scholarly journals Plastic Surgery Inclusion in the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum: Perception, Challenges, and Career Choice—A Comparative Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Farid ◽  
R. Vaughan ◽  
S. Thomas

Objective. The undergraduate medical curriculum has been overcrowded with core learning outcomes with no formal exposure to plastic surgery. The aim of this study was to compare medical students from two educational settings for the basic understanding, preferred learning method, and factors influencing a career choice in plastic surgery. Design and Setting. A prospective cohort study based on a web-based anonymous questionnaire sent to final year medical students at Birmingham University (United Kingdom), McGill University (Canada), and a control group (non-medical staff). The questions were about plastic surgery: (1) source of information and basic understanding; (2) undergraduate curriculum inclusion and preferred learning methods; (3) factors influencing a career choice. A similar questionnaire was sent to non-medical staff (control group). The data was analysed based on categorical outcomes (Chi-square χ2) and level of significance p≤0.05. Results. Questionnaire was analysed for 243 students (Birmingham, n=171/332, 52%) (McGill n=72/132, 54%). Birmingham students (14%) considered the word “plastic” synonymous with “cosmetic” more than McGill students (4%, p<0.025). Teaching was the main source of knowledge for McGill students (39%, p<0.001) while Birmingham students and control group chose the media (70%, p<0.001). McGill students (67%) more than Birmingham (49%, p<0.010) considered curriculum inclusion. The preferred learning method was lectures for McGill students (61%, p<0.01) but an optional module for Birmingham (61%). A similar proportion (18%) from both student groups considered a career in plastic surgery. Conclusions. Medical students recognised the need for plastic surgery inclusion in the undergraduate curriculum. There was a difference for plastic surgery source of information, operations, and preferred method of learning for students. The study highlighted the urgent need to reform plastic surgery undergraduate teaching in collaboration with national educational bodies worldwide.

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Elize Archer ◽  
E M Bitzer ◽  
B B Van Heerden

Background: Patient-centredness, an approach that puts the patient at the centre of the consultation, thus focusing on patients instead of on his/her diseases, has been identified by most medical schools as a desired core competence of their graduates. Despite some curriculum initiatives, medical students often display a lack of patient-centredness upon graduation. This bears reason for concern and it was thus deemed important to explore possible factors that influence the teaching and learning of patient-centredness in an undergraduate medical curriculum. The article suggests a framework that can assist programme developers to conceptualise the teaching and learning of patient-centredness across an undergraduate curriculum. Methods: A qualitative exploratory case study design was used for the study with final-year medical students. Themes of meaning were deduced from the data by employing components of an Integrated Behavior Model (IBM) of Fishbein. Results: The findings of the study revealed that seven factors play a role: background characteristics of students, attitudinal factors, subjective norms (the hidden curriculum), student self-efficacy, acquired skills and knowledge, the environment or context within which patient-centredness is taught and learnt, as well as assessment of learning. Conclusions: Patient-centredness is a complex construct and authors often write about only one of its components. This paper attempts to consider the total undergraduate medical curriculum students are exposed to when they learn about being patient-centred. The teaching and learning of such a multidimensional construct require a comprehensive approach in order to be effective and the IBM seems to be a useful and applicable theoretical model to apply. (Full text of the research articles are available online at www.medpharm.tandfonline.com/ojfp) S Afr Fam Pract 2017; DOI: 10.1080/20786190.2017.1386869


2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 208-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Yakeley ◽  
Peter Shoenberg ◽  
Austin Heady

Aims and MethodThe study aimed to determine whether medical students who participated in a student psychotherapy scheme aimed at helping them learn about the doctor-patient relationship were more likely to choose psychiatry as a career than a control group who did not participate. One hundred and ninety-eight medical students who participated in the University College and Middlesex School of Medicine (UCMSM) Psychotherapy Scheme between 1982 and 1992, and 200 randomly selected students of the same period who did not, were sent a questionnaire asking about career choice.ResultsSeventy-seven of 163 participants in the scheme who sent back the questionnaire had not thought about doing psychiatry before entering the scheme. Of these, 11 became psychiatrists (14.3%), compared with only two (1.6%) of the 128 controls (of 152 respondents) who had not considered psychiatry as a career at the same stage. This difference is highly significant (P<0.001). Many of the participants, including those who did not specialise in psychiatry, emphasised how the scheme had helped them understand the doctor-patient relationship.ImplicationsParticipating in the Student Psychotherapy Scheme encouraged medical students to choose psychiatry as a career. This knowledge is important, particularly in view of the current recruitment crisis in psychiatry.


2013 ◽  
Vol 202 (s55) ◽  
pp. s89-s94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Friedrich ◽  
Sara Evans-Lacko ◽  
Jillian London ◽  
Danielle Rhydderch ◽  
Claire Henderson ◽  
...  

BackgroundEducation Not Discrimination (END) is the component of the Time to Change programme intended to reduce mental health stigma among professionals and professional trainees.AimsTo investigate the impact of the END anti-stigma programme on medical students immediately and after 6 months with regard to knowledge, attitudes, behaviour and empathy.MethodA total of 1452 medical students participated in the study (intervention group n = 1066, control group n = 386).Participants completed questionnaires at baseline, and at immediate and 6-month follow-up. Groups were compared for changes in stigma outcomes.ResultsAll measures improved in both groups, particularly among students with less knowledge and more stigmatising attitudes and intended behaviour at baseline. At immediate follow-up the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in stigma-related knowledge and reductions in stigma-related attitudes and intended behaviour, relative to the control group. At 6 months' follow-up, however, only one attitude item remained significantly better.ConclusionsAlthough the intervention produced short-term advantage there was little evidence for its persistent effect, suggesting a need for greater integration of ongoing measures to reduce stigma into the medical curriculum.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinghua Wang ◽  
Tianjiao Du

Abstract Background Extant literature reveals that medical students suffer from various mental health problems in the process of learning medicine. However, there are few studies evaluating the implementation of a mental health education course in medical curriculum. The current study aimed to test the effectiveness of an 8-week intensive mental health education course, the College Student Mental Health Education Course (CSMHEC), and to gain further insights on how the course could be improved from students’ feedback. Methods This is a quasi-experimental study with both quantitative and qualitative analyses. We recruited 374 first year medical students as our subjects with 188 (age = 17.97 ± 0.65 years, 37.2% male) for the experiment group and 186 (age = 18.02 ± 0.63 years, 40.3% male) for the control group. For quantitative analysis, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), Chinese College Student Academic Burnout Inventory (CCSABI) and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) were used and a 5-point Likert scale was used to indicate students’ overall satisfaction with CSMHEC. For qualitative analysis, a thematic analysis method was adopted to gain insights from the feedback of medical students. Results Medical students in the experiment group saw a significant decline in psychological distress (p < 0.001, d = 0.31) and academic burnout (p < 0.001, d = 1.46), while they experienced a significant increase in life satisfaction levels after the intervention (p < 0.001, d = 0.48). Compared with students in the control group, students in the experiment group had statistically significant lower levels of psychological distress (p < 0.05, d = 0.23) and academic burnout (p < 0.001, d = 0.70), but statistically significant higher levels of life satisfaction in the post-test (p < 0.01, d = 0.31). Most students in the experiment group were satisfied with CSMHEC and themes extracted in the thematic analysis shed light on how the course could be improved. Conclusions Implementing a mental health education course like CSMHEC in medical curriculum can be effective in helping medical students improve psychological health. More research needs to be conducted on further refinement and better design of such a course to implement in medical education.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
CH Li ◽  
J Parker ◽  
N Reeve ◽  
J Cornish

Abstract Introduction To evaluate the medical school undergraduate curriculum on faecal incontinence (FI) and develop an educational tool to improve the teaching on the subject. Method Qualitative analysis of literature research and data collected from medical students via emails, questionnaires and focused group discussions. Result FI has not been implanted into the undergraduate curriculum 12,13 and there are variations in teaching on the topic in different medical schools. n= 111 medical students at Cardiff University responded to the survey. FI was reported to be overlooked compared to other types of bowel dysfunction. 38 students reported to have teaching on bowel incontinence, whereas 64 and 74 students had teaching on diarrhoea and constipation respectively. 77% of medical students would like more teaching on bowel incontinence. 9 students participated in a focused group discussion. An interactive e-learning module from Xerte was created based on the students' suggestions and were trialed by a separate cohort of students (n=20). All 20 students showed significant improvement of students' confidence in faecal incontinence (p &lt;= 2.132e∧-6) after completing the e-learning module. Conclusion We recommend introducing the educational resource into the undergraduate curriculum of Cardiff University medical school, especially targeting the clinical year, a clear guidance for FI should be published by the relevant postgraduate healthcare faculties and consider assessing at which stage of the postgraduate training should FI be taught. Take-home message Baseline knowledge of FI is poor. Lack of content in medical school curriculum and E learning modules potentially useful adjuncts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred-Cyrille Goethe Doualla ◽  
Georges Bediang ◽  
Chris Nganou-Gnindjio

Abstract Background Cardiac auscultation remains an efficient and accessible diagnostic tool, especially in resource-limited countries where modern diagnostic devices like cardiac ultrasound are expensive and difficult to access. However, cardiac auscultation skills of medical students and physicians are declining, mainly because of an ineffective teaching method for this technique. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of a digitally enhanced cardiac auscultation learning method on participants’ theoretical knowledge and auscultation skills. Methods This will be a controlled study with two parallel arms (1:1). Participants (fourth-year medical students) will be divided into two groups: an intervention group (receiving additional lectures, clinical internship and audio listening sessions) and a control group (receiving additional lectures and clinical internship). At the beginning of the study, all participants will undergo a pre-test that consist of two parts: a knowledge assessment based on multiple-choice questions and a skills assessment based on recognition of cardiac sounds from audio files. Thereafter, three specific additional lectures on cardiac auscultation will be delivered and all participants will take part in their official clinical internship. During these clinical internships (eight weeks), participants of the intervention group will be invited to two listening sessions based on five digital recordings of heart sounds. At the end of the clinical internship, all participants will be invited to a post-test to evaluate their knowledge, skills and satisfaction according to their learning method. The main outcome will be the participants’ knowledge progression. The other outcomes will be the participants’ skills progression, participants’ total progression and satisfaction. Data will be collected and analyzed in per protocol. Discussion This study could contribute to the development of a learning method that takes into account the advantages of the conventional method and the contribution of digital technology. Positive results could lead to improved cardiac auscultation skills among health professionals, especially in developing countries. Trial registration The trial is registered on the Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.pactr.org) under unique identification number: PACTR202001504666847, registered the 29 November 2019.


Author(s):  
B Patel ◽  
S R Saeed ◽  
S Smith

Abstract Objective The existing provision of ENT teaching in the undergraduate curriculum is deemed inadequate by medical students, general practitioners and ENT surgeons alike. This study aims to explore the perceptions of a variety of stakeholders on how undergraduate ENT provision can be optimised. Methods This study involved semi-structured interviews with seven participants (two medical students, two general practitioners, two ENT surgeons and a curriculum developer). Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify key themes that emerged from the interviews. Results The four emergent themes were evaluation of current ENT provision, barriers to learning and teaching, alternate means of delivery of ENT education, and professional identity development. A number of barriers to learning and teaching in the clinical environment were identified including student-related, teacher-related and environmental factors. Conclusion The existing ENT provision should be re-considered to help students achieve a basic level of competence in managing common ENT conditions. This can be achieved by ENT teaching in additional contexts including general practice, e-learning and simulation workshops.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kjeld Vossen ◽  
Jan-Joost Rethans ◽  
Sander M J van Kuijk ◽  
Cees P van der Vleuten ◽  
Pieter L Kubben

BACKGROUND Several publications on research into eHealth demonstrate promising results. Prior researchers indicated that the current generation of doctors is not trained to take advantage of eHealth in clinical practice. Therefore, training and education for everyone using eHealth are key factors to its successful implementation. We set out to review whether medical students feel prepared to take advantage of eHealth innovations in medicine. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate whether medical students desire a dedicated eHealth curriculum during their medical studies. METHODS A questionnaire assessing current education, the need for education about eHealth topics, and the didactical forms for teaching these topics was developed. Questionnaire items were scored on a scale from 1 (fully disagree with a topic) to 10 (fully agree with a topic). This questionnaire was distributed among 1468 medical students of Maastricht University in the Netherlands. R version 3.5.0 (The R Foundation) was used for all statistical procedures. RESULTS A total of 303 students out of 1468, representing a response rate of 20.64%, replied to our questionnaire. The aggregate statement “I feel prepared to take advantage of the technological developments within the medical field” was scored at a mean value of 4.8 out of 10. Mean scores regarding the need for education about eHealth topics ranged from 6.4 to 7.3. Medical students did not favor creating their own health apps or mobile apps; the mean score was 4.9 for this topic. The most popular didactical option, with a mean score 7.2, was to remotely follow a real-life patient under the supervision of a doctor. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest evaluation of students’ opinions on eHealth training in a medical undergraduate curriculum. We found that medical students have positives attitudes toward incorporating eHealth into the medical curriculum.


Author(s):  
Jabaiti Samir ◽  
Ayman M. Hamdan-Mansour ◽  
Ula N. Isleem ◽  
Saba' Altarawneh ◽  
Lamees Araggad ◽  
...  

Introduction: Misconceptions surrounding the discipline of plastic surgery are widespread among not only the public, but medical students and professionals, as well. The purpose of this study was to explore how the inclusion of plastic surgery rotation into the medical curriculum affects medical students’ knowledge, attitudes and preferences regarding plastic surgery specialization and referral.  Design and Methods: A descriptive-correlational design was utilized to collect data from 200 medical students in the final two years of education from two separate six-year medical programs in Jordan. Data was collected using self-reported questionnaires regarding knowledge of surgical procedures allocation, attitude towards plastic surgery, preference of specialization, and benefits of plastic surgery to physicians and patients.Results: Analysis showed that medical students of plastic surgery integrate rotation (program A) had a higher average score of correct procedure-allocation (M = 12.57, SD = 3.14), compared to non-integrated plastic survey rotation program (program B) (M = 8.29, SD = 3.05) 8.29. About 83% of students in program A had their knowledge on plastic surgery from direct exposure to a plastic surgeon, compared to 43% of program B, and 24% of students in program A reported that their perception of plastic surgery influenced by media compared to 62% of those in program B.Conclusions: medical students who have been exposed to plastic surgery education are more confident about procedures of plastic surgery specialty and had more reliable sources of knowledge about plastic surgery than those who were not exposed to plastic surgery rotation.


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