Radiology For Medical Students Research Articles

Implementing the Radiology Rotation-Model-22 in Clerkships: The RRM-Pocket Card for Medical Students – Part 2

Practical training for medical students in radiology clerkships takes place in busy clinical routine. We introduced the Radiology Rotation-Model-22 (RRM) as the department-related RRM-pocket card for student rotation (SR) settings in part one of this study. RRM was developed as a documentation tool and pocket card with department sections for radiology (10) and imaging specialties (1) for medical students in clerkships. With the RRM-tool, and while exploring departments for practical experience, students can log data details on rotations and tasks by the method of participant observation (PO). By PO, students can track SR and training progress. In part two, we present attempts on implementing the RRM-tool as a rotation concept for students to gain efficient training experience. The RRM-pocket card provides students, radiologists, and radiographers with an overview of SR and tasks. RRM can be implemented to optimise clerkships’ structure, and to generate self-action for students, while actively optimising SR.

Radiology advocacy: Promoting collaboration between trainees and professional societies

From mammographic screening guidelines to resident work hour regulations, public policy affects every aspect of the practice of radiology and ultimately determines how radiological care is delivered to patients. Shaping public policy through advocacy is therefore critical to ensure patient access to equitable, high-quality radiological care. In advocacy, individual practicing radiologists and radiology trainees can increase the scope of their influence by collaborating with professional radiology societies. When radiology trainees participate in organized radiology advocacy, they learn about regulatory and legislative issues that will affect their careers, and they learn how to effect policy change. Radiology societies in turn benefit from trainee involvement, as engaging trainees early in their careers leads to more robust future participation and leadership. To encourage trainee involvement, radiology societies can engage individual residency programs and medical student radiology interest groups, invest in trainee-focused events, and maximize the number of positions of responsibility open to trainees. To circumvent the barriers to participation that many trainees face, radiology societies can make meeting proceedings free and available through virtual mediums. Through active collaboration, trainees and professional societies can help assure a bright future for radiologists and patients in need of radiological care.

Do Dictation Privileges Add Value to Radiology Electives If Medical Students Have Access to Online Modules?

Rationale and ObjectivesTraditional in-person medical student radiology electives are predominantly observerships. However, during the COVID-19 restrictions, many schools across Canada and the United States moved their radiology electives to an online format with great success. To the best of our knowledge, an evaluation of student experiences at a site where the 2-week on-site elective has both dictation privileges and an online component has not been completed. Materials and MethodsWe analyzed the pre- and post-test data from the online component of a radiology elective, retrieved the total number of dictation reports, and reviewed qualitative student feedback to gauge student engagement and learning. We used a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to compare the difference between the student scores on pre- and postmodule section quizzes, accounting for individual and section-specific variation in performance. A second GLMM was fit to assess improvement in the cumulative test taken before and after the entire elective. Both models accounted for the potential benefit of dictation. ResultsStudent score improved significantly on the postsection tests (βpost = 15.9% ± 0.86% SE, P < 0.001) and on the final postelective test (βpost = 28.1% ± 1.8% SE, P < 0.001). The effect of total number of dictated studies on final test performance was not significant (βpost = 0.07% ± 0.07% SE, P = 0.317). ConclusionThis retrospective study suggests that resources should be directed to the development of mixed online/in-person electives for ideal student engagement at the senior medical student level. Further work must be completed to understand the potential benefits of, and barriers to, student dictation at the medical student level.

A National Medical Student Diagnostic Radiology Competition Initiative: Survey and Outcomes of the RadiOlympics

Diagnostic radiology residents may participate in an annual diagnostic imaging tournament that enables residents to engage in friendly competition, network with peers, and practice for board examinations. Medical students would likely enjoy a similar activity, which could increase their interest and knowledge in radiology. Given the lack of initiatives designed to promote competition and learning in medical school radiology education, we designed and implemented theRadiOlympics, the first known national medical student radiology competition in the United States. A draft version of the competition was emailed to many medical schools in the United States. Medical students interested in assisting with implementation of the competition were invited to a meeting to refine the layout.Ultimately, the format of seven rounds of five questions each and a final round of ten questions all over four months was decided. Questions were written by students and approved by faculty. At the conclusion of the competition, surveys were sent out to gather feedback and gauge how this competition has influenced their interest in radiology. Out of 89 schools that were successfully contacted,16 schools' radiology clubs agreed to participate, which made up 187 medical students on average per round. At the conclusion of the competition, feedback from students was very positive.Students' confidence in interpreting imaging studies increased after the competition (p < 0.001), although there was not an increased interest in radiology as a career (p=0.77). TheRadiOlympicsis a national competition that can besuccessfullyorganized by medical students for medical students and is an engaging opportunity for medical students to be exposed to radiology.

Survival Radiology: How a popular in-person interactive medical student radiology workshop pivoted online during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundSurvival Radiology (SR) is a flagship annual full-day in-person radiology workshop targeted at final year medical students in Singapore to prepare them for internship. Previous in-person editions have consistently received positive reviews from 2014 to 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid online pivot for its sixth edition in 2020.ObjectivesThis study aims to (a) identify key success factors of a traditional in-person medical student radiology workshop, (b) describe the rapid online pivot in 2020 and (c) to identify key success factors for online educational initiatives.MethodsPost-workshop survey responses of SR from 2014 to 2020 were evaluated. Likert-scale data were quantitatively analysed, while free-text responses were qualitatively analysed.ResultsA total of 1248 post-workshop surveys (2014–2020 workshops) and 266 free-text responses (2020 workshop) were received from 2640 participants over the years. Progressive changes that sustained or improved participant feedback for in-person SR workshops included adoption of a case-based approach, utility of ‘live’ audience response systems and incorporation of quizzes with a favourable overall feedback rating of 4.42–4.89 from 2014 to 2019. The webinar version of SR in 2020 became the best-rated edition since inception with a rating of 4.9. Qualitative analysis of feedback from SR 2020 showed that the participants preferred the webinar model, online modes of engagement and interactivity.ConclusionOur experience shows that it is not only possible to successfully pivot online for such workshops, but that blended educational formats utilising online engagements supplemented by in-person activities will be well-received by ‘Generation Z’ learners even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effectiveness of virtual teaching of diagnostic and interventional imaging fundamentals to Egyptian medical students: an analytical cross-sectional study

BackgroundThere is a worldwide deficit in teaching and training in the field of radiology for undergraduate medical students. This educational gap is prominent in many medical schools as most radiology curricula are a part of other specialty trainings, usually provided by non-radiologists. After COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increased trend in online education. However, questions have been raised about the efficacy and acceptance of online education. We developed a course on the principles of radiology and medical imaging basics to target Egyptian medical students. We then assessed the impact of these educational videos through several online surveys. Our "The Principles of Radiology Online Course" was delivered to students at various Egyptian medical schools; it was a prerecorded series composed of nine sessions, and each session followed the sequence of a pre-test, video, and post-test. There was a final survey to assess the overall feedback. Finally, we analyzed the results to give insight onto how teaching radiology through online lectures can help build better physicians.ResultsAmong various medical schools around Egypt, 1396 Egyptian medical students joined this cohort. Cohort population percentage was 56% female and 44% male. Ninety-eight percent of the students agreed that this program increased their understanding of radiology. Eighty-four percent of the students found the platform friendly and easy to use. Seventy-nine percent found these webinars were more convenient compared to in-person education. Statistical significance (p-value < 0.05) was achieved in all sessions after comparing students’ pre and post-test scores, and in students’ confidence and knowledge level before and after the course.ConclusionsRadiology is an underrepresented subject for a lot of medical students. Online radiology webinars have proven to be a promising method of teaching medical students key medical imaging concepts. An online course of radiology basics and principles can help improve a medical student’s knowledge and enhance overall future patient care.

Virtual medical student radiology clerkships during the COVID-19 pandemic: Distancing is not a barrier

BackgroundStress on medical education caused by COVID-19 has prompted medical schools to bar their students from onsite education at hospitals and clinics, limiting their educational experiences. Radiology is uniquely positioned to be a virtual rotation during this health crisis and beyond. PurposeTo implement virtual radiology clerkships and evaluate educational outcomes. MethodsWe developed virtual radiology clerkships using best practices from adult education theory; emphasizing self-directed and interactive learning through recommended reading materials, pre-recorded lectures, video conferencing, web-based learning modules from the ACR, as well as multimodality radiology resources to allow students flexibility in their individual approach to the subject matter. ResultsThe mean performance on standardized exams for our cohorts was 75% (range 50–96%), matching the national average of 75%. Surveys of medical students after the clerkship showed positive subjective feedback on the content and structure of the course. ConclusionsUnderstanding of medical imaging is vital for student doctors to have a better understanding of applied anatomy, patient care strategies, appropriate use, and image interpretation. Radiology is uniquely positioned to be taught in a virtual format, or in a combination of online and in-person activities. Standardized examination performance for our institutional virtual radiology clerkships is comparable to performance on traditional courses. Virtual clerkships designed with adult learners in mind can help student doctors prepare for residency and future independent practice as they build knowledge and skills needed to provide high quality patient care.

The Online Cross-Country Tour: Evaluation of a Novel Online Series for Canadian Radiology Residency Programs and Future Implications for the Radiology CaRMS Process

The COVID-19 pandemic indefinitely cancelled visiting medical student radiology electives across Canada. In response, the Canadian Association of Radiologists Resident & Fellow Section (CAR RFS) and Medical Student Network (MSN) developed and evaluated an online series for medical students to learn about Canadian radiology residency programs. Medical students from any year of training were recruited through the MSN, local radiology interest groups, and social media to attend a 2-week online series of interactive sessions via Zoom with program representatives from Canadian radiology residency programs. A survey evaluating the online series, in particular its impact on residency and career planning, was administered to program representatives and students. Fifteen of Canada's 16 radiology residency programs participated in the online series. A total of 212 students attended at least one session and nearly half were participating in the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) this year. The postsurvey revealed that 77% of students agreed that the online series helped prepare them for CaRMS and ranking programs. The online series also benefited pre-CaRMS students as significantly more students were considering radiology as a specialty on the postsurvey compared to the presurvey. Students and program representatives agreed that this series should be held in future years, regardless of whether health and travel restrictions are lifted. The CAR RFS and MSN hosted an online series for medical students to learn about radiology residency programs outside their home institution. Feedback was highly positive with important implications for the future CaRMS iterations for any specialty.

The Design and Preliminary Experience with a Virtual Diversity Visiting Student Acting Internship in Radiology for Underrepresented Minority Medical Students

Benefits of a diverse physician workforce are numerous and the impact of a lack of diversity has been highlighted with the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the commitment of professional societies such as the American College of Radiology to diversity in Radiology, the field and its residency training programs remain the least diverse. With COVID-19 related suspension of in-person medical student rotations, our Department of Radiology redesigned and implemented a virtual radiology internship for underrepresented minority (URM) medical students. A four-week virtual radiology internship was designed to provide clinical exposure to radiology and to allow students to gain an understanding of what a career in radiology entails. Course design included videoconference patient care sessions, didactic lectures, online modules, mentoring, and extra-clinical curriculum. Feedback from students was collected using online surveys assessing pre- and postcourse attitudes and understanding of a career in radiology and the students' perceived aptitude for such a career, as well as course component evaluation. Three participants were enrolled in the inaugural clerkship. All noted exceptional educational course content and ample opportunities to build connections with faculty and residents-with mentoring seen as the highlight of the course. All indicated a significant shift in perception of the field and in declaring interest in pursuing a career in radiology. Virtual radiology internship for URM students is a feasible paradigm to address potential impediments to diversification of the specialty by both engaging interested URM medical students in a career in radiology and arming them with the tools for a successful application to radiology residency.

Online Hide and Seek: Allopathic US Medical Schools’ Radiology Education Virtual Presence

Rationale and ObjectivesTo highlight radiology's merits and boost appeal to medical students in the digital era, it is increasingly important for radiology departments to be readily accessible to medical students. We report the results of a multivariate analysis of the virtual presence of radiology medical student education of 152 allopathic United States (US) medical schools, the first report of its kind to the authors’ knowledge. We detail eight elements to include when optimizing a radiology medical student education website. MethodsIn August 2020, the Department of Radiology websites at 152 allopathic US medical schools were assessed for the presence of a medical student radiology education website and accessibility of collated information about preclinical and clinical course offerings, radiology interest groups, and outreach initiatives in the form of student radiology mentorship, shadowing, and research opportunities. Results65.1% (99/152) of allopathic US medical schools’ radiology departments have a dedicated medical student radiology education website, one of which was excluded from further review due to password protected content. 58.2% (57/98) of departmental websites include information about preclinical radiology coursework and 90.8% (89/98) of departments provide information about clinical courses. Details about interest groups were found on 26.5% (26/98) of departmental websites. Information about mentorship and shadowing was identified on less than half of departmental websites. 51% (50/98) of Department of Radiology websites provide information about research opportunities for students. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that the majority of allopathic US medical schools’ radiology departments lack full information of relevance to medical students. To engage today's and tomorrow's medical learners digitally, there is opportunity and need to improve the online availability of information about preclinical and clinical radiology courses, student interest groups, shadowing opportunities, student mentorship, and student research. We detail eight elements to include when optimizing a radiology medical student education website. In most instances, this can be accomplished by revising an existing radiology department website in a manner that engages, educates, and recruits medical students. As a specialty, radiology must expand our digital footprint to reach tomorrow's colleagues and leaders.

Radiology for medical students: Do we teach enough? A national study.

ObjectiveA recent study has shown that the averaged time tabled teaching for a medical student across 5 years in the UK was 4629 hours. Radiology has been demonstrated to be an excellent teaching source, yet the number of hours allocated to this has never been calculated.The aims of this study were to evaluate and quantify the hours allocated to radiology teaching in Scottish Medical Schools and to evaluate if they can fulfil requirements expected from other Clinical disciplines and the upcoming General Medical Council Medical Licensing Assessment (GMC MLA).MethodsData pertaining to timetabled teaching for Radiology in Scottish Universities were obtained from the authors of the Analysis of Teaching of Medical Schools (AToMS) survey. In addition, University Lead Clinician Teachers were surveyed on the radiological investigations and skills medical students should have at graduation.ResultsMedical students in Scottish Universities were allocated 59 h in Radiology (0.3%) out of a total 19,325 h of timetabled teaching. Hospital-based teaching was variable and ranged from 0 to 31 h. Almost half (15 of 31) of Clinician Teachers felt that there was insufficient radiology teaching in their specialty. Thirteen of 30 conditions included in the GMC MLA were listed by Clinician Teachers, while 23 others not listed by the GMC were considered important and cited by them.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that medical students do not receive enough radiology teaching. This needs to be addressed by Universities in collaboration with the NHS in an effort to bring up this up to line with other developed countries and prepare students for the GMC MLA.Advances in knowledge(1) There is insufficient time allocated in Medical Students’ curriculum to Radiology.(2) Radiology teaching in medical schools fall short of University Lead Clinician Teachers’ and GMC expectations of medical students at graduation.

Student-led peer review of an online teaching file: perspectives after 2 years

ABSTRACT Problem Opportunities for self-directed learning were missing from our medical school curriculum in general and on our radiology electives specifically. Our objective was to explore the feasibility and benefits of using medical students in the development of our student-created teaching files. Approach In 2018, a website was developed at our institution to support medical student radiology education and create a repository for the online publication of student-developed teaching cases. Students participating in radiology clerkships at our institution had an opportunity to submit case presentations for publication to our online teaching file following peer review. The medical students participated in the peer review process facilitated by the faculty director of radiology undergraduate medical education. The faculty member oversaw the training of new student editors and the development of a peer review guide. Outcomes The peer review guide included goals of the teaching file project and direction regarding the peer review process. Student editors were trained using the peer review guide in conjunction with individual meetings with the faculty mentor. At twenty-four months, 82 student-developed cases had been published to the online teaching file following medical student peer review. The teaching file had garnered 3884 page views. Next Steps The medical student-led peer review process meets core competencies in self-directed learning. The authors plan to explore the application of peer-assisted learning theories to the editing and peer-review process.

Innovation Born in Isolation: Rapid Transformation of an In-Person Medical Student Radiology Elective to a Remote Learning Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rationale and ObjectivesWith social distancing measures in place both nationally and globally, the current COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of in-person classes at universities and medical schools across the country. This has presented unique challenges for educators in all fields as they have embarked, many for the first time, on the journey into remote education in order to provide distance learning opportunities for students.Materials and MethodsIn this article we will review our approach to rapidly converting an in-person diagnostic radiology elective to an entirely remote learning experience for medical students at our institution, including modification of course structure, software tools and materials utilized, and strategies for learner engagement and collaboration.ResultsDevelopment of an online elective led to a 10-fold increase in student enrollment compared to the traditional course offering, providing a unique opportunity to reach a broad number of students, many of whom were in the early clinical stages of their medical school career. Lastly, we will review faculty feedback after participating in the remote course as well as lessons learned from the transition to distance learning and its implications for future workConclusionThe current state of technology makes radiology particularly well-suited for distance learning, and with the proper tools and approaches, effective remote radiology instruction can be achieved.

An Objective Structured Clinical Examination for Medical Student Radiology Clerkships: Reproducibility Study.

BackgroundObjective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are a useful method to evaluate medical students’ performance in the clerkship years. OSCEs are designed to assess skills and knowledge in a standardized clinical setting and through use of a preset standard grading sheet, so that clinical knowledge can be evaluated at a high level and in a reproducible way.ObjectiveThis study aimed to present our OSCE assessment tool designed specifically for radiology clerkship medical students, which we called the objective structured radiology examination (OSRE), with the intent to advance the assessment of clerkship medical students by providing an objective, structured, reproducible, and low-cost method to evaluate medical students’ radiology knowledge and the reproducibility of this assessment tool.MethodsWe designed 9 different OSRE cases for radiology clerkship classes with participating third- and fourth-year medical students. Each examination comprises 1 to 3 images, a clinical scenario, and structured questions, along with a standardized scoring sheet that allows for an objective and low-cost assessment. Each medical student completed 3 of 9 random examination cases during their rotation. To evaluate for reproducibility of our scoring sheet assessment tool, we used 5 examiners to grade the same students. Reproducibility for each case and consistency for each grader were assessed with a two-way mixed effects intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). An ICC below 0.4 was deemed poor to fair, an ICC of 0.41 to 0.60 was moderate, an ICC of 0.6 to 0.8 was substantial, and an ICC greater than 0.8 was almost perfect. We also assessed the correlation of scores and the students’ clinical experience with a linear regression model and compared mean grades between third- and fourth-year students.ResultsA total of 181 students (156 third- and 25 fourth-year students) were included in the study for a full academic year. Moreover, 6 of 9 cases demonstrated average ICCs more than 0.6 (substantial correlation), and the average ICCs ranged from 0.36 to 0.80 (P<.001 for all the cases). The average ICC for each grader was more than 0.60 (substantial correlation). The average grade among the third-year students was 11.9 (SD 4.9), compared with 12.8 (SD 5) among the fourth-year students (P=.005). There was no correlation between clinical experience and OSRE grade (−0.02; P=.48), adjusting for the medical school year.ConclusionsOur OSRE is a reproducible assessment tool with most of our OSRE cases showing substantial correlation, except for 3 cases. No expertise in radiology is needed to grade these examinations using our scoring sheet. There was no correlation between scores and the clinical experience of the medical students tested.

4:21 PM Abstract No. 217 What medical students think about interventional radiology: motivations and deterrents

Characterize the motivations for and deterrents from pursuing interventional radiology (IR) for medical students The study was reviewed by the IRB and deemed exempt. A 19-item survey link was sent to all matriculates of five medical schools which varied by region, public/private, class size, and NIH research ranking. Participants were incentivized with an opportunity to receive one of ten $50 Amazon gift cards. Data were collected using REDCap from October 2018 to January 2019. All analyses were conducted using generalized linear mixed modeling nesting by medical school assuming a binomial distribution with SAS GLIMMIX. 25.5% (604/2370) of medical students (MS) completed the survey. MS considering IR (IR-Y) compared to MS not seriously considering IR (IR-N) had higher motivation for the job market (mean [m] = 3.3 vs. 3.0, P = 0.0196) and procedural practice (m = 3.2 vs. 2.8, P = 0.0229) and had lower motivation for direct patient care (DPC) (m = 2.8 vs. 3.4, P <0.0001) and longitudinal patient care (LPC) (m = 2.7 vs. 2.9, P <0.0001). Outpatient practice, salary, and work-life balance were not significantly different motivations. Significant deterrents for IR-N compared to IR-Y were 3-4 years of training in diagnostic radiology (m = 1.6 vs. 1.0, P = 0.001), LPC (m = 2.0 vs. 1.1, P <0.0001), lack of outpatient practice (m = 1.5 vs. 0.9, P <0.0001), wearing lead (m = 1.1 vs. 0.8, P = 0.0007), surgical preliminary year (m = 1.6 vs. 0.9, P = 0.0005), and 6-7-year training length (m = 2.1 vs. 1.5, P = 0.0001). Emergent off-hours call and research were not significantly different deterrents. MS considering IR are more motivated by job market and procedural practice than their colleagues. MS are deterred by inherent factors of IR but also by misconceptions that it lacks clinical practice. IR educators should focus medical student outreach for those interested in procedural practice and emphasize the importance of longitudinal patient care and outpatient practice in a comprehensive clinical IR practice.

Abstract No. 449 A new focused curriculum in interventional radiology for third-year medical students

Abstract No. 449 A new focused curriculum in interventional radiology for third-year medical students

"Virtual Radiology Workstation": Improving Medical Students' Radiology Rotation.

Radiology education in clinical clerkship is increasingly important. There is an acute need for active engagement and self-directed learning by medical students rotating in radiology compared with mainly observational current learning practice involving shadowing in the reading room. "Virtual Radiology Workstations" supplemented by PowerPoint presentation of normal radiologic anatomy were introduced for fourth-year medical student radiology electives. All 18 students were satisfied with this new teaching model and agreed their understanding of imaging procedures, and recognition of basic anatomic structures improved. It also resulted in efficient utilization of both the teachers' and the students' time.

Radiology for medical students (1925-2018): an overview.

Objective:Radiology has been espoused as an excellent tool for educating medical students since 1925. Advances in technology and PACS mean it has never been easier to demonstrate living anatomy and clinical pathology in exquisite detail to students. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of radiologic publications related to teaching medical students and its evolution through time.MethodsA literature search was performed from inception to November 2018. The search strategies used both text words and relevant indexing related to “radiology”, “medical students” and “curriculum”.Results:3589 records were identified of which 377 were included. There was a 100 fold increase in rate of publication over time—most were expository or surveys (60%), with few truly experimental articles. Radiology was used in clinical teaching (67%) and anatomy (33%). Almost half of radiologic anatomy teaching was conducted without the input of a Radiologist. Compulsory clinical clerkships/blocks in radiology was offered infrequently (35%). Female first authorship had increased in the last decade (47%).Conclusion:There is a significant increase in articles published on the role of radiology in medical student teaching in the last decade. Research in this area is required in order to investigate the role of radiology in improving the modern medical students’ education.

Performance-based assessment in a pre-clinical medical school chest radiology curriculum: Student achievement and attitudes

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate student achievement and attitudes pertaining to a performance-based assessment in a medical student chest radiology curriculum using mixed quantitative and qualitative methods. Methods: One-hundred-and-sixty-one participating second-year students, in the 2015-16 academic year took a post-curriculum multiple choice question (MCQ) exam. Students also underwent a performance-based assessment in the form of a chest x-ray interpretation small-group session administered by radiology faculty at a picture archiving and communications system (PACS) workstation. Each student verbally interpreted one chest radiograph showing one of 6 pathologies and was given a numerical rating based on a standardized rubric. This score was compared to the correctness of the student’s answer to the corresponding MCQ question on the same topic. All students completed a post-session questionnaire. Open-ended free-text responses regarding student attitudes were coded into qualitative themes by three independent raters. High inter-rater agreement was demonstrated by average agreement index of .82 or greater (ranging from 0-1, with 1 indicating perfect agreement) for responses to the most frequent themes. Results: There was no significant association between scores on MCQ exam and performance-based assessment. Up to 90% of post-session questionnaire respondents indicated a Likert rating of 5 (strongly agree) when asked if the sessions improved understanding of chest x-rays and their ability to identify specific radiologic pathology. Dominant themes from open-ended responses were then derived. Conclusions: Lack of agreement between student performance on the chest x-ray interpretation small-group session and that on the parallel MCQ exam suggests that they each measure a different type of achievement, with the former emphasizing skills over knowledge. Features most commonly valued by students in the performance-based assessment were its ability to reinforce prior knowledge, supply an authentic and relevant PACS experience simulating real life, and provide an opportunity for active practice of radiology interpretive skills.

Teaching Medical Students Optimal Consulting Skills: The Challenge of Generating Better Referring Physicians.

Rationale and objectivesWe sought to incorporate a new teaching module into the traditional medical student radiology clerkship, to improve the necessary skills for future referring physicians.Materials and methodsA new required and graded module was introduced in 2014 into the radiology clerkship in year three of medical school: the Mystery Case. Each student was provided a unique and undifferentiated case from a dedicated teaching file containing de-identified images and requisition data. Students were expected to complete three serial tasks over one week: 1) prepare a voice recognition-derived, structured radiological report utilizing appropriate and relevant vocabulary; 2) discuss pertinent additional clinical information; and 3) discuss appropriate follow-up imaging, in addition to information on how to best prepare patients for these potential patient exams (e.g., with or without contrast, bowel preparation, and length of study). Students were provided written examples and dedicated class instruction with interactive discussions covering specific cases and associated related cases through random pairing with radiology resident and attending mentors. At the close of the week, students gave brief oral presentations of their cases and submitted the tasks for a written evaluation. Upon completion of the clerkship, the students completed a Likert-type six-item survey to evaluate the perceived improvement in select skills.ResultsThe survey was completed by 82% (54/66) of the enrolled students, with 85% finding the Mystery Case an effective use of time. Medical students perceived an improved awareness of the patient care process (77%), awareness of the medical imaging resources available (89%), ability to understand a radiology report (74%), and ability to advise patients (69%).ConclusionIntroduction of the Mystery Case as a graded exercise in the medical school radiology clerkship was perceived by students as effective use of time, with an improvement in the skills essential for future referring physicians.