Exposure Of Medical Students Research Articles

Improving Medical Students Learning Through an Interprofessional Pharmacotherapy Selective

Current trends in medical school education indicate an existing need for increasing medical student exposure to pharmacotherapy education. The objectives of this study are to describe the development of an interprofessional, application-based Pharmacotherapeutics in Primary Care selective for 3rd year medical students and to assess its influence on knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to pharmacotherapy of high-risk medications and patient populations. The selective was implemented across fourteen cohorts of medical students that were evaluated over a 5-year academic period (n = 68). Our curriculum was unique in that it merged basic pharmacology and pharmacotherapy concepts with application-based medication management of high-risk patients in addition to the incorporation of an interprofessional home visit experience. Pre- and post-assessment analyses found statistically significant improvements in students' pharmacotherapeutic knowledge and skills. There was a significant increase in the knowledge post-test mean score (71.8; SD = 11.2) compared to the pre-test mean score (57.3; SD = 11.9; P < .001). A similar trend was observed for the skills mean score in which the post-test average (63; SD = 16.9) was significantly higher than the pretest average (23.3; SD = 14.4; P < 0.001). Students' attitudes also improved when rating their confidence in completing specific tasks such as recommending dosing regimens and utilizing drug information resources. This intervention provided 3rd-year medical students with opportunities to improve their knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to the pharmacotherapeutic management of high-risk medications and patient populations while exploring meaningful interprofessional interactions with faculty and learners from other disciplines.

O52: THE IMPACT OF STUDENT BACKGROUND ON PERFORMANCE AND STRESS DURING SURGICAL SIMULATION

Abstract Introduction Early exposure of medical students to surgical skills has been associated with an increased interest in pursuing a career in surgery. This study aimed to investigate the impact of student background on basic laparoscopic skills acquisition and perceived stress to workload during simulation. Method Students were recruited to a course modelled on the European Basic Laparoscopic Urological Skills (E-BLUS) programme. Students filled out a pre-course demographic survey, and a post-course survey that evaluated perceived stress to workload (SURG-TLX). Pre- and post-course confidence in laparoscopic skills, performance in the course, as well as SURG-TLX parameters were statistically compared for all demographic factors. Result Twenty-three participants completed the course, fifteen (65%) of which were female. Ten students were junior (first and second year), and thirteen were senior (third year and above). Hobbies were grouped into either requiring hand-eye coordination (n=9), manual dexterity (n=9), or no relevance to surgery (n=5). No significant differences were found in demographic factors for course performance or pre- and post-course confidence. No significant differences were found between male and female students, and between different hobby groups, in all SURG-TLX parameters. Senior students reported a significantly higher Physical Demand of the SURG-TLX compared to juniors (p=0.042). No differences were found in other parameters. Conclusion Our study showed no correlation between student background (notably sex and stage of medical school) and basic laparoscopic skills acquisition or stress during simulation. We therefore suggest that medical students are provided with more exposure to acquire basic laparoscopic skills regardless of their background. Take-home message Medical student background is not a discriminator in surgical simulation performance and stress. All medical students, regardless of their sex or stage of medical school, should be given the opportunity to practice laparoscopic skills.

P68 International Survey Of Medical students Exposure to Relevant global Surgery (ISOMERS): A cross-sectional study

Abstract Introduction Medical students around the world have been showing an increasing interest in Global Surgery as evident by their participation in various organizations on local and international levels. We set out to evaluate exposure of medical students to global surgery, modes of exposure, whether the exposure meets the needs of students, awareness of the key messages of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, global surgery career aspirations and barriers to said aspirations. Methods We developed the International Survey Of Medical students Exposure to Relevant global Surgery (ISOMERS) study, an online, international, questionnaire-based study. This survey will collect data from final year medical students across the world. The questionnaire utilises a combination of the Likert scale, multiple choice options and free text questions and will be disseminated by email and social media through the International Student Surgical Network, a global surgery student interest group with more than 5,000 members. Results Primary outcomes will include exposure to global surgery research, advocacy and education among medical students. We will generate simple descriptive statistics and identify determinants of exposure among medical students and subgroups (country income class and geographic region). Also, we will use multinomial regression analysis to identify confounders and significant dependent variables. Conclusion The ISOMERS study will identify the level of exposure to global surgery among students during medical education. An understanding of this exposure will be crucial in developing the foundation for global surgery education at the level of undergraduate medical curriculum and furthered in addressing perceived barriers to joining the global surgery workforce.

Continuing Undergraduate Pathology Medical Education in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Global Pandemic: The Johns Hopkins Virtual Surgical Pathology Clinical Elective.

In the early months of the response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) (Baltimore, Maryland) leadership reached out to faculty to develop and implement virtual clinical clerkships after all in-person medical student clinical experiences were suspended. To develop and implement a digital slide-based virtual surgical pathology (VSP) clinical elective to meet the demand for meaningful and robust virtual clinical electives in response to the temporary suspension of in-person clinical rotations at JHUSOM. The VSP elective was modeled after the in-person surgical pathology elective to include virtual previewing and sign-out with standardized cases supplemented by synchronous and asynchronous pathology educational content. Validation of existing Web communications technology and slide-scanning systems was performed by feasibility testing. Curriculum development included drafting of course objectives and syllabus, Blackboard course site design, electronic-lecture creation, communications with JHUSOM leadership, scheduling, and slide curation. Subjectively, the weekly schedule averaged 35 to 40 hours of asynchronous, synchronous, and independent content, approximately 10 to 11 hours of which were synchronous. As of February 2021, VSP has hosted 35 JHUSOM and 8 non-JHUSOM students, who have provided positive subjective and objective course feedback. The Johns Hopkins VSP elective provided meaningful clinical experience to 43 students in a time of immense online education need. Added benefits of implementing VSP included increased medical student exposure to pathology as a medical specialty and demonstration of how digital slides have the potential to improve standardization of the pathology clerkship curriculum.

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

Smart glasses and video conferencing provide valuable medical student clinical exposure during COVID-19.

Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic impose significant limitations on clinical education in emergency medicine. An emergency physician with smart glasses technology (SGT) was deployed into our emergency department (ED) to identify, enable, and curate a remote ED clinical learning experience for preclinical medical students in lieu of onsite shadowing. Students were assigned to one of four (2-h) sessions in May or June 2020. All 22 students participated remotely and responded to postrotation surveys. Feedback showed enthusiastic acceptance by instructors and students. Difficulty with technology was minimal. All students "strongly agreed" that they would participate in future sessions. This SGT instructional method represents a feasible and effective strategy to expose preclinical medical students to clinical medicine in the ED.

Inspiring the future generation of oncologists: a UK-wide study of medical students\u2019 views towards oncology

BackgroundOne in 2 people born in the UK after 1960 are expected to require oncology input in their lifetime. However, only 36% of UK medical schools provide dedicated oncology placements and teaching indicating a discordance between public health impact and training. We designed a UK-wide survey to capture medical students’ views on current oncology teaching and the potential role of a national undergraduate oncology symposium as an educational, networking and motivational tool.MethodsWe undertook a national cross-sectional survey of UK medical students’ views in oncology and satisfaction with teaching using pre-designed questionnaires. We also distributed a dedicated survey (pre and post-conference) to compare medical students’ motivation towards a career in oncology after attending the national symposium. This study was prospectively approved by QMUL Ethics Committee (Reference number QMREC2348). Statistical analysis included univariate inferential tests on SPSS and GraphPad software.ResultsThe national survey was completed by 166 students representing 22 UK medical schools. Students reported limited interest, knowledge and exposure to oncology, lack of confidence in skills, and teaching dissatisfaction. Oncology was perceived as a challenging specialty (mean 4.5/5 ± 0.7), yet most students estimate receiving only 1–2 weeks of dedicated oncology teaching. The national symposium generated a statically significant increase in students’ interest, knowledge, and confidence in skills surrounding oncology, improving students’ perceived ability to cope with the emotional challenges in this field.ConclusionStudents’ views towards oncology alongside their teaching dissatisfaction underpin the need to revisit and strive to improve current undergraduate oncology curricula. Increasing medical student oncology exposure by proposing outcome-based guidelines and adopting a standardised undergraduate oncology curriculum should be the foremost priority in inspiring future oncologists to ensure excellent cancer patient care.

Saudi medical students' knowledge, perception, and exposure to emergency medicine

Background: Information and promoting awareness of emergency medicine (EM) as a vital and independent branch of medicine has been a core component of the national undergraduate medical curriculum for a number of years. This project aims to assess how successful this integration has been by evaluating clinical-level students on their knowledge, exposure, and overall opinion of the subject. Methods: A survey was conducted by means of a cross-sectional online questionnaire that was made available to clinical year students in all medical colleges in Saudi Arabia. Demographic data, descriptive statistics, and correlation analyses were then carried out to discern if any patterns or commonalities could be found. Result: A total of 356 medical students participated in the study. Regarding EM perception and interest, a significant variance in responses was highlighted between the 4th, 5th, and 6th-year students. Regarding exposure, 68.8% did not have the EM as an independent course module, and 55.1% did not take an elective in EM as an alternative. The overall level of knowledge of EM and its importance was below the desired standards in 62.4% of the participants. Students who undertook some form of further education in EM had on average a 57.7% higher chance to score at or above desired standards on EM. Conclusion: Despite the overall majority of participants demonstrating a less than desirable knowledge on EM, exposure, and correct integration of EM in medical course composition has a notable positive effect on student perceptions and opinion of EM.

Perception of Biostatistics by Lebanese Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Background Inadequate use of statistics in biomedical research might not only affect science but also harm human beings if applied in medical practice. Biostatistics is fundamental to improve understanding and appraising of evidence-based medicine (EBM); yet, it is still not well understood and appreciated by medical students. Therefore, early exposure of medical students and physicians-in-training to research tools including Biostatistics is of utmost importance. Objective The aim of this study is to determine the perception of Biostatistics by medical students at a private medical school in Beirut, Lebanon, and to identify its best implementation time in the medical curriculum. Methods This is a cross-sectional study based on a self-administered questionnaire distributed among medical students in their pre-clerkship years (first three years of a 6-year program) who undertook Biostatistics. The assessment of perception was based on the 5-point Likert scale anchored by Strongly disagree = 1 and Strongly agree = 5 including 36 questions distributed into four domains to assess the course value, difficulty, behavioral, and expectations. Results 186 of 269 students responded to the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 69.14%. Around 60% of students declared that the knowledge gained from biostatistics courses is useful to their future career, and almost 70% understood the main concepts of biostatistics. 57.7% of students perceived that lack of practicing exercises might contribute to making the course more difficult. The mean score of domains was higher in females but did not significantly differ within the three academic years. Only 35.1% of the students positively perceived the importance of biostatistics modules, mostly third-year students. Conclusion Although the majority of medical students perceived biostatistics modules negatively, they were aware of the relevance of biostatistics to their medical career and real-life health issues.

Translation, transcultural adaptation and validation of a scale of exposure to humanities among medical students

Abstract: Introduction: The humanities are associated with the improvement of medical students’ personal qualities. To date, there are no research instruments that quantify the exposure of medical students have to the humanities. Hence, the availability of a questionnaire with such characteristics in Brazilian Portuguese sets a precedent for the planning and implementation of educational strategies and policies addressing this topic. Objective: to translate and transculturally adapt the “HUMANITIES SCORE (LIFE EXPERIENCES + ATTITUDES) questionnaire, determine its validity and reliability, as well as identify the type of exposure to the humanities of the assessed population. Method: The original version of the questionnaire, written in English, was translated according to what is recommended by the specialized literature, with the addition of some activities in the humanities field, as per the original authors’ suggestion. The translated instrument underwent a pre-test with 31 medical students for semantic validation, followed by the application of its final version to 258 students. The exploratory and the confirmatory factorial analyses were applied to assess the instrument with its internal consistency was checked with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient. Result: The final questionnaire was administered to the students to verify their type of exposure to the humanities. After the statistical tests were carried out, the final version of the instrument, named “Escala de Exposição às Humanidades” (EEH), included 17 items with Likert-scale responses with five options each, and obtained a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.689. The mean score of the students’ exposure was 1.72 ± 0.37, being influenced by the period at medical school, the number of volunteer social activity experiences, the participation in religious groups, the practice of meditation, and the involvement in political activities. Variables such as female gender, engagement in previous actions related to the humanities before starting medical school and in religious ceremonies positively influenced the students’ opinion about the importance of the humanities for the medical curriculum. Conclusion: The EEH demonstrated reliability in its structure and content, allowing correlations between the students’ exposure to humanities and their opinion about the importance of human sciences in the medical curriculum. It constitutes the first instrument that aims at measuring the humanities exposure rate in Brazil; however, further studies must be carried out, to better validate the instrument.

Translation, transcultural adaptation and validation of a scale of exposure to humanities among medical students

Abstract: Introduction: The humanities are associated with the improvement of medical students’ personal qualities. To date, there are no research instruments that quantify the exposure of medical students have to the humanities. Hence, the availability of a questionnaire with such characteristics in Brazilian Portuguese sets a precedent for the planning and implementation of educational strategies and policies addressing this topic. Objective: to translate and transculturally adapt the “HUMANITIES SCORE (LIFE EXPERIENCES + ATTITUDES) questionnaire, determine its validity and reliability, as well as identify the type of exposure to the humanities of the assessed population. Method: The original version of the questionnaire, written in English, was translated according to what is recommended by the specialized literature, with the addition of some activities in the humanities field, as per the original authors’ suggestion. The translated instrument underwent a pre-test with 31 medical students for semantic validation, followed by the application of its final version to 258 students. The exploratory and the confirmatory factorial analyses were applied to assess the instrument with its internal consistency was checked with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient. Result: The final questionnaire was administered to the students to verify their type of exposure to the humanities. After the statistical tests were carried out, the final version of the instrument, named “Escala de Exposição às Humanidades” (EEH), included 17 items with Likert-scale responses with five options each, and obtained a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.689. The mean score of the students’ exposure was 1.72 ± 0.37, being influenced by the period at medical school, the number of volunteer social activity experiences, the participation in religious groups, the practice of meditation, and the involvement in political activities. Variables such as female gender, engagement in previous actions related to the humanities before starting medical school and in religious ceremonies positively influenced the students’ opinion about the importance of the humanities for the medical curriculum. Conclusion: The EEH demonstrated reliability in its structure and content, allowing correlations between the students’ exposure to humanities and their opinion about the importance of human sciences in the medical curriculum. It constitutes the first instrument that aims at measuring the humanities exposure rate in Brazil; however, further studies must be carried out, to better validate the instrument.

Effectiveness of early clinical exposure in medical education: Settings and scientific theories - Review.

Early clinical exposure (ECE) is a teaching-learning methodology which fosters the exposure of medical students to the patients as early as the first year of medical college. A worldwide number of research studies investigated the outcome of ECE and found, ECE sessions motivate the medical student in various ways making their academic strength, improve clinical skills, and improve communication skills and making them more confident. In the medical curriculum, ECE makes an overall impact on student's performance and confidence. Planning of ECE in real-time practices can be done in different settings with the use of appropriate resources such as logbook, textbooks, notes, instruments, learning material, case record sheets, and computers. Herewith, we reviewed the scientific base responsible for these outcomes and discussed different ECE settings and their outcome. The Medical Council of India in new educational reforms made ECE sessions compulsory from 2019 in undergraduate medical curriculum. In conclusion, the challenge for health professions education is to look for ways to improve the quality of clinical education by comparing students’ understanding and modifying practices of clinical education in new circumstances. Early clinical experience will definitely play a crucial role in this context, only if proper strategies are implemented. This systemic review article highlights ECE settings and scientific basis in a theoretical way helpful for medical faculties during its implementation in regular teaching.

Increasing Medical Student Exposure to Pathology by Creating an Integrated Rotation During Surgery Clerkship

Following a nationwide trend, the University of Michigan Medical School has restructured its curriculum to facilitate integration of basic science curricula and early inclusion of clinical experiences, resulting in a truncation of a 19-month didactic-based preclinical curriculum to 13 months. Because preclinical didactic and lab sessions formed the bulk of pathology contact hours, the curriculum overhaul significantly reduced student exposure to pathologists. This reduction in exposure may decrease student understanding of how pathology integrates into the larger picture of healthcare delivery and could also decrease the pipeline of students interested in pursuing pathology as a career choice. To ameliorate these concerns, a mandatory 1-week rotation through the Pathology Department was integrated into the surgery clerkship. This brief report outlines the process of creating a new, unique pathology rotation for surgery clerkship students that includes observation in autopsy and surgical pathology sign-out, small group sessions focused on foundational concepts in microbiology, chemistry, and transfusion medicine, and access to online case-based modules. Available qualitative student feedback indicates that students appreciate how this rotation granted them a “behind the scenes” look at pathology but also noted that the fast pace of clinical sign-out sessions and length of small group sessions were suboptimal for student learning. This feedback and future survey data will serve as a platform on which curricular improvements can be made to enhance the learning environment for both learners and educators.

Information about sun exposure, protection, awareness and behavioural patterns of medical students in Kolar

Information about sun exposure, protection, awareness and behavioural patterns of medical students in Kolar

My Heart Has Always Been Set on Pediatrics, and Other Insights From First-Year Medical Students

Senior mentoring programs provide medical students exposure to a community-dwelling older adult mentor with whom they meet multiple times throughout the program. The goal of these programs is to expose students to healthy older adults, increase their knowledge of topics in geriatrics and aging, and increase the likelihood that students will pursue geriatric specialties. Though research findings show that senior mentoring programs have the potential to increase medical students’ attitudes towards older adults (Samra et al., 2013) and their willingness to consider working with older patients in the future (McManus et al., 2017), a critical shortage of doctors who specialize in geriatrics still exists. Moreover, the demand for geriatrically-trained physicians is expected to continue to increase (American Geriatrics Society, 2018). In order to develop avenues for successfully fostering interest in and pursuit of geriatrics specialties, we need to fully understand students’ perceptions of working with older adults. The purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to explore first-year medical students’ (n = 216) perceptions of working with older adults. We asked students to respond to the following reflection at the beginning and end of their Senior Mentoring program: How do you feel about working with older patients after you complete your training? Our findings suggest that while students feel more comfortable with and open to caring for older adults, they do not feel compelled to pursue geriatrics. Themes and sub-categories emerging from the data provide insight into why students continue to dismiss pursuing geriatrics.

A Theoretical Framework for the Development of Views of One’s Own Aging

Senior mentoring programs have been established that provide medical students exposure to a community-dwelling older adult mentor. The goal of these programs is to expose students to healthy older adults, increase knowledge of geriatrics, and prepare them to care for an aging population. However, even while participating in a senior mentoring program, health professions students still demonstrate some discriminatory language towards older adults (e.g., Gendron, Inker, & Welleford, 2018). In fact, research suggests ageist practices occur, intentionally or not, among all health professions and within assisted living and long-term care facilities (e.g., Bowling, 1999; Dobbs et al., 2008; Kane & Kane, 2005). There is reason to believe that how we feel about other older adults is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves as aging individuals. As part of an evaluation of a Senior Mentoring program, we found that students’ attitudes towards older adults were not significantly improved (t (92) = .38, p = .70). To further explore this, we collected subsequent qualitative data. Specifically, we asked students to respond to the open-ended prompt before and after completing their senior mentoring program: How do you feel about your own aging? Our findings have revealed just how complex students’ views towards aging and elderhood are, pointing to a need to develop a theoretical framework for how these views are formed. Thus, the results of this qualitative grounded theory study illustrate the stages of development medical students’ progress through as they come to accept themselves as aging humans.

Factors affecting psychological health and suicidal behavior: based on a survey of 10 340 medical students from three universities

To explore the factors influencing mental health and suicidal behaviors of medical students and provide a scientific basis for improving their mental health and reducing their suicidal behaviors. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey among 11 270 medical students in the first and second years at 3 universities in the southern, northern and central regions of a province in China, and 10 340 valid responses were retrieved. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the factors affecting anxiety, depression and suicidal behaviors, particularly the impact of family environment on the mental health status of the medical students. Medical students of the female gender, in their second year in college, with dissatisfaction with their major, coming from poor families, families experiencing domestic violence or dysfunctional family were more likely to develop depression and anxiety; medical students who experienced violence by their parents or guardians and had childhood experience of separation from parents were more likely to develop anxiety (P < 0.05). Female medical students exposure to violence by parents/guardians, anxiety, depression, and family dysfunction were more likely to have suicidal attempts and suicidal ideation; and those who were dissatisfied with their studies, had witnessed violence between parents or had childhood experience separation from parents were also more likely to have suicidal ideation (P < 0.05). The mental health and suicidal behavior of medical students are affected by various factors involving family conditions, childhood experience, to which parents and relevant agencies should give due attention.

Mentoring Medical Students Towards Oncology: Results from a Pilot Multi-institutional Mentorship Programme

The mounting global cancer burden has generated an increasing demand for oncologists to join the workforce. Yet, students report limited oncology exposure in undergraduate medical curricula, while undergraduate oncology mentorships remain underutilised. We established an undergraduate oncology society–led mentorship programme aimed at medical students across several UK universities to increase medical student oncology exposure. We electronically recruited and paired oncologist mentors and medical student mentees and distributed a dedicated questionnaire (pre- and post-mentorship) to compare mentees’ self-reported cancer specialty knowledge and oncology career motivation after undertaking a 6-week mentorship. We also determined students’ interest across specialties and subspecialties and measured mentor availability via percentage programme uptake. Statistical analysis included univariate inferential tests on SPSS software. Twentynine (23.4%) of 124 oncology specialists agreed to become mentors. The mentorship was completed by 30 students across three medical schools: 16 (53.3%) Barts, 10 (33.3%) Birmingham, and 4 (13.3%) King’s; 11 (36.7%) mentored by medical oncologists, 10 (33.3%) by clinical/radiation oncologists, and 9 (30%) by surgical oncologists. The mentorship generated a statically significant increase in students’ knowledge of the multidisciplinary team and all oncology-related specialties including academia/research but not interest towards a career in oncology. Undergraduate oncology mentoring is an effective educational, networking and motivational tool for medical students. Student societies are a valuable asset in cultivating medical student oncology interest by connecting students to faculty and increasing mentor accessibility. Further research should focus on developing an optimal mentorship structure and evaluating long-term outcomes of such educational initiatives.

Twelve tips to maximise medical student exposure during surgical placements

Surgery is a highly competitive specialty that offers a wide range of subspecialties. The presence of surgical education and rotations in the medical school curriculum is often lacking, and for this reason many medical students have little experience of surgery during their time in medical school. This paper presents twelve tips for medical students who are interested in pursuing a career in surgery, offering different ways of exposure into activities related to surgical care. Understanding the practice of surgery and self-reflecting on one’s personality and suitability for a career in surgery are key. Moreover, surgical care is not only limited to the surgeon’s table–other opportunities to learn more about surgery exist outside of the operating room. Extra-curricular activities in research and leadership are also vital in developing an interest in surgery and competitive edge in medical students.

Integration of Chronic Disability Management in a Medical Student Curriculum.

Increasing exposure to the needs of patients with chronic disability is important in fostering confidence and comfort in disability knowledge and management among medical students and residents of all disciplines. The 2013 Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Survey of graduating medical students revealed that 33% expressed inadequate exposure to disability management and rehabilitative care. To address this, a 3- to 4-wk rehabilitation elective course was modified to include lectures, media-based reflections, and a hands-on wheelchair experience. Responses and reflections from students from November 2015 to February 2019 were analyzed to assess the impact of the intervention on medical student knowledge and clinical practice using a disability pretest and posttest design. Preintervention data revealed limited knowledge of terminology in disability health that improved greatly in the postelective assessment. Medical students also gained knowledge on disability laws, available resources, and improved identification of appropriate accommodations to limit barriers to care. Moreover, this novel, interdisciplinary rehabilitation elective experience increased medical student knowledge and exposure of disability management. Incorporating these changes into the medical school curriculum will be invaluable in training future physicians to close the gap in access to care for persons with disabilities.