Understanding the perspectives of Indigenous medical students as they approach opportunities for postgraduate medical training

Introduction: Cape Verde is a small insular developing state. Its first experience of undergraduate medical education began in October 2015. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the professional expectations and profile of the first class of medical students at the University of Cape Verde.Material and Methods: A piloted, standardized questionnaire, with closed and open-ended questions, was distributed to registered medical students attending classes on the day of the survey. All data were analyzed using SPSS.Results: Students decided to study medicine in their mid-teens with relatives and friends having had significant influence over their decisions. Other major reasons for choosing medical training include “to take care of other people”, “fascination for the subject matters of medicine” and “I have always wanted to”. The degree of feminization of the student population is extremely high (20/25; 80.0%). Medical students are in general satisfied with the training program, and have expectations that the training received will allow them to be good professionals. Nevertheless, they consider the course too theoretical. Medical students know that this represents an opportunity for them to contribute to public welfare. Nonetheless, their expectations are to combine public sector practice with private work. Medical students come mostly from Santiago Island where the Capital of the Country is located. They still do not know about their future area of specialization. But all of those who want to specialize want to do so abroad. They mostly expect to follow hospital careers rather than health administration or family and community medicine.Discussion: This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge about medical students’ difficulties and expectations regarding medical schools or curriculums in lusophone countries. The decision to invest in the training of local physicians is justified by the need to be less dependent on foreigners. Local postgraduate medical training programs are already considered a priority for the immediate future.Conclusion: Cape Verde is pursuing a bold strategy to deal with a shortage of medical doctors. The problems experienced by medical students provide an important insight to help the new medical school to provide a better learning environment for students. The fact that students are not sure about their future area of specialization is an opportunity to guide them towards the areas of the health system with pressing needs. The current feminization of the medical workforce will be sustained with the profile of the present intake, hence the need to take this into account in workforce planning.

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Sexual harassment during medical training: the perceptions of medical students at a university medical school in Australia

Medical Education ◽

10.1046/j.1365-2923.2000.00684.x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 34 (12) ◽

pp. 980-986 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Gillian Eyres White

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Sexual Harassment ◽

Medical School ◽

Medical Training

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The impact of patient narratives on medical students’ perceptions of shared decision making: A randomized controlled trial

10.31234/osf.io/f84cq ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Martina Bientzle ◽

Marie Eggeling ◽

Simone Korger ◽

Joachim Kimmerle

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Medical Students ◽

Shared Decision Making ◽

Medical Training ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Future Research ◽

Shared Decision ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Information Text ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: Successful shared decision making (SDM) in clinical practice requires that future clinicians learn to appreciate the value of patient participation as early as in their medical training. Narratives, such as patient testimonials, have been successfully used to support patients’ decision-making process. Previous research suggests that narratives may also be used for increasing clinicians’ empathy and responsiveness in medical consultations. However, so far, no studies have investigated the benefits of narratives for conveying the relevance of SDM to medical students.METHODS: In this randomized controlled experiment, N = 167 medical students were put into a scenario where they prepared for medical consultation with a patient having Parkinson disease. After receiving general information, participants read either a narrative patient testimonial or a fact-based information text. We measured their perceptions of SDM, their control preferences (i.e., their priorities as to who should make the decision), and the time they intended to spend for the consultation.RESULTS: Participants in the narrative patient testimonial condition referred more strongly to the patient as the one who should make decisions than participants who read the information text. Participants who read the patient narrative also considered SDM in situations with more than one treatment option to be more important than participants in the information text condition. There were no group differences regarding their control preferences. Participants who read the patient testimonial indicated that they would schedule more time for the consultation.CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that narratives can potentially be useful for imparting the relevance of SDM and patient-centered values to medical students. We discuss possible causes of this effect and implications for training and future research.

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Implicit gender-career bias in postgraduate medical training still exists, mainly in residents and in females

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02694-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Maud Kramer ◽

Ide C. Heyligers ◽

Karen D. Könings

Keyword(s):

Gender Bias ◽

Medical Training ◽

Leadership Positions ◽

Medical Field ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Surgical Specialty ◽

Postgraduate Medical Training ◽

Career Ambition ◽

The Mean ◽

Attending Physicians

Abstract Background More and more female residents enter postgraduate medical training (PGMT). Meanwhile, women are still underrepresented in academic medicine, in leadership positions and in most surgical specialties. This suggests that female residents’ career development may still be negatively impacted by subtle, often unconscious stereotype associations regarding gender and career-ambition, called implicit gender-career bias. This study explored the existence and strength of implicit gender-career bias in doctors who currently work in PGMT, i.e. in attending physicians who act as clinical trainers and in their residents. Methods We tested implicit gender-career bias in doctors working in PGMT by means of an online questionnaire and an online Implicit Association Test (IAT). We used standard IAT analysis to calculate participants’ IAT D scores, which indicate the direction and strength of bias. Linear regression analyses were used to test whether the strength of bias was related to gender, position (resident or clinical trainer) or specialty (non-surgical or surgical specialty). Results The mean IAT D score among 403 participants significantly differed from zero (D-score = 0.36 (SD = 0.39), indicating bias associating male with career and female with family. Stronger gender-career bias was found in women (βfemale =0 .11; CI 0.02; 0.19; p = 0.01) and in residents (βresident 0.12; CI 0.01; 0.23; p = 0.03). Conclusions This study may provide a solid basis for explicitly addressing implicit gender-career bias in PGMT. The general understanding in the medical field is that gender bias is strongest among male doctors’ in male-dominated surgical specialties. Contrary to this view, this study demonstrated that the strongest bias is held by females themselves and by residents, independently of their specialty. Apparently, the influx of female doctors in the medical field has not yet reduced implicit gender-career bias in the next generation of doctors, i.e. in today’s residents, and in females.

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Face, Content, and Construct Validity of a Virtual Reality Otoscopy Simulator and Applicability to Medical Training

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/01945998211032897 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 019459982110328

Author(s):

Tobias Albrecht ◽

Christoph Nikendei ◽

Mark Praetorius

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Medical Students ◽

Construct Validity ◽

Content Validity ◽

Medical Training ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Correct Diagnosis ◽

Age Groups ◽

Tertiary Referral Center ◽

The Face

Objective Otologic diseases are common in all age groups and can significantly impair the function of this important sensory organ. To make a correct diagnosis, the correct handling of the otoscope and a correctly performed examination are essential. A virtual reality simulator could make it easier to teach this difficult-to-teach skill. The aim of this study was to assess the face, content, and construct validity of the novel virtual reality otoscopy simulator and the applicability to otologic training. Study Design Face and content validity was assessed with a questionnaire. Construct validity was assessed in a prospectively designed controlled trial. Setting Training for medical students at a tertiary referral center. Method The questionnaire used a 6-point Likert scale. The otoscopy was rated with a modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills. Time to complete the task and the percentage of the assessed eardrum surface were recorded. Results The realism of the simulator and the applicability to medical training were assessed across several items. The ratings suggested good face and content validity as well as usefulness and functionality of the simulator. The otolaryngologists significantly outperformed the student group in all categories measured (P < .0001), suggesting construct validity of the simulator. Conclusion In this study, we could demonstrate face, content, and construct validity for a novel high-fidelity virtual reality otoscopy simulator. The results encourage the use of the otoscopy simulator as a complementary tool to traditional teaching methods in a curriculum for medical students.

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Factors relating to working hours restriction that have impacted the professional identity of trainees in the last decade

British Journal of Hospital Medicine ◽

10.12968/hmed.2020.0355 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 82 (3) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Soumya Mukherjee ◽

James Meacock ◽

Eleanor Kissane ◽

Debasish Pal

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Professional Identity ◽

Medical Training ◽

Working Hours ◽

Junior Doctors ◽

Clinical Experiences ◽

Postgraduate Medical Training ◽

European Working ◽

Working Time Directive ◽

The Impact

Ever-developing changes to the working hours of junior doctors by the European Working Time Directive, the junior doctor contract of 2019 and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the professional identity of doctors. There has been little investigation into its influence on the multifaceted aspects of postgraduate medical training, which feeds into how trainees consider themselves professionally and the concept of professional identity or ‘being a doctor’. A review of the medical, socio-political and educational literature reveals that the impact on the professional identity development of trainees is influenced by several perspectives from the trainee, trainer and the public. Gross reduction in working hours has no doubt decreased the raw volume of clinical experiences. However, to counteract this, smarter learning processes have evolved, including narrative reflection, supervised learning events, and a greater awareness of coaching and training among trainers.

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Facing Death in Medical Training

OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying ◽

10.1177/0030222817729611 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 80 (3) ◽

pp. 340-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Asunción Álvarez-del Río ◽

Ma. Luisa Marván ◽

Julieta Gómez Avalos

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

End Of Life ◽

Medical Training ◽

Terminally Ill ◽

Medical Attention ◽

Objective Data ◽

Educational Activities ◽

Terminally Ill Patients ◽

Student Views ◽

Impending Death

This study explores how medical students feel about caring for terminally ill patients as well as how their medical courses prepare them for addressing end-of-life (EOL) issues with patients. Four hundred and five Mexican medical students were surveyed through the Student Views on Death questionnaire. The vast majority of students (94%) felt that physicians should inform patients of their impending death. Most students said they felt comfortable talking with (61%) or examining (76%) terminally ill patients. However, only half the students actually talked with patients about death. Participants in our study were interested in learning about EOL medical attention, yet most considered themselves poorly prepared to offer this type of care to terminally ill patients. The study provides objective data on a topic that has scarcely been explored in Mexico, data that will be useful in designing educational activities to improve EOL medical training.

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