Medical Student Perspective Research Articles

Perceptions and future perspectives of medical students on the use of artificial intelligence based chatbots: an exploratory analysis

BackgroundArtificial Intelligence (AI) has made a strong entrance into different fields such as healthcare, but currently, medical degree curricula are not adapted to the changes that adopting these types of tools entitles. It is important to understand the future needs of students to provide the most comprehensive education possible.ObjectiveThe aim of this teaching improvement project is to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of medical students regarding the application of AI and chatbots with patients, also considering their ethical perceptions.MethodsDescriptive cross-sectional analysis in which the participants were students enrolled in the subject “Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Applied Statistics” during the second semester of the 2023/24 academic year, corresponding to the fifth year of the Degree in Medicine at the University of Barcelona. The students were invited to complete a specific questionnaire anonymously and voluntarily, which they could respond to using their mobile devices by scanning a QR code projected on the classroom screen, we used Microsoft Forms to perform the survey.ResultsOut of the 61 students enrolled in the subject, 34 (56%) attended the seminar, of whom 29 (85%) completed the questionnaire correctly. Of those completing the questionnaire, 20 (69%) had never used chatbots for medical information, 19 (66%) expressed a strong interest in the practical applications of AI in medicine, 14 (48%) indicated elevated concern about the ethical aspects, 17 (59%) acknowledged potential biases in these tools, and 17 (59%) expressed at least moderate confidence in chatbot-provided information. Notably, 24 (83%) agreed that acquiring AI-related knowledge will be essential to effectively perform their future professional roles.ConclusionSurveyed medical students demonstrated limited exposure to AI-based tools and showed a mid-level of awareness about ethical concerns, but they recognized the importance of AI knowledge for their careers, emphasizing the need for AI integration in medical education.

Electives implementation in competency-based medical education: Perspective of final year medical undergraduate students in a tertiary care hospital

Objectives: Elective postings are a part of the new competency-based medical education curriculum as they are known to provide a more well-rounded education. This was the first medical undergraduate batch to undergo the elective postings, and their perspective regarding its implementation will help us to refine this process for future batches. Hence, this study was taken up to assess their feedback. Materials and Methods: A well-designed, structured and pre-validated questionnaire was filled out by consenting students who had attended the elective postings. The responses were collected through Google Forms, which were then exported and analysed in Microsoft Excel. Results: Out of the total 150 students in the batch, 96 consented and filled out the questionnaire. About 81.25% of students were aware of the existence of electives, and 76% were aware of both their purpose and importance. About 51% agreed that the postings were useful, and 46.9% felt that it was necessary for both clinical and nonclinical postings to be included in the study. About 43.75% felt that it was confusing to select the topics, and 60.4% opined that there were sufficient topics to choose from. Conclusion: We found that the students were aware of the existence and purpose of elective postings, and they perceived them to be useful, and the majority did not face many challenges during its implementation. It is up to the decision-makers to improve the process further to improve its implementation.

Awareness and Attitude Toward Artificial Intelligence Among Medical Students and Pathology Trainees: Survey Study.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to shape the future of medical practice. The perspective and understanding of medical students are critical for guiding the development of educational curricula and training. This study aims to assess and compare medical AI-related attitudes among medical students in general medicine and in one of the visually oriented fields (pathology), along with illuminating their anticipated role of AI in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-enhanced health care. This was a cross-sectional study that used a web-based survey composed of a closed-ended questionnaire. The survey addressed medical students at all educational levels across the 5 public medical schools, along with pathology residents in 4 residency programs in Jordan. A total of 394 respondents participated (328 medical students and 66 pathology residents). The majority of respondents (272/394, 69%) were already aware of AI and deep learning in medicine, mainly relying on websites for information on AI, while only 14% (56/394) were aware of AI through medical schools. There was a statistically significant difference in awareness among respondents who consider themselves tech experts compared with those who do not (P=.03). More than half of the respondents believed that AI could be used to diagnose diseases automatically (213/394, 54.1% agreement), with medical students agreeing more than pathology residents (P=.04). However, more than one-third expressed fear about recent AI developments (167/394, 42.4% agreed). Two-thirds of respondents disagreed that their medical schools had educated them about AI and its potential use (261/394, 66.2% disagreed), while 46.2% (182/394) expressed interest in learning about AI in medicine. In terms of pathology-specific questions, 75.4% (297/394) agreed that AI could be used to identify pathologies in slide examinations automatically. There was a significant difference between medical students and pathology residents in their agreement (P=.001). Overall, medical students and pathology trainees had similar responses. AI education should be introduced into medical school curricula to improve medical students' understanding and attitudes. Students agreed that they need to learn about AI's applications, potential hazards, and legal and ethical implications. This is the first study to analyze medical students' views and awareness of AI in Jordan, as well as the first to include pathology residents' perspectives. The findings are consistent with earlier research internationally. In comparison with prior research, these attitudes are similar in low-income and industrialized countries, highlighting the need for a global strategy to introduce AI instruction to medical students everywhere in this era of rapidly expanding technology.

Surgical Practice in Resource-Limited Settings: Perspectives of Medical Students and Early Career Doctors: A Narrative Review.

Surgical practices in low-resource countries often fail to meet established standards. Both doctors and medical students have limited exposure to surgical cases, which hinders training and the development of surgical specialization. This study highlights the current state of surgical practice from a trainee's perspective, explores existing gaps in training and capacity building, and recommends practical solutions. We conducted a literature search on PubMed, Google Scholar, and other scientific databases using search terms such as "surgical practice," "doctors' perspectives in surgical practice," "surgery in low- and middle-income countries," and "solutions to surgical inadequacy." We included studies published from 2015 to 2024, with exceptions for a few highly relevant studies published prior to 2015. We outline the limitations identified in the literature concerning surgical training and healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. Many centers lack adequate infrastructure, human resources, and training. These challenges negatively affect the skills and quality of surgical care. However, some centers demonstrate that surgical practice is feasible through collaboration with institutions established in higher-income contexts. Telesurgery, task shifting and sharing, high-impact, low-cost surgeries, and collaborations with more developed health systems could effectively bridge the gap in surgical availability in LMICs.

A critical qualitative study to understand current black women medical student perspectives on anti-racist reform in US medical education

ABSTRACT Purpose The US medical education system has a long-standing history of omitting evidence and perpetuating false pseudo-scientific beliefs on the complex and nuanced relationships between race, racism, and health disparities. There is an urgent need to identify and address the historical influence of systemic racism on the current curriculum, organization, and culture of US medical education. The goal of this study was to understand Black women medical student perspectives on race and racism in current medical school training and their recommendations to inform anti-racist action in US medical education. Method The authors conducted a critical qualitative study to understand the perspectives of Black women medical students on issues surrounding race and racism in relation to US medical education. To their knowledge, this is the first study to use qualitative research methods to understand current thinking on the need for anti-racist pedagogy in medical school education among Black women medical students in the US. Results The interviews revealed critical limitations in the teaching of race, racism, and racial disparities, including a lack of historical depth, continuity, and evaluation of this content; lack of actionable guidance to address racial disparities in clinical practice; and dissonance between emerging anti-racist content and national licensing examinations. The qualitative data yielded several anti-racist strategies and practices that can be implemented in US medical schools to redress historical curriculum limitations and better prepare future generations of physicians to care for marginalized populations. Conclusions This study provides actionable feedback on needed reforms to redress US medical school curriculum limitations as it relates to race, racism, and racial disparities.

Revisiting medical oaths: how student-driven ethical codes reflect changing values

BackgroundMedical oaths and ethical codes play a crucial role in guiding physicians through their professional responsibilities. This study extends prior research on ethical codes created by students at the Medical...

Primary care in rural areas: a qualitative study on medical students’ images and experiences of working in rural areas in southern Germany

BackgroundRural areas are increasingly moving back into the focus of social research, especially in the context of health care. As the shortage of general practitioners (GP) in rural areas is a significant challenge in Germany, there are several programs to counteract underuse effectively, acutely, and sustainably. One of those programs is ’Beste Landpartie Allgemeinmedizin’ (BeLA), which was developed to strengthen primary care in rural areas and to sustainably promote young doctors to work as general practitioners in rural regions through didactical and financial support. The program includes an accompanying qualitative study exploring the motivational structures of medical students from a sociological perspective. For this study, the nexus of working in rural areas from the perspective of medical students with different forms of rural experiences was of interest.MethodsQualitative interviews have been conducted at regular intervals on an ongoing basis since 2020 to investigate motivational retention effects during the program. The current 33 interviews were analysed using the sociological conceptual framework of spatial methods.ResultsThe images and experiences of working in rural areas condition medical education in various ways. In addition to general images of living and working in rural areas in a biographical dimension, the idea of working as a GP in rural areas includes images of specific medical competencies and is conditioned by different medical tasks. From such a perspective, the images and attributions of working in primary care in a rural region demonstrate particularities, challenges, and the potential attractiveness of working in rural regions.DiscussionThe images and experiences of rural areas condition medical education in various ways and shape the expectations and the decision-making of possibly working in rural areas. The particularities, opportunities, and challenges of working in rural areas, which relate to both professional aspects and social life, are a major factor in the attractiveness of a potential rural practice. Didactical and educational curricula need to adapt the various attributions of working in rural areas.

Perspectives of female medical students and physicians on professional development in Japan

Introduction: Female physicians often interrupt their careers due to fulfilling family caregiving roles, with childbirth and child-rearing being significant reasons for temporary leave or resignation. The employment rate of female physicians in Japan shows an M-shaped curve, with a low proportion in leadership positions. Female medical students also have anxiety about balancing family and career. While support systems are recognized as necessary, female physicians' experiences and career development perceptions are underexplored. Therefore, this study investigates their career aspirations and challenges. Methods: This study conducted semi-structured interviews with eight fourth-year Japanese female medical students and nine Japanese female physicians with over nine years of clinical experience. Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four main themes related to professional life emerged: work environment, marriage and childbirth, continuation of work, and career development approach. Female students expressed concerns about inadequate support systems and balancing career and family. Female physicians, even with support, worried about burdening colleagues, and experienced gender bias. Both groups cited advanced maternal age as a concern and recognized career development barriers due to part-time work after childbirth. Female students desired to maintain work, while physicians struggled to regain skills and knowledge after extended leave. Conclusions: Female students harbor anxieties about balancing work and family. Integrating learning opportunities about female physicians' experiences into early stages of education is crucial. Establishing communities of practice for career development can address these issues—involving both male and female students and physicians. This study highlights the need for support systems and role models to enhance the career fulfillment of female medical students and physicians in Japan.

Supporting minority cultures during initial engagements with body donors in the dissecting room: A pilot study exploring perspectives of Pasifika medical students around culture and cultural safety.

The first experience of medical students in the dissecting room (DR) is a challenging event. Few data exist around whether or how culturally appropriate support is required in the DR for students from ethnic minorities. This pilot study explored Pasifika (peoples with heritage from the Pacific Islands) students' first experience of the DR and exposure to body donors to explore cultural perspectives around this event. Participants were second year Pasifika medical students with no prior engagement with body donors. Following a first exposure to body donors, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted. Questioning explored how Pasifika students experienced initial DR engagement in regard to Pasifika culture and cultural safety. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Eight Pasifika students were interviewed (ages 18-32 years, mean 21.3 years, five females); mean interview duration 24.5 min. Four themes were identified: cultural observations, student behaviors, cultural safety, and cultural comfort. Dominant messages included the cultural challenges presented by this event, conformity of cultural behavior, identification of cultural safety being appropriate, and illumination of potential cultural support strategies. Current mechanisms supporting cultural safety were identified as adequate, which juxtaposed against behavior where students could not act in a culturally authentic manner. Suggestions were made around improving cultural comfort, such as the presence of elders or Christian-focused elements such as prayer. Enhanced cultural support could increase cultural comfort for the initial DR and body donor experience of Pasifika students, which may facilitate increased cultural knowledge and promote cultural diversity within the medical student cohort.

Legacies of the Colonial Mission: French Medical Student Perspectives on Family Planning in Tunisia, 1978-1985

Legacies of the Colonial Mission: French Medical Student Perspectives on Family Planning in Tunisia, 1978-1985

Perspectives of medical students on the implementation of sub-internship rotation in year 5 surgical clerkship: A brief report from a private medical college in Pakistan.

This study aims to explore the perspectives of medical students on the newly introduced Surgical Sub-internship (SI) rotation in year 5 Surgical Clerkship. This cross-sectional study was conducted at The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan from September 2022 to September 2023. A self-designed 5-point Likert scale-based evaluation form was created to explore students' perspectives regarding their one-week Surgical SI rotation. We included students from the class of 2022 and 2023 who completed the surgical SI rotation. A total of 121 medical students from the class of 2022 (n=73,60%) and 2023 (n=48, 40%) participated in the study with a female-to-male ratio of 53 (44%):68 (56%). Students expressed positive attitudes toward the SI rotation, with 92 (76%) agreeing on the accessibility of medical staff/chief residents, 89 (74%) indicating clarity in goals, 86 (71%) understanding practical issues in clinical settings, 83 (69%) recognizing good learning opportunities for practicing essential skills, and 81 (67%) reporting good opportunities to observe and perform procedures. However, 53 (44%) found the rotation duration inadequate for achieving the desired objectives. Written feedback as narrative comments were also received. The commonly identified areas of improvement included effective communication of rotation objectives, a conducive learning environment, patient volume, standardized teaching, operating room exposure, student assignment to interns, resident involvement in teaching, and awareness of the stakeholders. Medical students provided positive perceptions regarding the surgical SI rotation. However, the identified areas of improvement should be integrated to enhance its overall effectiveness.

Family adoption programme implementation feedback from undergraduate medical students in Almora: A cross-sectional study.

The Family Adoption Programme (FAP) aims to provide a learning opportunity to Indian medical graduates towards community-based health care. This study describes the perspective of medical undergraduate students towards the FAP implementation at the government medical college in Almora. An observational study was conducted on the students of phases I and II in the government medical college, Almora, on the hurdles and facilitators of FAP via Google Form. Out of 199 students, 193 filled out the form, which was eligible for evaluation. A brief orientation was conducted on the FAP as recommended by the National Medical Commission of India, which was followed by sensitization of the students to the FAP proforma. Periodic FAP visits were planned for students along with their assigned mentors at the selected nearby three villages. During these visits, students interacted with the families, and details regarding the health profile of the family were documented. Students wrote reflections on FAP visits in the log book which were reviewed by faculties. Gibbs reflective cycle was also applied among the students who were allotted families for better understanding. A total of 199 students were enrolled in FAP, and out of those, 193 submitted feedback through a Google link. Overall, the experience was graded as good (53.6%), while 35.4% responded that it was excellent. Better implementation of FAP needs planning, intersectoral co-ordination, good sensitisation, and training activities for field staff, faculty and the community.

Medical students’ perspectives of reflection for their professional development

BackgroundReflection is a critical component of learning which plays a significant role in improving knowledge and skills. It is a metacognitive process that aims to create a deeper understanding of the situation. This study sought to explore the perspectives of medical students concerning the role of reflection in their professional development.MethodologyThis qualitative content analysis study was undertaken with 20 medical students across different year levels in 2023. Participants entered the study by purposive sampling. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Collected data was analyzed based on the steps proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. Data analysis was performed using MAXQDA-10 software.ResultsA total of 168 primary codes were extracted. After removing duplicate codes and merging similar codes, finally 54 codes were extracted, which were placed in 3 main themes and 7 subthemes. They encompassed: self-awareness (self-acceptance, metacognitive self-exploration, semantic perception); professional competence (self-directed learning, professional commitment); and reflection culture (organizational climate, educational structure).ConclusionsFindings revealed that the most important aspect of reflection is the recognition and acceptance of individual identity, along with the metacognitive awareness of how to know, especially in the early years, and understanding the meaning of behaviors and relationships over time. Students explained the undeniable impact of reflection on individual and self-directed learning and the development of professional commitment during their studies. The findings of this study, specifically major themes from reflection culture narratives, provide us with a better understanding of the lack of a positive organizational atmosphere, inappropriate educational structure and intensive clinical rotations, as well as lack of trust between students and medical teachers, which negatively impact on or hinder professional development. It seems that by faculty development initiatives, mentoring, group reflection sessions, reflective practices can turn into an opportunity to improve the quality of education.

Evaluation of medical ethics education using the CIPP model: a study on the perspectives of medical students

Many medical schools are adopting varied teaching strategies to enhance students' understanding of the humanitarian aspects of their specialties. This study evaluated medical ethics education at Kerman University of Medical Sciences (Iran) from the students’ perspectives using the CIPP modelA cross-sectional study involving 136 clerkship medical students used convenience sampling and a validated, researcher-made questionnaire based on the CIPP model. The questionnaire, divided into context, input, process, and product sections, assessed the achievement of the program's goals, requirements, implementation, and outcomes of the medical ethics training program.The results revealed that the product domain scored the highest (79.17±21.82), while the input domain scored the lowest (54.30±29.00). The medical ethics program successfully communicated ethical concepts and enhanced students' understanding, excelling in the product domain. However, it requires improvements in the context, input, and process areas, such as aligning materials with cultural norms, and boosting students.It is hypothesized that the medical ethics program at Kerman University of Medical Sciences is robust and aligns well with the CIPP model standards. While the program excels in educational outcomes, there is room for improvement in the context, input, and process dimensions. This study offers pivotal insights for advancing and refining future medical ethics programs.

Exploring Perspectives of Basic and Clinical Sciences Medical Students on Research

Objective: To identify and compare motivating factors and obstacles towards research among undergraduate medical students of basic and clinical sciences. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Kharian medical college, Pakistan Jun to Aug 2021. Methodology: This study involved 205 undergraduate medical students divided into two groups: basic sciences (1st, 2nd, and 3rd year) and clinical sciences (4th year). Data collection was done using a self-structured questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert scale. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board (CKMC/IERB/AC-00119). Results: Out of the participants, 84(40.9%) were male and 151(59%) were female. 183(89.2%) were aged 18-22, and 22(10.7%) were aged 23-27. Distribution by year was as follows: 1st year 17%, 2nd year 20.9%, 3rd year 15.6%, and 4th year 46.3%. Approximately 40-50% of clinical sciences students supported making research mandatory from the first to the final year and introducing weightage in the final assessment, foster critical thinking and teamwork, compared to only 2-17% of basic sciences students. This significant difference highlights the need for early integration of research activities in the medical curriculum (p-value<0.001). 40-50% of undergraduate students in both clinical and basic sciences agreed that there is a lack of research culture, infrastructure, training funds, and time. The barriers did not show significant differences between the groups. Conclusion: Clinical students’ perception of research is much better than basic sciences.

Importance of Education in Radiation Safety During Medical School: A Medical Student's Perspective.

Importance of Education in Radiation Safety During Medical School: A Medical Student's Perspective.

Is Future of Medicine Safe in the Hands of Young Medical Practitioners? Perceptions of Medical Students Regarding Academic Misconduct

Objective: To assess the self-reported attitude and behavior of MBBS students towards academic misconduct and to identify the differences of responses. Study design: Analytical cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of study: Army Medical College, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from May to Sep 2022. Methodology: MBBS students from first to final year of both genders who consented to participate were included in the study while excluding unwilling students. Data were collected from 396 medical students by convenience sampling using avalidated questionnaire by the University of Dundee. After formal ethical approval responses were obtained on 14 scenarios.Data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. For descriptive statistics frequency and percentages wereidentified, and Pearson’s Chi-Square test was used to find out the differences in responses among all year (p<0.05). Results: Among participants with mean age 20.93±1.57, there were 285(72%) males and 111(28%) females. In attitude response a significant difference was found for year one students as copying answers or asking about OSCE, copying from published papers, and submitting already submitted work were not considered wrong. In behavior response a significant difference was found for final year students in copying answer or discussing OSCE for degree exam. Conclusion: Participants of this study were morally alert when it involves patients’ well-being, however there is vulnerability to commit academic misconduct in all years. Perspective of medical students on cheating, plagiarism, signature forgery is same regardless of seniority and gender. Students’ own consideration along with institutional policies may help creating culture against academic dishonesty.

The perspectives of clinical level medical students on animal-assisted therapy: a study in Ghana

BackgroundThe role of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in complementary and alternative medicine is well acknowledged. AAT is widely patronized, in developed countries such as USA, Canada, and many European countries, but less so in developing countries in Africa including Ghana. For persons in developing African countries and elsewhere to benefit from AAT, healthcare professionals must be acquainted with it recommend it to their patients when necessary. This study therefore assessed the perspectives of clinical-level medical students on AAT.MethodA semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data in a cross-sectional study from 206 randomly selected clinical-level medical students of the University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS (Version 26) and the results were presented in Tables and charts. The association between demographic variables and the knowledge and attitude of the students were determined using ANOVA, while bivariate Pearson’s correlation was used to measure the relationships between continuous variables. Associations were considered significant when p-value < 0.05.ResultsThe knowledge about AAT among the medical students was very poor (0.971 ± 2.407 over 10; 9.7%); almost all of them (≈ 99.0%) had very little or no exposure to AAT in school or at home. The attitude of the students was however averagely positive (3.845 ± 0.748 over 7; 54.9%), with a perceived health benefit of ATT score of 4.768 ± 1.002 (68.1%). The motivation of the students to acquire more knowledge and skills about AAT mostly through lectures and practical sessions (70.9%) was good (4.809 ± 1.221; 68.7%). Female students were significantly more knowledgeable about AAT than their male counterparts (1.5 versus 0.6; p-value = 0.006). No other sociodemographic characteristics had any significant association with knowledge, attitude, and perception of benefit variables. However, a significant positive relationship was found to exist between the students’ knowledge, attitude and perception of animal-assisted therapy (r ≥ 0.236; p-value ≤ 0.001).ConclusionWe conclude that the knowledge about AAT among medical students is inadequate and this is worrying given the beneficial complementary role of AAT in achieving SDG 3. Medical schools and their regulators in Ghana should incorporate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) lessons in their training curricula. For practising medical doctors, topics on CAM should be discussed during their Continuous Professional Development sessions. With better knowledge, physicians would possibly be more willing and confident in recommending this useful complementary and alternative medicine to patients who may seek other forms of therapy besides conventional medicine or which will augment the orthodox medication the patients may have been using to treat their conditions.

Perspectives of osteopathic medical students on preclinical urology exposure: a single institution cross-sectional survey.

There is an increasing number of medical school graduates opting for surgical specialties, and the osteopathic applicant match rate for urology is lower than that of allopathic applicants. Factors influencing this may include alack of interest, perceived challenges in matching into urology, insufficient urology mentorship, limited research opportunities, and inadequate osteopathic representation in urology. The objective of this survey is to assess osteopathic medical students' perspectives on pursuing urology and enhancing preclinical exposure to and knowledge of urology. A 20-question survey addressing experiences andthe factors influencing osteopathic medical students' specialty selection and their interest in and perception of urology was designed by the investigators on Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) software. This survey was distributed via email listserv to all current osteopathic medical students attending Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine over 2months. Responses were collected and analyzed utilizing Fisher's exact test. Among 150 respondents, 91 % found mentors crucial in selecting a medical specialty, 95 % emphasized the importance of early exposure, and 68 % lacked familiarity with urology, with more M1 students unfamiliar with urology compared to M2 (70.4 % vs. 59 %). A larger proportion of combined M1 and M2 (preclinical) students are considering urology as a specialty compared to M3 and M4 (clinical) students who are actively on rotations (56.5 % vs. 28.6 %; p=0.0064). Also, a greater percentage of males are considering urology compared to females (64.2 % vs. 42.7 %; p=0.0164). Among those considering urology (n=75), 57.3 % lack awareness of urology's scope, and 84 % report no preclinical discussions with urologists. Those students who report that they are considering urology value early exposure significantly more than others (98.7 % vs. 78.7 %; p=0.0001). They also express greater interest in having acore urology course (73.3 % vs. 38.7 %; p<0.0001). More urology-considering students are interested in extracurricular urology-related workshops, seminars, or conferences (61.3 % vs. 17.3 %; p<0.0001). Students who are considering urology as a specialty show greater interest in having a mentorship program (85.3 % vs. 28 %; p<0.0001). Results suggested that increased urology exposure during the preclinical years is important. Urology elective offerings and urology mentorship are of high interest among those considering urology. However, additional investigation is needed to determine the impact ofpreclinical urology curricula implementation on urology match outcomes.

Palliative medicine during the pandemic: a medical student's perspective

Tucked away in the outskirts of Cork City is Marymount University Hospital and Hospice. This facility with 44 beds houses the most frail, immunocom- promised and terminally ill patients from all across Munster. That being said, providing palliative care was significantly affected by the challenges brought on from the ongoing global pandemic.