Establishment of the European Medical Students' Neurosurgery Society–A Proposal

Neurosurgery ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. E274-E274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vittorio Stumpo
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
American Association ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
European Network ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Student Community ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Ideal

Abstract INTRODUCTION Recent years have witnessed the birth in the United States of Neurosurgery Medical Students Chapters aimed at fostering the interest toward neurosurgery and at supporting students willing to pursue a career in academic neurosurgery by making available research and mentoring opportunities. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons has pioneered the support of these programs and medical chapters are currently active in most US medical schools where they receive support from local Neurosurgery Departments and Research Centers. On the contrary, the European network of medical students' neurosurgical interest groups is fragmented and this opportunity is largely unexploited. METHODS The present abstract is intended to propose the establishment of the European Medical Students' Neurosurgery Society which would represent a tremendous opportunity to build a collaborative network and promote students' interest toward neurosurgery with the aim of increasing learning, research and mentoring opportunities. RESULTS The Italian Medical Student Neurosurgery Interest Group is currently underway and will be launched soon. Other medical students' societies active in European countries are invited to join this project to establish a proactive European Neurosurgical Student Network and to advocate the birth of other groups. CONCLUSION The establishment of this society under EANS support would represent the ideal platform for leadership positions in the medical student community at local and national level that will be important to acquire experience and promote a virtuous circle of knowledge and service while also providing the basis for scientific production on the current state of medical students' recruiting in neurosurgery around Europe.

Improving medical student recruitment to neurosurgery

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 848-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lubelski ◽  
Roy Xiao ◽  
Debraj Mukherjee ◽  
William W. Ashley ◽  
Timothy Witham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Interest Group ◽  
National Level ◽  
Program Directors ◽  
Student Recruitment ◽  
Research Opportunities ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Lecture Series ◽  
Mentorship Programs

OBJECTIVENeurosurgery seeks to attract the best and brightest medical students; however, there is often a lack of early exposure to the field, among other possible barriers. The authors sought to identify successful practices that can be implemented to improve medical student recruitment to neurosurgery.METHODSUnited States neurosurgery residency program directors were surveyed to determine the number of medical student rotators and medical students matching into a neurosurgery residency from their programs between 2010 and 2016. Program directors were asked about the ways their respective institutions integrated medical students into departmental clinical and research activities.RESULTSComplete responses were received from 30/110 institutions. Fifty-two percent of the institutions had neurosurgery didactic lectures for 1st- and 2nd-year medical students (MS1/2), and 87% had didactics for MS3/4. Seventy-seven percent of departments had a neurosurgery interest group, which was the most common method used to integrate medical students into the department. Other forms of outreach included formal mentorship programs (53%), lecture series (57%), and neurosurgery anatomy labs (40%). Seventy-three percent of programs provided research opportunities to medical students, and 57% indicated that the schools had a formal research requirement. On average, 3 medical students did a rotation in each neurosurgery department and 1 matched into neurosurgery each year. However, there was substantial variability among programs. Over the 2010–2016 period, the responding institutions matched as many as 4% of the graduating class into neurosurgery per year, whereas others matched 0%–1%. Departments that matched a greater (≥ 1% per year) number of medical students into neurosurgery were significantly more likely to have a neurosurgery interest group and formal research requirements. A greater percentage of high-matching programs had neurosurgery mentorship programs, lecture series, and cadaver training opportunities compared to the other institutions.CONCLUSIONSIn recent decades, the number of applicants to neurosurgery has decreased. A major deterrent may be the delayed exposure of medical students to neurosurgery. Institutions with early preclinical exposure, active neurosurgery interest groups, research opportunities, and strong mentorship recruit and match more students into neurosurgery. Implementing such initiatives on a national level may increase the number of highly qualified medical students pursuing neurosurgery.

scholarly journals Teaching Pediatric Otoscopy Skills to the Medical Student in the Clinical Setting: Preceptor Perspectives and Practice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Rose Paul ◽  
Alanna Higgins Joyce ◽  
Gary Beck Dallaghan ◽  
Meg Keeley ◽  
Corinne Lehmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Clinical Teaching ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Clinical Skill ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Direct Patient Care ◽  
Barriers To Teaching

Abstract Background Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most frequent indication for antibiotic treatment of children in the United States. Its diagnosis relies on visualization of the tympanic membrane, a clinical skill acquired through a deliberate approach. Instruction in pediatric otoscopy begins in medical school. Medical students receive their primary experience with pediatric otoscopy during the required pediatric clerkship, traditionally relying on an immersion, apprentice-type learning model. A better understanding of their preceptors’ clinical and teaching practices could lead to improved skill acquisition. This study investigates how pediatric preceptors (PP) and members of the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP) perceive teaching otoscopy. Methods A 30-item online survey was administered to a purposeful sample of PP at six institutions in 2017. A comparable 23-item survey was administered to members through the 2018 COMSEP Annual Survey. Only COMSEP members who identified themselves as teaching otoscopy to medical students were asked to complete the otoscopy-related questions on the survey. Results Survey respondents included 58% of PP (180/310) and 44% (152/348) of COMSEP members. Forty-one percent (62/152) of COMSEP member respondents identified themselves as teaching otoscopy and completed the otoscopy-related questions. The majority agreed that standardized curricula are needed (PP 78%, COMSEP members 97%) and that all graduating medical students should be able to perform pediatric otoscopy (PP 95%, COMSEP members 79%). Most respondents reported usefulness of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) AOM guidelines (PP 95%, COMSEP members 100%). More COMSEP members than PP adhered to the AAP’s diagnostic criteria (pediatric preceptors 42%, COMSEP members 93%). The most common barriers to teaching otoscopy were a lack of assistive technology (PP 77%, COMSEP members 56%), presence of cerumen (PP 58%, COMSEP members 60%), time to teach in direct patient care (PP 46%, COMSEP members 48%), and parent anxiety (PP 62%, COMSEP members 54%). Conclusions Our study identified systemic and individual practice patterns and barriers to teaching pediatric otoscopy. These results can inform education leaders in supporting and enabling preceptors in their clinical teaching. This approach can be adapted to ensure graduating medical students obtain intended core clinical skills.

A Multicenter Qualitative Analysis of Medical Student Narratives After a Palliative Care Elective

2020 ◽  
pp. 104990912097156
Author(s):  
Alana Sagin ◽  
Matthew S. Ellman ◽  
Ruhi R. Shariff ◽  
Christopher A. Jones ◽  
Kate Tindall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Patient’S Experience ◽  
Fourth Year Medical Students

Background: The medical student experience of a clinical elective in palliative care (PC) remains understudied. Reflective narrative interventions can help students hone narrative competency skills, make sense of their clinical experiences and shed light on their perception of the rotation. Objectives: To evaluate medical student written reflections after a PC clinical elective. Design: Students were asked to write a short reflective essay after PC clinical electives using open-ended writing prompts. Setting: Essays were collected from third and fourth-year medical students after completion of a PC elective at three geographically diverse academic medical centers in the United States. Measurements: Essays were coded for themes using a conventional content qualitative method of analysis. Results: Thirty-four essays were analyzed and four major themes emerged: reflection on the mission of medicine or motivation for being in medicine, reflection on professional skills or lessons learned, reflection on patient’s experience and personal responses to PC rotation. Sub-themes were also identified. Conclusions: Themes underscore the utility of the PC clinical elective as a meaningful experience that imparts useful skills, builds empathy, reminds students of their own motivations for being in medicine and serves as a catalyst for reflection on their own lives and relationships with their patients. Awareness of medical students’ personal and emotional responses to a PC elective can help inform educators as they support their students and provide opportunities for reflection and education.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Relationship Between Participation in Student-Run Free Clinics and Changes in Empathy in Medical Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 122-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Modi ◽  
Michele Fascelli ◽  
Zachary Daitch ◽  
Mohammadreza Hojat
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Free Clinics ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Medical College ◽  
The Third ◽  
Leadership Experience

Purpose: We explored differences in changes in medical student empathy in the third year of medical school between volunteers at JeffHOPE, a multisite medical student–run free clinic of Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC), and nonvolunteers. Method: Volunteerism and leadership experience at JeffHOPE were documented for medical students in the Class of 2015 (n = 272) across their medical educations. Students completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy at the beginning of medical school and at the end of the third year. Students who reported participation in other Jefferson-affiliated clinics (n = 44) were excluded from this study. Complete data were available for 188 SKMC students. Results: Forty-five percent of students (n = 85) volunteered at JeffHOPE at least once during their medical educations. Fifteen percent of students (n = 48) were selected for leadership positions involving weekly clinic participation. Nonvolunteers demonstrated significant decline in empathy in medical school ( P = 0.009), while those who volunteered at JeffHOPE at least once over the course of their medical educations did not show any significant decline ( P = 0.07). Conclusions: These findings suggest that medical students may benefit from volunteering at student-run free clinics to care for underserved populations throughout medical school.

scholarly journals Food for Thought: The Process of Bringing a Universal Medical Curriculum to the Plate – Part I of III

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. JMECD.S17495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. McGuffin
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Education System ◽  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Burden Of Proof ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Education System

There is currently no universally accepted core collection of competencies or medical education material for medical students. Individual medical schools create their own competencies and set of educational material using a variety of approaches. What has resulted is a medical education system wherein medical students are trained without any burden of proof that they are indeed competent in agreed upon areas of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors befit of a graduating medical student. In fact, the only uniform assurance a member of the public in the United States can have for a graduating allopathic medical student is that the student has successfully passed USMLE Step 1 and 2 by correctly answering a rumored 55–65% of questions correctly (yes, that is an F) and that they have maintained at least a “C” average or “Pass” equivalent in all of their medical school courses. This article discusses these inadequacies within the current medical education system, and the need to standardize the competencies and curricula for all medical schools through a narrative disclosing this author's experience with trying to initiate such a movement at his own medical school.

scholarly journals Medical Student Wellness in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Nationwide Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Nikolis ◽  
Andrea Wakim ◽  
William Adams ◽  
Prempreet Bajaj
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Financial Status ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Student Wellness

Abstract Background: As United States (US) medical students suffer higher rates of depression and anxiety than the general population, medical student wellness has been studied in recent years. One definition describes wellness as having eight dimensions: Intellectual, emotional, physical, social, occupational, financial, environmental, and spiritual. As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic poses unique challenges for medical students, we aimed to compare medical student wellness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: An informal survey was created to assess the eight wellness dimensions and distributed via Survey Monkey to US allopathic and osteopathic medical students via email and social media. The survey was administered from March 29, 2020 to June 23, 2020. Univariable and multivariable linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the change in students’ overall wellness using an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (least well) to 10 (most well). Generalized estimating equations were used to compare students’ responses to the eight dimensions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: On multivariable analysis, students reported a decline in their overall wellness during COVID-19 (Mdiff = -1.04; p < .001), with Asian respondents reporting almost no change in overall wellness (M = -0.69) compared to White respondents (M = -1.18; p = .049) and Black respondents (M = -1.78; p = .03). Students felt less supported and comfortable with their social (OR = 0.47) and daily (OR = 0.45) environments and expressed decreased satisfaction with their exercise (OR = 0.85), sense of purpose (OR = 0.33), and financial status (OR = 0.75). Students also expressed lower confidence (OR = 0.15) and satisfaction (OR = 0.11) with their medical education and increased anxiety (OR = 3.37) and depression (OR = 2.05).Conclusions: Medical students reported declines in overall wellness and individual wellness dimensions. These findings can be used to implement changes to improve medical student wellness.

scholarly journals A Tutorial for the Creation of a Student-Run Medical Education Podcast (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin John Milligan ◽  
Robert Scott Daulton ◽  
Zachary Taylor St. Clair ◽  
Madison Veronica Epperson ◽  
Rachel Holloway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Professional Identity Formation ◽  
Student Community ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Twitter Account ◽  
The Creation

BACKGROUND Podcasting has become a popular medium for medical education content. Educators and trainees at all levels are turning to podcasts for high quality asynchronous content. While numerous medical education podcasts have emerged in recent years, few exist which are student-run. Student-run podcasts are a novel approach to supporting medical students. Near-peer mentoring has been shown to promote medical student personal and professional identity formation. Student-run podcasts offer a new medium to deliver near-peer advice to medical students in an enduring and accessible way. OBJECTIVE This article describes the creation of the UnsCripted Medicine Podcast (UMP), a student-run medical education podcast at a large public medical school. METHODS Planning and preparatory phases spanned six months. Defining a target audience and establishing a podcast mission were key first steps. Efforts were then directed towards securing funding, obtaining necessary equipment, and navigating the technical considerations of recording, editing, and publishing a podcast. In order to ensure high professionalism standards, key partnerships were created with faculty in the College of Medicine (COM). RESULTS The UnsCripted Medicine Podcast has published 53 episodes in its first two years. The number of episodes released per month ranges from 0 to 5 with a mean of 2.0. The podcast has a Twitter account with 217 followers. The show has an average 4.8/5 rating on Apple Podcasts from 24 ratings. The podcast has hosted 70 unique guests including medical students, resident physicians, attending physicians, nurses, physicians’ family members, GME leadership, and educators. CONCLUSIONS Medical student-run podcasts are a novel way to support medical student community and foster professional identity formation. Podcasts are widely available and convenient for listeners. Additionally, podcast creators can publish content with low barriers of entry compared to other forms of publishing. Medical schools should consider supporting student podcast initiatives to augment community, facilitate professional identity formation, and prepare the rising physician taskforce for the technological frontier of medical education.

scholarly journals 2503 First year medical student characteristics associated with readiness to talk about race

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (S1) ◽  
pp. 56-56
Author(s):  
Brooke Cunningham ◽  
Rachel Hardeman ◽  
Samantha Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
White Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Student Characteristics ◽  
Major Type ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
First Year Medical Students

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Calls to break the silence around the effects of racism on health are growing. Few researchers have examined the relationship between medical student characteristics and students’ comfort, motivation, and skill to discuss racism. This paper examines medical student characteristics associated with readiness to talk about racism among first-year medical students at the University of Minnesota. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In February 2017 prior to a lecture on racism and health, we invited first year medical students to participate in a web-based survey about their experiences and comfort discussing racism. We calculated descriptive statistics and measured differences by student race (White vs. Asian vs. Black/multiracial/other) and undergraduate major type (STEM vs. non-STEM) using χ2 tests for variables with categorical responses and generalized linear regression models with pairwise comparisons (i.e., 2-sample t-tests) for variables with continuous responses. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: (n=107/163). The majority of students were male (53%); White (75%); and majored in STEM majors in college (85%). College major was not associated with race. Students’ responses to multiple items suggest that the vast majority perceived racial inequality as a major problem in the United States. Race was significantly associated with only 1 of these items. Specifically, 100% (16/16) of Black/multiracial/other students [under-represented minority (URM) students] reported “too little attention” is paid to race and racial issues, while only 53% of White students (42/79) and 55% of Asian students (6/11) chose this response. Students with non-STEM majors and students who identified as URM students reported talking about racism with friends more often than STEM majors and white students, respectively. In conversations about race at school, two-thirds of students were concerned that they might unintentionally offend others or be misunderstood. However, non-STEM majors and URM students were significantly less worried that they would unintentionally offend others in conversations about race at school than STEM majors and white students. Larger percentages of URM students (50%) than White students (25%) were afraid that others would not respect their views because of their race. White students were more afraid that they might that they would be called racist than URM students. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Many students find it challenging to discuss race and racism in medical education settings. URM students and non-STEM majors reported greater frequency talking about racism with friends and appear to be less anxious in conversations about racism than White students and STEM majors respectively. Given non-STEM majors' greater psychological safety discussing racism, future research should explore whether non-STEM majors are better prepared and more motivated to address racial disparities in health and health care than STEM majors. Such research could have important implications for medical school admissions.

scholarly journals The Overlap Between Rural Hospital Needs and Medical Student Goals in Texas

PRiMER ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler W. Barreto ◽  
Alvin Estacio ◽  
Paula Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hospital Administrators ◽  
Hospital Administrator ◽  
Rural Health Workforce

Introduction: The rural health workforce in the United States is difficult to maintain and harder to increase. This may contribute to worse health outcomes in rural areas and threaten the sustainability of rural hospitals. Previous studies have attempted to identify medical student characteristics and strategies to help grow this workforce. In this study, we aimed to understand the needs of medical students and hospital administrators to identify potential strategies to improve the rural health workforce. Methods: We conducted medical student and hospital administrator focus groups. We analyzed focus group data separately to identify themes, and reviewed these themes for overlap between groups and potential actionable areas. We calculated Cohen 𝜅 statistics. Results: We identified 26 themes in the medical student focus groups, and 14 themes in the hospital administrator focus group. Of these themes, three were identical between groups (scope of practice, loan repayment and financial concerns, and exposure to rural health in training), and two were similar between the groups (family and leadership). Conclusion: The identification of two themes that are similar but not identical between medical students and hospital administrators may serve as part of future strategies to improving rural physician recruitment. Future studies should determine if a shift in language or focus in these areas specifically help to improve the rural health workforce.

scholarly journals Model Orthopaedic Surgical Skills Curriculum for Fourth Year Medical Students

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Benjamin Matthew Wooster ◽  
Samuel Evan Carstensen ◽  
James E Johnson ◽  
Allston Julius Stubbs
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Orthopaedic Surgery ◽  
Skill Training ◽  
The United States ◽  
House Officer ◽  
Surgical Skills ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Fourth Year Medical Students

ABSTRACT Musculoskeletal education in medical schools throughout the United States is inconsistent. Furthermore, formal surgical skill training in medical school is often lacking. Consequently, orthopaedic surgery residents in the United States are faced with a unique challenge as they transition from medical student to house officer in comparison to their peers pursuing more generalized specialties. In response, we designed and successfully implemented an innovative month long elective at Wake Forest University School of Medicine for fourth year medical students who were in the process of applying to ortho paedic surgery residency programs. This course provides medical students with an introduction to the basic skills and common surgical approaches that are commonly utilized early in orthopaedic surgery residency and beyond. While longi tudinal data are needed, we believe this novel month long elective will allow the transition from medical student to house officer to be a smoother and more seamless process. Wooster BM, Carstensen SE, Johnson JE, Stubbs AJ. Model Orthopaedic Surgical Skills Curriculum for Fourth Year Medical Students. The Duke Orthop J 2015;5(1):15. All other authors report no declarations of interest.

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