scholarly journals Informal and Formal Peer Teaching in the Medical School Ecosystem: Perspectives From a Student-Teacher Team

10.2196/21869 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e21869
Author(s):  
Anson Hei Ka Tong ◽  
Christopher See

These personal views, drawn from the experiences of a medical student and a medical school lecturer, advocate caution of the current trend for formal adoption of peer teaching into medical school curricula. Using a metaphor from physics, we highlight the need for cautious deeper exploration of the informal world of peer-teaching in medical schools, which is a complex part of the educational ecosystem, prior to incorporating such activities into faculty-led initiatives. We support a measured approach to the introduction of compulsory peer-teaching activities given the recognized theoretical and pedagogical benefits.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anson Hei Ka Tong ◽  
Christopher See

UNSTRUCTURED These personal views, drawn from the experiences of a medical student and a medical school lecturer, advocate caution of the current trend for formal adoption of peer teaching into medical school curricula. Using a metaphor from physics, we highlight the need for cautious deeper exploration of the informal world of peer-teaching in medical schools, which is a complex part of the educational ecosystem, prior to incorporating such activities into faculty-led initiatives. We support a measured approach to the introduction of compulsory peer-teaching activities given the recognized theoretical and pedagogical benefits.


2021 ◽  
pp. 155982762110081
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Trilk ◽  
Shannon Worthman ◽  
Paulina Shetty ◽  
Karen R. Studer ◽  
April Wilson ◽  
...  

Lifestyle medicine (LM) is an emerging specialty that is gaining momentum and support from around the world. The American Medical Association passed a resolution to support incorporating LM curricula in medical schools in 2017. Since then, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Undergraduate Medical Education Task Force has created a framework for incorporating LM into medical school curricula. This article provides competencies for medical school LM curriculum implementation and illustrates how they relate to the Association of American Medical College’s Core Entrustable Professional Activities and the LM Certification Competencies from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Finally, standards are presented for how medical schools may receive certification for integrating LM into their curriculum and how medical students can work toward becoming board certified in LM through an educational pathway.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Gasparini ◽  
Shruti Jayakumar ◽  
Sarah Ayton ◽  
Marco N Nardini ◽  
Joel D Dunning

Abstract OBJECTIVES There has been declining interest in cardiothoracic surgery amongst medical graduates. This survey examines the exposure of British medical students to cardiothoracic surgery in various settings and its relationship with students’ interest in the speciality. METHODS A questionnaire composed of 14 quantitative and qualitative items was distributed amongst 162 medical students. The survey included questions on demographics, interest in cardiothoracic surgery, mechanisms of exposure to the speciality and desire to pursue a career in cardiothoracic surgery before and after exposure. RESULTS Amongst the surveyed students, 71.0% reported exposure to cardiothoracic surgery as part of their medical school curricula and 24.7% reported extracurricular exposure. Of the students, 46.7% reported clinical exposure. Overall, 27.1% of students reported interest in a career in cardiothoracic surgery, which was higher amongst students who had curricular (29.6%), clinical (35.5%) or extracurricular exposure (50.0%). Amongst interested students, 43.2% engaged in extracurricular cardiothoracic activities compared with 16.1% of students not interested in pursuing the speciality. Confidence in career choice after exposure increased more in interested students (20.4%) than not interested students (1.6%). Students rated exposure and mentorship as the most important factor in promoting a career in cardiothoracic surgery. CONCLUSIONS Medical students with an interest in cardiothoracic surgery are more likely to organize independent attachments in the speciality and attend extracurricular events; however, many students might fail to identify cardiothoracic surgery as an area of interest because of the lack of exposure at medical school.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 3300-3300
Author(s):  
Virginia C. Broudy ◽  
Scot G. Hickman

An Association of American Medical Colleges position paper calls for a 30% increase in medical school enrollment by 2015. New faculty effort certification reporting requirements for NIH-supported investigators and increasing clinical productivity expectations at academic medical centers challenge the tradition of faculty volunteerism for medical student teaching. To better define the structure, content, and financial support of second year medical school hematology courses nationwide, in 2001/2002 we mailed a survey to the hematology course directors at 85 of the 125 accredited US medical schools. The 58 course directors who returned the survey represent all regions of the US, and both public and private medical schools. Ten of the hematology course directors subspecialized in areas other than adult or pediatric hematology or hematology/oncology. Median class size was 150 students (range 40–200), and some courses included a substantial proportion (up to 33%) of students other than medical students (dental students, graduate students, PA students). Median course hours was 33 hours (range 8 to 74, an almost 10-fold difference). Approximately 50% of the total teaching time was devoted to lecture (range 5% to 100%), but a wide variety of additional teaching approaches were also employed, including small group discussions, problem-based learning, and web-based teaching (used by 62% of course directors). The median number of faculty responsible for teaching the second year hematology course was 12 (range 1–36). The hematology course directors identified a number of obstacles, including difficulty recruiting teachers (experienced by 45% of course directors), the lack of well-defined content, and the very modest budget (less than $1500 for most courses). Only 3 of the course directors indicated that they received salary support for this role. The findings of this survey suggest that a national effort to define learning objectives for the hematology courses and to share teaching materials among medical schools is warranted. Of note, it was estimated in 1997 that the total educational costs for one medical student are $72,000–92,000 per year, and that the majority of these costs are instructional. In 2003 median medical school tuition nationally was $16,322 (for a state resident attending a public school) and $34,550 (private school tuition). The present results show that few of these funds are directed to support of faculty time to teach the hematology course, and compel the identification of a funding stream to pay faculty for teaching medical student required courses.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e039782
Author(s):  
Peter Grabitz ◽  
Zoe Friedmann ◽  
Sophie Gepp ◽  
Leonard Hess ◽  
Lisa Specht ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo assess the quantity and evaluate the quality of policies and curricula focusing on conflicts of interests (COI) at medical schools across Germany.DesignCross-sectional study, survey of medical schools, standardised web search.SettingMedical schools, Germany.Participants38 German medical schools.InterventionsWe collected relevant COI policies, including teaching activities, by conducting a search of the websites of all 38 German medical schools using standardised keywords for COI policies and teaching. Further, we surveyed all medical schools’ dean’s offices. Finally, we adapted a scoring system for results we obtained with 13 categories based on prior similar studies.Main outcomes and measuresPresence or absence of COI-related policies, including teaching activities at medical school. The secondary outcome was the achieved score on a scale from 0 to 26, with high scores representing restrictive policies and sufficient teaching activities.ResultsWe identified relevant policies for one medical school via the web search. The response rate of the deans’ survey was 16 of 38 (42.1%). In total, we identified COI-related policies for 2 of 38 (5.3%) German medical schools, yet no policy was sufficient to address all COI-related categories that were assessed in this study. The maximum score achieved was 12 of 26. 36 (94.7%) schools scored 0. No medical school reported curricular teaching on COI.ConclusionsOur results indicate a low level of action by medical schools to protect students from undue commercial influence. No participating dean was aware of any curriculum or instruction on COI at the respective school and only two schools had policies in place. The German Medical Students Association and international counterparts have called for a stronger focus on COI in the classroom. We conclude that for German medical schools, there is still a long way to go.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 443-446
Author(s):  
Paul A Regan ◽  
Joslyn Sciacca Kirby

Skin disorders are among the most common complaints in primary care settings, yet dermatology is often underrepresented in medical school curricula. Lecture time during the preclinical years is limited, and clinical dermatology rotations are rarely mandatory. Therefore, dermatology learning during medical school must be efficient and effective. The American Academy of Dermatology’s Basic Dermatology Curriculum is a set of peer-reviewed, online learning modules that serve as an introductory educational resource for medical students to learn about skin disease. Several studies have demonstrated positive effects of the modules in dermatology instruction, and the use of the modules in medical school curricula has been strongly supported by students. Dermatology educators should consider incorporating the Basic Dermatology Curriculum modules into preclinical and clinical medical student dermatology education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. e18-e24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiayu Liu ◽  
SherWin Wong ◽  
Gary Foster ◽  
Anne Holbrook

Evidence suggests that newly licensed physicians are not adequately prepared to prescribe medications safely. There is currently no national pre-licensure prescribing competency assessment required in North America. This study’s purpose was to survey Canadian medical school leaders for their interest in and perceived need for a nation-wide prescribing assessment for final year medical students. Method In spring of 2015, surveys were disseminated online to medical education leaders in all 17 Canadian medical schools. The survey included questions on perceived medication prescribing competency in medical schools, and interest in integration of a national assessment into medical school curricula and licensing. Results 372 (34.6 %) faculty from all 17 Canadian medical schools responded. 277 (74.5%) respondents were residency directors, 33 (8.9%) vice deans of medical education or equivalent, and 62 (16.7%) clerkship coordinators. Faculty judged 23.4% (SD 22.9%) of their own graduates’ prescribing knowledge to be unsatisfactory and 131 (44.8%) felt obligated to provide close supervision to more than a third of their new residents due to prescribing concerns. 239 (73.0%) believed that an assessment process would improve their graduates’ quality, 262 (80.4%) thought it should be incorporated into their medical school curricula and 248 (76.0%) into the national licensing process. Except in regards to close supervision due to concerns, there were no significant differences between schools’ responses. Conclusions Amongst Canadian medical school leadership, there is a perceived inadequacy in medical student prescribing competency as well as support for a standardized prescribing competency assessment in curricula and licensing processes.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samal Nauhria ◽  
Irene Derksen ◽  
Shreya Nauhria ◽  
Amitabha Basu

Abstract Background: Community service provides avenues for social learning in medical education. Partnerships between medical schools and local healthcare agencies has paved the path for an active participation of a medical student in the community. This seems to have a positive impact on the medical knowledge and skills of students and also leads to a betterment of healthcare services for the community. National accreditation agencies and medical boards have emphasized that medical schools should provide opportunities for such learning to occur in the medical school curriculum. Various medical schools around the globe have adopted this active learning pedagogy and thus we wanted to explore how we can establish such a learning framework at out university.Methods: This was a qualitative study based on feedback from volunteer students who attended the annual health fare conducted in collaboration with local healthcare agencies. Two focus group interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded for thematic analyses.Results: Overall, the students enjoyed learning various clinical procedural skills. This activity was an opportunity to apply the medical knowledge learnt in classrooms. The students developed various competencies like communication skills, professionalism, team work and social responsibility. Prevalent health conditions discovered by the students included diabetes mellitus, hypertension and nutritional imbalance.Conclusions: This study explores how serving the community can bring about an educational change for a medical student. The community service framework promotes social learning, interprofessional education, peer learning and active learning amongst medical students.


Author(s):  
Mohamed Badawy ◽  
Scott Rohren ◽  
Ahmed Elhatw ◽  
Ahmed S. Negm ◽  
Amr Ahmed ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Radiology serves in the diagnosis and management of many diseases. Despite its rising importance and use, radiology is not a core component of a lot of medical school curricula. This survey aims to clarify current gaps in the radiological education in Egyptian medical schools. In February–May 2021, 5318 students enrolled in Egyptian medical schools were recruited and given a 20-multiple-choice-question survey assessing their radiology knowledge, radiograph interpretation, and encountered imaging experiences. We measured the objective parameters as a percentage. We conducted descriptive analysis and used Likert scales where values were represented as numerical values. Percentages were graphed afterwards. Results A total of 5318 medical students in Egypt answered our survey. Gender distribution was 45% males and 54% females. The results represented all 7 class years of medical school (six academic years and a final training year). In assessing students’ knowledge of radiology, most students (75%) reported that they received ‘too little’ education, while 20% stated the amount was ‘just right’ and only 4% reported it was ‘too much.’ Sixty-two percent of students stated they were taught radiology through medical imaging lectures. Participants’ future career plans were almost equally distributed. Near half of participants (43%) have not heard about the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria (ACR-AR), while 39% have heard about it but are not familiar with. Conclusions Radiology is a novel underestimated field. Therefore, medical students need more imaging exposure. To accomplish this, attention and efforts should be directed toward undergraduate radiology education to dissolve the gap between radiology and other specialties during clinical practice. A survey answered by medical students can bridge between presence of any current defect in undergraduate radiology teaching and future solutions for this topic.


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