Calling Situated: A Survey Among Medical Students Supplemented by a Qualitative Study

Author(s):  
Sandra Bonvin ◽  
Friedrich Stiefel ◽  
Mehdi Gholam ◽  
Celine Bourquin

Abstract Background calling within the medical context receives growing academic attention and empirical research has started to demonstrate its beneficial effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate what motivates students to enter medical school and what role calling may play (i), to evaluate if calling influences their perception of the learning context (ii) and to compare medical students’ experience of calling with those of physicians. Methods A questionnaire survey was distributed among medical students (N = 1048; response rate above 60%) of Lausanne University, Switzerland, supplemented by a group discussion between bachelor medical students (N = 8) and senior physicians (N = 4), focusing on different facets of calling. An existing data set of a survey among physicians, addressing calling with the same items, was used to compare students’ and physicians’ attitudes towards calling. Survey data were analyzed with the habitual statistical procedures for categorical and continuous variables. The group discussion was analyzed by means of thematic analysis. Results the survey showed that experiencing calling is a motivational factor for study choice and influences positively choice consistency. Students experiencing calling differed from those who did not : they attributed different definitions to calling, indicated more often prosocial motivational factors for entering medical school and perceived the learning context as less burdensome. The analysis of the group discussion revealed that calling is polysemous, fluid, conceived as having the characteristics of a double-edged sword and originating from within or outside or from a dialectic interplay between the inner and outer world. Finally, calling is experienced less often by physicians than by medical students, who experience calling in a decreasing prevalence with increasing immersion in the clinical years of the study of medicine. Conclusions calling plays an important role in study choice and consistency of medical students. Given its relevance for medical students and its ramifications with the learning context, calling should become a topic of the reflexive parts of the medical curriculum. We critically discuss the role played by calling for medical students and provide some perspectives on how calling could be integrated in the reflection and teaching on physician-hood.

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 <= 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 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110104
Author(s):  
Timothy P Daaleman ◽  
Mindy Storrie ◽  
Gary Beck Dallaghan ◽  
Sarah Smithson ◽  
Kurt O Gilliland ◽  
...  

Background: There is an ongoing call for leadership development in academic health care and medical students desire more training in this area. Although many schools offer combined MD/MBA programs or leadership training in targeted areas, these programs do not often align with medical school leadership competencies and are limited in reaching a large number of students. Methods: The Leadership Initiative (LI) was a program created by a partnership between a School of Medicine (SOM) and Business School with a learning model that emphasized the progression from principles to practice, and the competencies of self-awareness, communication, and collaboration/teamwork. Through offerings across a medical school curriculum, the LI introduced leadership principles and provided an opportunity to apply them in an interactive activity or simulation. We utilized the existing SOM evaluation platform to collect data on program outcomes that included satisfaction, fidelity to the learning model, and impact. Results: From 2017 to 2020, over 70% of first-year medical students participated in LI course offerings while a smaller percentage of fourth-year students engaged in the curriculum. Most students had no prior awareness of LI course material and were equivocal about their ability to apply lessons learned to their medical school experience. Students reported that the LI offerings provided opportunities to practice the skills and competencies of self-awareness, communication, and collaboration/teamwork. Discussion: Adding new activities to an already crowded medical curriculum was the greatest logistical challenge. The LI was successful in introducing leadership principles but faced obstacles in having participants apply and practice these principles. Most students reported that the LI offerings were aligned with the foundational competencies.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal Mirza ◽  
Anjiya Sulaiman ◽  
Satwat Hashmi ◽  
Samar Zaki ◽  
Rehana Rehman ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: To determine perception of medical students about learning from integrated simulated clinical skills sessions in Respiration and Circulation module of Year 1 undergraduate medical curriculum at Aga Khan University. Subjects & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Centre for Innovation in Medical Education, Aga Khan University (AKU) from July 2018 to February 2019. Integrated clinical skills session involves use of a combination of live simulated patient and mechanical simulator to teach clinical skills.  These sessions were conducted in Respiration and Circulation Module of MBBS Year I curriculum after which quantitative data was collected by a questionnaire that assessed usefulness of integrated clinical skills teaching method and confidence gained by students. The responses acquired were assessed on a Likert scale ranging from 1-5, (strongly agree -strongly disagree).  Descriptive analysis was performed. A focused group discussion (FGD) with students and an in-depth interview with a facilitator conducting the clinical skills sessions was arranged. Simple verbatim transcription of FGD recordings and thematic analyses was executed. Results: Quantitative analysis showed that more than 90% of the students believed integrated sessions were effective in acquiring the learning objectives and found them enjoyable and motivating. 80% expressed confidence that they had accomplished learning objectives and felt they have learned practical clinical skills. Qualitative analysis revealed that these sessions enhanced understanding of subject matter and student engagement during sessions. Conclusion: Integrated clinical skills sessions improved student interest, engagement and promoted student confidence. It should be implemented in undergraduate medical teaching curriculum. Continuous...


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e039357
Author(s):  
Sara Sorrell ◽  
Halah Ibrahim

ObjectivesMedical school serves as a critical developmental period for future physicians, during which students begin to form a professional identity. Just as personal appearance, particularly clothing, is an important external expression of one’s personal identity, ‘uniforms’ in healthcare, including white coats and scrubs, symbolise status and a group identity. There are, however, limited studies on the impact of physician attire on medical students’ formation of professional identity. Accordingly, through qualitative analysis of written narratives, we sought to analyse medical students’ experiences of wearing professional physician attire, namely scrubs, and how the uniform impacted their confidence level, performance and behaviours, as well as their identity as future physicians.DesignQualitative analysis of medical student’s written narratives.SettingKhalifa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences (KU CMHS) is a new medical school in the United Arab Emirates, with an inaugural class of 30 students admitted in August 2019. It is the only medical school in the city of Abu Dhabi, and the only school in the country that follows a postgraduate medical curriculum.ParticipantsAll first year medical students at KU CMHS were purposively sampled.MethodsStudents completed a voluntary online anonymous questionnaire. We employed a social identity approach to data analysis. Thematic content analysis was conducted on their narratives to identify themes.ResultsWe identified three major themes, namely (1) emotions, (2) logistics and (3) interpersonal relationships.ConclusionsMedical students form early perceptions regarding physician attire and its impact on their professional identity. Engaging in conversations regarding professional attire with educators or mentors could provide an important opportunity for students to discuss and explore professional identity early in training.


Author(s):  
Ilse Seubert Coelho Vieira ◽  
Nathália Irffi Carvalho ◽  
Antonio Carlos de Castro Toledo Júnior ◽  
Eliane Perlatto Moura

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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S14-S15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Imp ◽  
Elaine Allen ◽  
Jonathan Volk ◽  
Tanaya Bhowmick ◽  

Abstract Background While studies of healthcare professionals have shown increasing awareness, knowledge, positive beliefs, and prescribing practices of emtricitabine/tenofovir pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, PrEP is still underutilized in clinical practice. PrEP knowledge is associated with increased prescription so early education of healthcare professionals is recommended, but the extent of PrEP education in medical school is unknown. In this analysis, we describe medical students’ awareness, knowledge, beliefs, and experiences regarding PrEP. Methods Medical students at 18 US allopathic medical schools completed a survey on knowledge, beliefs, and experiences of PrEP in May–June 2016. Knowledge was assessed with a 10-question quiz on PrEP facts. No incentives to complete the survey were offered. Data were summarized by frequency (%) for categorical variables and with means (SD) for continuous variables. Chi-squared tests were used to examine differences between knowledge of PREP and other categorical variables. Results The study population (N = 1588) included women (53%), non-Caucasians (27%), and non-heterosexuals (15%). Median age was 25 (range 21–53). Forty-eight home states, including D.C., and 21 home countries were represented. 18% of fourth-year students were never taught about PrEP in medical school, compared with 40% of first-year students (P < 0.001). Overall, 28% of students were unaware of PrEP. Those unaware believed patients without HIV will not adhere to PrEP (P < 0.001). Awareness was associated with knowing someone with HIV besides a patient and experience caring for HIV-infected, intravenous drug-using, and LGBTQ people (P < 0.001). Higher knowledge scores were associated with confidence in determining a patient’s candidacy for PrEP and, for third- and fourth-year students, having recommended PrEP in the clinical setting (P < 0.001). Overally, 57% believed that behavioral intervention should be tried before prescribing PrEP, 45% believed that patients would not adhere to PrEP, and 22% worried that PrEP is not effective. Conclusion We show in an 18-site study that medical students have limited awareness, knowledge, positive beliefs, and experiences of PrEP. Given these findings and the underutilization of PrEP by current practitioners, we recommend increasing the inclusion of PrEP in medical student education. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


1985 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 586-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip G. Ney ◽  
Lynda S. Jones

When medical students of three universities, house surgeons, general practitioners, psychiatrists, and surgeons were asked in what order would they rank the importance of various subjects in the medical school education of a general practitioner, there is remarkable agreement regarding the first three. In all, 1402 respondents rank medicine, then pediatrics, then psychiatry as most important. There are differences which reflect cultural and curriculum diversity among the student groups. The majority of respondents believe psychiatry should occupy 11% or more of the curriculum.


10.2196/24989 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e24989
Author(s):  
M Olabisi Ogunbiyi ◽  
Emma Obiri-Darko

The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired us, as medical students, to reflect upon the communication training we have received in medical school and the obstacles we have faced in the clinic due to COVID-19. We hold the view that our communication training is inadequate; this view is driven by our limited exposure to patients, a situation that is currently being exacerbated by the pandemic. The medical curriculum must be inclusive of all groups and take into account the new challenges arising during the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 97 (1143) ◽  
pp. 10-15
Author(s):  
Chun Ka Wong ◽  
JoJo Hai ◽  
Kwong Yue Eric Chan ◽  
Ka Chun Un ◽  
Mi Zhou ◽  
...  

BackgroundLittle is known about the impact of the provision of handheld point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) devices on physical examination skills of medical students.MethodsWe describe an educational initiative that comprised a POCUS workshop followed by allocation of a POCUS device to medical students for use over the subsequent 8 weeks. They were encouraged to scan patients and correlate their physical examination findings. A mobile instant messaging group discussion platform was set to provide feedback from instructors. Physical examination skills were assessed by means of clinical examination.Results210 final-year medical students from the University of Hong Kong participated in the programme. 46.3% completed the end of programme electronic survey: 74.6% enjoyed using the POCUS device, 50.0% found POCUS useful to validate physical examination findings and 47.7% agreed that POCUS increased their confidence with physical examination. 93.9% agreed that the programme should be incorporated into the medical curriculum and 81.9% would prefer keeping the device for longer time from 16 weeks (45.6%) to over 49 weeks (35.3%). Medical students who participated in the POCUS programme had a higher mean score for abdominal examination compared with those from the previous academic year with no POCUS programme (3.65±0.52 vs 3.21±0.80, p=0.014), but there was no statistically significant difference in their mean score for cardiovascular examination (3.62±0.64 vs 3.36±0.93, p=0.203).ConclusionThe POCUS programme that included provision of a personal handheld POCUS device improved students’ attitude, confidence and ability to perform a physical examination.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Müller ◽  
Markus Heymanns ◽  
Laura Harder ◽  
Julia Winter ◽  
Stephan Gehring ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many authors have suggested a commitment of medical students to support overworked health care staff. However, whether the students are prepared for such an occupation remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate medical students’ preparedness for a commitment in the pandemic and to assess the impact on their skills and attitudes.Methods: In April 2020, the CoronaPreventMainz (CPM) study was initiated to test 3300 employees with direct patient contact at the University Medical Center Mainz. To accomplish the huge logistic effort, medical students were recruited as support staff.Using a web-based questionnaire, the participating students were asked 27 questions covering six different topics.Results: Of the 75 recruited students, 63 (84.0%) participated in this survey. The median age was 24 years, and 66.6% (n = 42) were female. The vast majority agreed that students should be used as voluntary helpers during this crisis (87.3%) and had the feeling of contributing in the fight against the pandemic (90.5%). Most of the students (80.6%) even reported an improvement in their practical skills. Fear of self-infection was low (7.9%), and overextending situations occurred for just 3.2%. However, less than one-fifth (19.4%) of the students felt prepared for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by medical school, and two-thirds (67.7%) demanded special preparation. Conclusion: Through their commitment, the medical students felt that they were taking part in the fight against the pandemic. However, only a few felt well-prepared by medical school and the students’ need for special preparation courses is huge. Therefore, single-center initiatives can only be the beginning. Dedicated courses on how to support health care staff in natural disasters should be integrated into the medical curriculum to better prepare medical students for the next crisis.


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