID-19 Medical Student Response Team.

ProblemOn March 17, 2020, the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended the suspension of all direct patient contact responsibilities for medical students because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given this change, medical students nationwide had to grapple with how and where they could fill the evolving needs of their schools’ affiliated clinical sites, physicians, and patients and the community.ApproachAt Harvard Medical School (HMS), student leaders created a COVID-19 Medical Student Response Team to: (1) develop a student-led organizational structure that would optimize students’ ability to efficiently mobilize interested peers in the COVID-19 response, both clinically and in the community, in a strategic, safe, smart, and resource-conscious way; and (2) serve as a liaison with the administration and hospital leaders to identify evolving needs and rapidly engage students in those efforts.OutcomesWithin a week of its inception, the COVID-19 Medical Student Response Team had more than 500 medical student volunteers from HMS and had shared the organizational framework of the response team with multiple medical schools across the country. The HMS student volunteers joined any of the 4 virtual committees to complete this work: Education for the Medical Community, Education for the Broader Community, Activism for Clinical Support, and Community Activism.Next StepsThe COVID-19 Medical Student Response Team helped to quickly mobilize hundreds of students and has been integrated into HMS’s daily workflow. It may serve as a useful model for other schools and hospitals seeking medical student assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next steps include expanding the initiative further, working with the leaders of response teams at other medical schools to coordinate efforts, and identifying new areas of need at local hospitals and within nearby communities that might benefit from medical student involvement as the pandemic evolves.

Creation of an Interactive Virtual Surgical Rotation for Undergraduate Medical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ObjectiveDuring the coronavirus 2019 pandemic, medical student involvement in direct patient care has been severely limited. Rotations mandatory not only for core curricula but also for informing decisions regarding specialty choice have been postponed during a critical window in the application cycle. Existing virtual rotations are largely observational or lack patient-facing components.SettingA virtual Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery rotation at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was implemented for medical students, comprising interactive live-streamed surgeries, outpatient telehealth visits, and virtual small group didactics.ResultsMedical students enrolled in the virtual surgical rotation were able to engage with attending surgeons and operating room staff while remotely viewing surgical procedures captured with first-person audiovisual technology. Students participated in several different aspects of care delivery in both the inpatient and outpatient setting, similar to their typical responsibilities of an in-person rotation.ConclusionsThe authors will continue to develop the virtual surgical education methodology to further disseminate an interactive video-based medical student elective to other procedural specialties and institutions.

Our Essential Status: Perspective From Across the Pond.

To the Editor: We read that Menon and colleagues emphatically stated in their commentary that medical students should not be classed as essential workers, in keeping with joint guidance from their respective regulatory bodies. 1 In contrast to our colleagues in the United States, we would like to highlight that this viewpoint is not shared from a transatlantic perspective. The Department for Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom has recently confirmed that medical students are deemed essential workers. 2 This recognition speaks volumes of the importance of a student’s role and is certainly in the interest of supporting the National Health Service. The guidance mirrors that of other global education providers, who during the pandemic are mapping a seamless path for current medical students to become our future doctors. 3 Moreover, successful integration of medical students into the pandemic response has seen widespread success. 4 Although Menon and her colleagues raised valid points against essential recognition, they discounted the added value that medical students provide to hospitals under unprecedented strain. The employment of medical students as doctors’ assistants exemplifies their potential. 5 These formal posts were facilitated in partnership with our medical school, and provided us with indemnity insurance, protection, restriction from designated COVID-19 zones, and payment. Our tasks included administration of minor ward round tasks, phlebotomy, timely chasing of results, and other administrative duties, allowing physicians to focus on more pressing aspects of patient care. We are greatly benefitted from the high-quality education we were unintentionally receiving. Though we were learners, as the authors stated, we used our skills to the benefit of our patients and colleagues. We hope that our experience provides a different take on the dynamic role of medical students in these extraordinary times. We understand, however, that domestic issues, particularly health care coverage and workforce legislation, differ between our respective nations and have justified both our approaches to medical student involvement. Ultimately, while different regulatory bodies have valid reasons regarding essential recognition, it is pertinent to recognize and remember the added value medical students have during a global pandemic.

Medical Student Involvement and Perceptions of the Admissions Process.

Minimal attention has been given to student involvement in medical school admissions practices. This study explores the role of medical students and perceptions of their involvement on admissions committees. Survey responses from US medical schools were varied regarding student role, service on the committee, and voting privileges. Medical student admissions committee members surveyed at our institution felt they were able to offer different perspectives to applicant evaluation than faculty. Findings suggest that medical students may be able to contribute to the admissions process in a variety of ways depending on institution-specific missions and goals.

Impact of a Hands-on Pre-Clinical Neurosurgery Elective Course on Second-Year Medical Student Interest and Attitudes.

Introduction:Medical student involvement opportunities and educational experiences with surgical residents during medical school have been shown to increase the chance of students deciding to specialize in surgical specialties. This study aims to determine the effect of a neurosurgery elective during the second preclinical year on student interest and opinion of neurosurgery.Methods:Thirty-nine students completed opinion-based surveys and factual knowledge quizzes during a neurosurgical elective course over 3 iterations, which included lecture and skills lab instruction. Pre- and post-course surveys used the Likert scale, with a score of 1 corresponding to the most negative opinion and a score of 10 corresponding to the most positive opinion, in order to measure various aspects including interest in neurological surgery, understanding of the field, and perception of female inclusion in the field. Weekly pre- and post-lecture quizzes assessed practical knowledge of neurosurgical topics.Results:A higher percentage of students rated neurosurgery highly as a career possibility (⩾8/10 interest level) post-course (58.6%) compared to pre-course (45.7%). Post-course, students reported a significantly increased mean understanding of neurosurgery on the Likert scale compared to pre-course (6.1 ± 1.7 vs 4.4 ± 2.0; P = .001). Knowledge based-content assessment revealed a significant increase in overall correct answers after lectures (meanpre = 3.85, meanpost = 5.05, P = .001). Inclusion of female instructors in the second and third iteration of the course resulted in a significant increase in students’ perception of female inclusion in the field of neurosurgery (7.6 compared to 5.6, P = .01).Conclusions:Early exposure to subspecialties may assist in making important career decisions. The implementation of this neurosurgical elective improved medical students’ perception of the field and enhanced knowledge of the lectures and procedures. This study can be used as a framework for implementation of this curriculum at other institutions.