scholarly journals P142: Perspectives of medical students and undergraduate students on their experience as medical scribes in the Saint John Regional Hospital Emergency Department

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S115-S116
Author(s):  
I. Abelev ◽  
D. Lewis ◽  
J. Fraser ◽  
P. Atkinson

Introduction: Electronic medical records (EMR) have placed increasing demand on emergency physicians and may contribute to physician burnout and stress. The use of scribes to reduce workload and increase productivity in emergency departments (ED) has been reported. This objective of this study was to evaluate the educational and experiential value of scribing among medical and undergraduate students. We asked: “Will undergraduates be willing to scribe in exchange for clinical exposure and experience?”; and, “Should scribing be integrated into the medical school curriculum?” Methods: A mixed-methods model was employed. The study population included 5 undergraduate, and 5 medical students. Scribes received technical training on how to take physician notes. Undergraduate students were provided with optional resources to familiarize themselves with common medical terminology. Scribes were assigned to physicians based on availability. An exit interview and semi-structured interviews were conducted at the conclusion of the study. Interviews were transcribed and coded into thematic coding trees. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to analyze the results. Themes were reviewed and verified by two members of the research team. Results: Undergraduate students preferred volunteering in the ED over other volunteer experiences (5/5); citing direct access to the medical field (5/5), demystification of the medical profession (4/5), resume building (5/5), and perceived value added to the health care team (5/5) as main motivators to continue scribing. Medical students felt scribing should be integrated into their curriculum (4/5) because it complemented their shadowing experience by providing unique value that shadowing did not. Based on survey results, five undergraduate students would be required to cover 40 volunteer hours per week. Conclusion: A student volunteer model of scribing is worthwhile to students and may be feasible; however, scribe availability, potentially high scribe turnover, and limited time to develop a rapport with their physician may impact any efficiency benefit scribes might provide. Importantly, scribing may be an invaluable experience for directing career goals and ensuring that students intrinsically interested in medicine pursue the profession. Medical students suggested that scribing could be added to the year one curriculum to help them develop a framework for how to take histories and manage patients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 215145932095172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Richardson ◽  
Wasif Islam ◽  
Matthew Magruder

Introduction: The world-wide lockdown caused by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has upended the trajectories of lives everywhere. The medical profession has been on the front lines of this rapidly developing situation, which in turn has called for unprecedented changes in the medical school curriculum. These changes have severe implications for medical students interested in applying to competitive surgical specialties like orthopedics. Methods: As medical students in 3 different class years pursuing orthopedic surgery, we provide our perspectives on the impact that COVID-19 has had on medical student orthopedic education. Results: With the removal of away rotations and a shift to virtual interviews, rising fourth year medical students are arguably the most impacted as they prepare for the orthopedic residency application process. Third year students, who are in the exploratory phase of choosing a specialty, also face uncertainties in the shift to a “new” clerkship experience that may (1) be of shorter duration, (2) implement shifts to limit overcrowding of clinical space, and (3) increase the use of telehealth over direct patient contact. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the course of medical students’ orthopedic education in unprecedented ways. We believe the following suggestions may be helpful for students seeking alternative, supplemental ways of learning: (1) read up on major orthopedic journals, (2) reach out to orthopedic surgeons in areas of interest, (3) reach out to program directors/medical clerkship directors/program coordinators for opportunities to attend their educational curriculum virtually, (4) attend online lectures and hospital grand rounds, and (5) practice suturing technique with a practice kit. Conclusions: While the medical education landscape remains uncertain amid the evolving conditions of COVID-19, as medical students we strive to learn from this pandemic and respond to future unforeseen challenges with resilience, dedication, and compassion: all qualities we admire in orthopedic surgeons.


CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S112-S113
Author(s):  
K.D. Pianosi ◽  
K.F. Hurley

Introduction: Practicing emergency medicine (EM) involves rapid decision-making in an acute setting, broad knowledge and a strong ability to multi-task. Some medical students find these characteristics attractive, while others find them a deterrent. Previous studies have indicated the range of characteristics that interest undergraduate students. No studies have followed students to assess how attitudes towards EM careers evolve over their schooling. Methods: An open-ended survey of medical students’ career interests was distributed at five data-collection points over the four years of undergraduate training from 1999-2006 at Memorial University. Guided by principles of grounded theory the qualitative data was coded to identify key themes and sentinel quotes. Semi-structured interviews with academic emergency physicians at Dalhousie University were then conducted to assess the relevance of these findings to postgraduate training (in progress). These transcripts were analyzed in the same manner as the longitudinal surveys. Results: 1281 surveys were completed by 540 students, with 758 comments about EM. The biggest drawbacks of EM included lack of patient follow-up and lack of experience in EM; the biggest benefits included variety of cases and patients, congruence with previous life experiences, and elective experiences. One major theme was the Certificant of the College of Family Physicians (CCFP) EM training, as it meant a shorter residency that was more transferrable to rural settings. Lifestyle was a prominent theme, seen as positive by some and negative by others. Emergency physicians commented on students’ naivety, especially relating to media and the nature of the work early in their training. Conclusion: Medical students’ opinions of EM tend to shift throughout their schooling, in particular, the perception of the work. Medical students’ perceptions differ significantly from that of experienced emergency physicians, highlighting the need for a greater degree of mentoring. Perceptions of lifestyle in EM are highly variable amongst students, acting as both a benefit and a drawback. Medical schools may be able to improve clinical exposure and provide more informed career counselling with respect to emergency medicine. Residency program directors can consider these findings during recruitment and interviewing to determine whether students have a realistic view of the specialty and career trajectory.


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-206
Author(s):  
Amrapali Maitra ◽  
Steven Lin ◽  
Tracy A. Rydel ◽  
Erika Schillinger

Background and Objectives: Professionalism is essential in medical education, yet how it is embodied through medical students’ lived experiences remains elusive. Little research exists on how students perceive professionalism and the barriers they encounter. This study examines attitudes toward professionalism through students’ written reflections. Methods: Family medicine clerkship students at Stanford University School of Medicine answered the following prompt: “Log a patient encounter in which you experienced a professionalism challenge or improvement opportunity.” We collected and analyzed free-text responses for content and themes using a grounded theory approach. Results: One hundred responses from 106 students generated a total of 168 codes; 13 themes emerged across four domains: challenging patients, interpersonal interactions, self-awareness, and health care team dynamics. The three most frequently occurring themes were interacting with emotional patients, managing expectations in the encounter, and navigating the trainee role. Conclusions: Medical students view professionalism as a balance of forces. While many students conceived of professionalism in relation to patient encounters, they also described how professionalism manifests in inner qualities as well as in health systems. Interpersonal challenges related to communication and agenda-setting are predominant. Systems challenges include not being seen as the “real doctor” and being shaped by team behaviors through the hidden curriculum. Our findings highlight salient professionalism challenges and identity conflicts for medical students and suggest potential educational strategies such as intentional coaching and role-modeling by faculty. Overall, students’ reflections broaden our understanding of professional identity formation in medical training.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Wang ◽  
Xiaoyang Ye ◽  
Hongbin Wu

Abstract Background: Role models play an important role in enhancing students’ intention to pursue medical careers. While, as the two most influential role models for medical students, there is limited research to explore the different impacts between faculty and parents. This study investigated the association of different role model’s prosocial behavior of joining the fight against novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on medical students’ career commitment. We examined whether there are different effects and how these effects differ among different medical students.Method: A national-scale survey was conducted with 118,030 undergraduate students majoring in clinical medicine in mainland China. Questions were asked to collect information of participants in the battle of COVID-19, medical students’ determination of practicing medicine after graduation, as well as students’ socio-demographic characteristics. Chi-square tests and hierarchical regressions were performed to examine the effects of parent and faculty involvement on students’ career commitment.Results: The results showed that prosocial modeling during the COVID-19 pandemic in China is associated with students’ intention to pursue medical careers. The effect of faculty was greater than that of parents on medical students. Gender was related to the effects. And those who already determined to be the doctor before the pandemic were much more likely to persist in the medical profession.Conclusions: Our study provides more definitive answers to the issue of who has a greater effect on medical students’ career commitment between parents and faculty. Encouraging faculty to act as positive role models could help medical students increase the intention to become doctors.


Author(s):  
Liliana Rivera ◽  
David Gligor ◽  
Yossi Sheffi

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the benefits of logistics clustering, with the intent to explain their growth and popularity among private agents and policy makers during the last decade. Design/methodology/approach – Because of limited knowledge about the benefits of logistics clustering a main objective of this paper is theory building. The authors employed a grounded theory approach and conducted 135 open and semi structured interviews with logistics executives, government officials, academics, and chambers of commerce representatives. Findings – Study results revealed that, the agglomeration of logistics firms provides several key benefits to companies. Specifically, it was found that logistics clustering facilitates collaboration-related benefits, offering of value added services, career mobility for the logistics workforce within the cluster, and promotes job growth at multiple levels within the cluster. The authors offer a rich description of these benefits and the mechanisms that facilitate these outcomes. Research limitations/implications – This paper uses a qualitative approach. Further research using a quantitative approach to measure the magnitude of the impacts and benefits of logistics clusters would be desirable. Originality/value – This paper identifies the benefits associated with logistics clustering and thus provides justification for public authorities and private agents to invest in this phenomenon.


Author(s):  
Hsing-Chen Yang

Improving the education of medical students and physicians can address the disparities in LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and others) health care. This study explored how teachers used case-based teaching to teach medical students about gender and LGBT+ health care and discussed the implementation and effectiveness of case-based teaching from the perspective of the teachers and students. This study employed the case study method and collected data through semi-structured interviews. This study used two gender courses in clinical psychiatric education as case studies. Two teachers and 19 medical students were recruited as participants. The findings of this study were as follows: (1) effective cases links theory to clinical practice and competency learning; (2) experience sharing by LGBT+ is highly effective; (3) discussions promote the effectiveness of case-based teaching; and (4) the challenges of case-based teaching included time limitations, the multiplexity of the cases, and multilevel learning. This study also found that using narrative cases is a form of narrative pedagogy, which can help students to integrate medicine, gender, and LGBT+ competency education. A successful narrative case–based teaching strategy involves teachers integrating knowledge related to gender, guiding students through the cases to understand the importance of these cases, and reflecting on the medical profession to make improvements. However, teachers face challenges in this approach, such as changes in the school’s teaching culture and a lack of institutional support.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayad Al-Moslih ◽  
Rula Shami ◽  
Ghadir Fakhri Al-Jayyousi ◽  
Xiangyun Du ◽  
Alla Al-Awaisi ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundThis study aims to qualitatively examine the readiness of medical students to change to virtual clerkship during the pandemic, from both the faculty preceptors and students’ perspectives’. MethodsA qualitative study was conducted based on the framework of readiness to change. Focus group discussions with students, and semi-structured interviews with clinical faculty members were done using appropriate online platforms. Transcripts were then analyzed using a qualitative phenomenological approach.Results Twelve themes emerged which are 1) Perceptions about the university decision and its communication to students, 2) A Perceived Lack of clinical experience, 3) Student safety , 4) Students’ role as members of the medical team facing the pandemic, 5) Quality and design of VI and the skills it offered, 6) Belief in own ability to succeed in the VC, 7) Confidence that VC would reach its goals, 8) New enhanced learning approaches, 9) Acquired skills, 10) Preparing students for new types of practice in the future, 11) Academic support and communication with faculty and college, 12) Psychological support. Medical students showed limited readiness to undertake a virtual clerkship and not play their role as healthcare professionals during the pandemic. They perceived a huge gap in gaining clinical skills virtually and asked for quick return to training sites.ConclusionsMedical students were not ready for virtual clerkships. There will be a need to integrate novel learning modalities such as patient simulations and case-based learning in order to meet future demands of the medical profession and enhance the efficiency of virtual clerkships.


Author(s):  
Cleide Aparecida de Freitas ◽  
Gustavo Freitas Alves de Arruda ◽  
Giovanna Cecília Freitas Alves de Arruda ◽  
Saulo Ferreira Feitosa

Abstract: Introduction: In times of pandemics, the uncertainties and lack of evidence allow each country to conduct its response as it deems the most appropriate. This setting also facilitates the approval of public measures without adequate ethical analysis, due to its inherent urgency. With that said, the objective of this study is to promote a hermeneutical approach to the Brazilian Government proposals of including medical students in the fight against COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic through an ethical perspective. Development: The governmental resolutions, published in the Brazilian Official Gazette, were discussed in the light of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (UDBHR) and the Brazilian Medical Student Code of Ethics (CEEM), as the first one guides the debate through a pluralist, multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary bioethics, and the latter brings specified guidance to the studied population group. To better articulate the discussion, the main measures were subdivided into 3 sections: about the risk assessment; about the participation of 5th- and 6th-year students; about the early graduation. In the first one, the creation of participation alternatives has been proposed, including remote participation, without direct contact with patients, aiming to ensure the students’ integrity and to maximize the potential positive effects with minimum harm. After that, the predicted obligatory enrollment for undergraduate students attending the final years of medical school and the possibility of obtaining credit hours for the curricular internship in exchange for participation in the strategic action “O Brasil Conta Comigo” were assessed. Finally, the graduation anticipation and the need for a guarantee that the new graduates have the required knowledge and expertise for the medical profession were questioned. Conclusions: For an effective response against the disease, it’s necessary to collectively structure the adopted measures, benefiting from the capabilities that the students already have, while respecting their limitations, vulnerabilities, and freedoms. It should also be emphasized that any ethical decisions in the context of Medicine and of future generations of professionals can have immeasurable consequences for these individuals, their patients, and communities and thus, one must ensure that the benefits will be the best and greatest possible.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 738
Author(s):  
Alagar Raja Durairaj ◽  
Narayanamurthy Sundaramurthy ◽  
Surya Rao Rao Venkata Mahipathy ◽  
Praveen Ganesh Natarajan ◽  
Shruti Ravali Darapureddy

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess the awareness levels about plastic surgery among medical students and to formulate appropriate teaching modules for undergraduate students to introduce and educate them about various plastic surgical procedures.Methods: A questionnaire-based study was done to assess awareness about procedures done under plastic surgery among medical students from second through final year. Collected data were statistically analyzed. The results were used to propose changes in teaching modules to medical students.Results: There is not much awareness about plastic surgery as a specialty amongst medical students. Plastic surgery is mostly perceived as cosmetic surgery, and the other procedures done under plastic surgery is not associated with the speciality by the medical students. Of all the clinical conditions given to the participants, there was not a single clinical condition where the respondents favoured undisputedly for plastic surgeons.Conclusions: Plastic surgery as a specialty is poorly understood by our undergraduate medical students so authors conclude there is lack of awareness, knowledge and disposition about plastic surgical procedures among them. Based on the report’s authors have formulated teaching and practical modules like enrichment courses, value added education, co-curricular activities and introduction to social media platforms related to plastic surgery for creating better awareness and knowledge among undergraduate medical students about plastic surgery.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Wang ◽  
Xiaoyang Ye ◽  
Hongbin Wu

Abstract Background: Role models play an important role in enhancing students’ intention to pursue medical careers. While, as the two most influential role models for medical students, there is limited research to explore the different impacts between faculty and parents. This study investigated the association of different role model’s prosocial behavior of joining the fight against novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on medical students’ career commitment. We examined whether there are different effects and how these effects differ among different medical students.Method: A national-scale survey was conducted with 118,030 undergraduate students majoring in clinical medicine in mainland China. Questions were asked to collect information of participants in the battle of COVID-19, medical students’ determination of practicing medicine after graduation, as well as students’ socio-demographic characteristics. Chi-square tests and hierarchical regressions were performed to examine the effects of parent and faculty involvement on students’ career commitment.Results: The results showed that prosocial modeling during the COVID-19 pandemic in China is associated with students’ intention to pursue medical careers. The effect of faculty was greater than that of parents on medical students. Gender was related to the effects. And those who already determined to be the doctor before the pandemic were much more likely to persist in the medical profession.Conclusions: Our study provides more definitive answers to the issue of who has a greater effect on medical students’ career commitment between parents and faculty. Encouraging faculty to act as positive role models could help medical students increase the intention to become doctors.


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