scholarly journals Reflective Writing about Near-Peer Blogs: A Novel Method for Introducing the Medical Humanities in Premedical Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Conrad Bracken ◽  
Ajay Major ◽  
Aleena Paul ◽  
Kirsten Ostherr
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Academic Medicine ◽  
Medical Humanities ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Premedical Students ◽  
Blog Posts

AbstractNarrative analysis, creative writing, and interactive reflective writing have been identified as valuable for professional identity formation and resilience among medical and premedical students alike. This study proposes that medical student blogs are novel pedagogical tools for fostering peer-to-peer learning in academic medicine and are currently underutilized as a near-peer resource for premedical students to learn about the medical profession. To evaluate the pedagogical utility of medical student blogs for introducing core themes in the medical humanities, the authors conducted qualitative analysis of one hundred seventy-six reflective essays by baccalaureate premedical students written in response to medical student-authored narrative blog posts. Using an iterative thematic approach, the authors identified common patterns in the reflective essays, distilled major themes, coded the essays, and conducted narrative analysis through close reading. Qualitative analysis identified three core themes (empathic conflict, bias in healthcare, and the humanity of medicine) and one overarching theme (near-peer affinities). The premedical students’ essays demonstrated significant self-reflection in response to near-peer works, discussed their perceptions of medical professionalism, and expressed concerns about their future progress through the medical education system. The essays consistently attributed the impact of the medical student narratives to the authors’ status as near-peers. The authors conclude that reading and engaging in reflective writing about near-peer blog posts encourages premedical students to develop an understanding of core concepts in the medical humanities and promotes their reflection on the profession of medicine. Thus, incorporating online blogs written by medical trainees as narrative works in medical humanities classrooms is a novel pedagogical method for fostering peer-to-peer learning in academic medicine.

scholarly journals Medical Student POCUS Peer-to-Peer Teaching: Ready for Mainstream

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-14
Author(s):  
Mazen El-Baba ◽  
Kathryn Corbett ◽  
Kate Dillon ◽  
Claire Heslop
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Peer Teaching ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
The Face ◽  
Competency Evaluation

Background: Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is changing the face of clinical practice and medical education. Worldwide consensus based on expert opinion has advocated for POCUS teaching in undergraduate medical school curricula. Significant barriers, including lack of available instructors and limited resources, prevents medical learners from acquiring core competencies at most institutions. Here, we describe a peer-to-peer learning POCUS workshop and advocate for the use of this type of training to meet the demands of POCUS learning. Methods: A two-day POCUS workshop was held in Toronto, Ontario with twenty-six medical student participants. The workshop was structured according to a graduated model of POCUS skill development, beginning with didactic teaching, then progressing to hands-on peer-to-peer teaching, and finishing with competency evaluation by POCUS experts. Participants completed pre-and post-workshop surveys regarding prior POCUS teaching and exposure, self-reported skill development, and feedback on the workshop itself. Results: Of the 20 respondents to the questionnaire, 70% had prior POCUS exposure, with 85% of these individuals having less than 5 hours of prior POCUS education. Eighty-five percent of students reported that the organization of the course allowed them to participate fully, and 95% of participants indicated that peer-to-peer learning was effective. Conclusion: These findings suggest that peer-to-peer POCUS teaching is an effective learning method to acquire and consolidate well-established POCUS competencies. This initiative is scalable and could be applied to all learners in various disciplines. As such, we recommend medical schools consider integration of peer-to-peer POCUS teaching into longitudinal clerkship training programs, and transition-to-residency courses.

scholarly journals Incorporating Telementorship Into Laboratory Capacity Building Initiatives for Improved AMR Surveillance in Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s41-s42
Author(s):  
Martin Evans ◽  
Rajiha Abubeker ◽  
Surafel Fentaw Dinku ◽  
Thuria Adem ◽  
Abera Abdeta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Project Echo ◽  
Laboratory Capacity ◽  
Case Presentations

Background: In July 2017, recognizing the threat that antimicrobial resistance poses to the population, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) launched the Ethiopia AMR Surveillance Network at 4 sentinel laboratories. Simultaneously, laboratory capacity building was initiated to ensure the reporting of quality laboratory data to the surveillance system. One initiative, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) was used to virtually connect subject matter experts with participating laboratories in remote settings to provide ongoing education and telementoring and to foster peer-to-peer learning and problem solving in microbiology. The 10-month project was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).Methods: Biweekly 1-hour sessions were held by ASM for 2 sentinel sites, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital and the EPHI Clinical Microbiology and Mycology Laboratory, using a videoconferencing platform. Each virtual session consisted of a didactic session, a case presentation by a participating laboratory, open discussion and feedback. Case presentations focused on technical challenges and problems encountered in the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical phases of microbiology testing. Experts from CDC and ASM provided feedback along with a summation of key learning objectives. Sessions were recorded and post session reports were shared with participants. To assess participants’ baseline knowledge, a comprehensive pretest was administered prior to the first session. The same instrument was administered as a posttest 2 weeks after the final session. Unstructured interviews were also conducted to assess participants’ perceptions of the value of ECHO to their work. Results: Mean pretest scores were 69.25% and the posttest scores were 71.04%, a difference of 1.79% (P = NS). Participant interviews revealed perceived benefits of ECHO participation to include enhanced critical thinking and problem resolution in microbiology, increased communication and improved working relationships between participating sites, and improved understanding and application of CLSI standards. As a result of Ethiopia’s participation in Project ECHO, 23 case presentations have been added to ECHO Box, a resource bank and web portal, which allows members of the ECHO community to share and access didactics, documents, and learning materials. Conclusions: Despite minimal difference between pretest and posttest scores, the Project ECHO experience of virtual case-based learning and collaborative problem solving has encouraged critical thinking, peer-to-peer learning, networking among participants, and has provided microbiologists with the resources for improved bacterial isolation, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing. The lessons learned could be applied as this project is expanded to additional laboratories in the AMR Surveillance Network.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals “Audience exchange”: cultivating peer-to-peer dialogue at unfamiliar arts events

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Pitts ◽  
Jonathan Gross
Keyword(s):  
Peer Learning ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Exchange Method ◽  
Audience Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peer Dialogue ◽  
Targeted Marketing ◽  
Audience Development ◽  
First Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of the “audience exchange” approach for audience development and research, and to highlight the insights offered by peer-to-peer dialogue in understanding experiences of unfamiliar arts. Design/methodology/approach Using a case study with contemporary arts audiences, and setting this in the wider context of studies with other first-time attenders at a range of arts events, the paper explores the use of the “audience exchange” method, in which facilitated conversations after performance events allow newcomers to reflect upon and deepen their first-time encounters with live arts. Findings The study demonstrates the way in which conversations about arts events can enrich audience experience, and shows how participants use exploratory and emotional language to articulate their understanding of unfamiliar arts events. Peer-to-peer learning occurs through these conversations, in ways that could be further supported by arts organisations as a valuable tool for audience development. The audience exchange discussions also reveal the varieties of participation from “drifting” to full attention that are all part of audience engagement. Research limitations/implications This is a small-scale, qualitative study, and the method has potential to be tested in future studies with a greater variety of participants (e.g. younger or more ethnically diverse groups). Practical implications Use of the audience exchange for enriching experiences of first-time attendance could be adopted by arts organisations as a regular part of their audience engagement. Greater understanding of how new audience members draw on prior cultural experiences in finding the language to articulate their first impressions of an unfamiliar arts event could be valuable for targeted marketing and increasing accessibility. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in its elaboration of the audience exchange method, and its focus on the language and peer-to-peer learning evident in the facilitated post-performance discussions.

scholarly journals Psychological effects of war: A role play

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziad Kronfol ◽  
Mhd Omar Subei ◽  
Haidar Kubba ◽  
Khalid Taha ◽  
Aicha Hind Rifai
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Role Play ◽  
Peer Education ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Effects Of War

The practice of psychiatry, perhaps more than any other specialty, is largely affected by culture. The medical student psychiatry curriculum often fails to incorporate this reality. In the Middle East currently, because of the endemic violence and warfare, the topic of the Psychological Effects of War should be an integral part of the psychiatry curriculum. Unfortunately, this topic is often neglected or poorly addressed in most psychiatric textbooks or curricula. A group of three students at WCM-Q in Doha took matter in their own hands to fill this gap. They used role play to illustrate three different conditions that are associated with the psychological effects of war in three different scenarios: anxiety, depression and PTSD. They made a video of the scenes with other fellow students participating in the discussion. This innovative approach is a good example of peer-to-peer education to cover an important topic that is frequently missing in standard curricula.

Lesson Study: Scaling up peer-to-peer learning for teachers in Zambia

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haeyeon Jung ◽  
Christina Kwauk ◽  
Ainan Nuran ◽  
Jenny Perlman Robinson ◽  
Marijke Schouten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lesson Study ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Peer To Peer
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