The Negative Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Education Amongst Medical Students Interested in Plastic Surgery

Introduction: The forced transition to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted medical education significantly. Methods: In this paper, the authors compare the performance of Year 1 and 2 classes of medical students who took the same courses either online (2019-2020) or face-to-face (2018-2019), and compare their evaluation of these courses. The authors also present results of three survey questions delivered to current Year 1 medical students on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of online learning and suggestions for improvement. Results: Performance and evaluation scores of Year 1 and 2 classes was similar irrespective of the mode of delivery of the course in question. 30 current (2019-2020) Year 1 students responded to the survey questions with a response rate of 25.4%. Some of the cited disadvantages had to do with technical, infrastructural and faculty know-how and support. But the more challenging limitations had to do with the process of learning and what facilitates it, the students’ ability to self-regulate and to motivate themselves, the negative impact of isolation, loss of socialisation and interaction with peers and faculty, and the almost total lack of hands-on experiences. Conclusion: Rapid transition to online learning did not affect student knowledge acquisition negatively. As such, the sudden shift to online education might not be a totally negative development and can be harnessed to drive a more progressive medical education agenda. These results are particularly important considering the several disadvantages that the students cited in relation to the online delivery of the courses.

Download Full-text

Bringing everyone on board: what role can medical students play in the COVID-19 pandemic?

Revista de Medicina ◽

10.11606/issn.1679-9836.v99i3pi-iv ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 99 (3) ◽

pp. i-iv ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Izabel Cristina Rios ◽

Marina Alves Martins Siqueira ◽

Matheus Belloni Torsani ◽

Rosemeire K. Hangai ◽

Solange R. G. Fusco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Health Systems ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Human Life ◽

Contemporary Society ◽

Healthcare Outcomes ◽

Emergency Plans ◽

Academic Health ◽

Viral Dissemination

The fast spread of the COVID-19 epidemic has imposed unprecedented challenges to contemporary society, impacting several aspects of human life globally. Strict social distancing protocols had to be implemented in affected countries to contribute to reduce viral dissemination, and consequently, limit acquisition of new infections. Health systems were compelled to put emergency plans in place to cope with the overburden of potentially severe cases needing hospitalization, with the ultimate aim to preserve as many lives as possible. Academic health systems worldwide were required to propose novel strategies to maximize healthcare outcomes while mitigating negative impact on medical education.[...]

Download Full-text

667 Virtual Learning During The COVID-19 Pandemic Amongst Medical Students in The United Kingdom

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1093/bjs/znab134.160 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

O Jayawardena ◽

S Toh ◽

H Fowler ◽

M Fok ◽

R Clifford

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Online Teaching ◽

Teaching Method ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Weighted Average ◽

Virtual Learning ◽

Online Lectures ◽

Effective Delivery ◽

The Uk

Abstract Introduction Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic medical education has predominantly been delivered through virtual learning (VL). This survey was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of VL amongst medical students in the UK. Method An online anonymised SurveyMonkey© survey was distributed through social media amongst UK medical students. Results There were 142 completed surveys, 96.5% of students engaged in some form of VL during the pandemic, compared to 57.8% prior to the pandemic. The most frequently used method to deliver teaching was interactive online lectures (74.7%). The students perceived small group online teaching sessions to be the most effective delivery method (weighted average 7.4/10) followed by interactive online lectures (7.4/10). The least effective teaching method was online lecture notes (5.3/10). Accessibility to coursework (8.6/10) and enhanced flexibility (8.4/10) were considered to be the biggest advantages of VL. Overall, 44% of students felt VL had a negative impact on their learning, with 23% of students considered to have failed to meet the learning objectives set out in these sessions. Conclusions Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic VL will continue to play a role in medical education. However, there is room for improvement in both delivery and engagement to improve student experience and satisfaction.

Download Full-text

FOREIGN LANGUAGE TESTING CENTRES FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION ENHANCEMENT IN MEDICAL EDUCATION IN RUSSIA

PRIMO ASPECTU ◽

10.35211/2500-2635-2020-3-43-122-127 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 122-127

Author(s):

Nataliya G. KOROLEVA ◽

Anna V. VOZDVIZHENSKAYA

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Professional Community ◽

Language Testing ◽

Professional Communication ◽

English Speaking ◽

Russian Medical ◽

Learning English

The article considers a negative impact on internationalization processes in Russian medical HE that is caused by the lack of a coordinated, unified, country-wide accepted system of testing English for professional communication. Authors describe how training and taking Occupational English Test is one of the ways to solve this problem, since OET is a widely acknowledged in English-speaking countries language certificate test for professionals in medicine. Adapting OET purposes to Russian medical HE system, establishing the network of training and testing centers will increase medical students’ and professionals’ motivation in learning English and stimulate their joining academic and professional community. These factors will contribute into the enhancement of internationalization processes in Russian medical HE.

Download Full-text

Patient consent to medical students in general practice

British Journal of General Practice ◽

10.3399/bjgp18x697229 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽

pp. bjgp18X697229

Author(s):

Matthew Webb ◽

Sarah Thirlwall ◽

Bob McKinley

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

General Practice ◽

Medical Students ◽

Medical School ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Teaching Quality ◽

School Students ◽

Patient Journey ◽

Patient Consent ◽

High Level

BackgroundInformed consent is required for active participation of patients in medical education. At Keele Medical School, we require practices to advertise that they teach undergraduate students and to obtain appropriate patient consent at various stages of the patient journey.AimThe study aimed to explore patients’ experience of consent to involvement in undergraduate medical education in general practice.MethodDuring the final year at Keele University Medical School, students undertake a patient satisfaction survey. A questionnaire was attached to the reverse of this survey during the academic year 2016–2017. The questionnaire explored the stage of the patient journey consent was obtained, whether they were offered an alternative appointment and how comfortable they were with medical students being involved in their care.ResultsA total of 489 questionnaires were completed covering 62 GP practices. 97% of patients reported that consent was obtained at least once during their encounter and the majority reported that this occurred at booking. 98% of patients were comfortable or very comfortable with a medical student leading their consultation. However, 28% of those surveyed stated that they were either not given the option of not seeing the student or there was no other alternative appointment available.ConclusionThe results indicate that in the vast majority of cases patient consent is obtained at least once during their attendance. Patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with medical students’ involvement in their care. Further work is required to evaluate the role of the data as a marker of individual practice teaching quality.

Download Full-text

The Duties of Doctors In Medical Education: A Letter To The Editor (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.16418 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sneha Barai

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Role Models ◽

Role Model ◽

General Medical Council ◽

Future Generations ◽

Medical Council ◽

Positive Role ◽

The Uk ◽

And Training

UNSTRUCTURED The UK General Medical Council (GMC) explicitly states doctors have a duty to ‘contribute to teaching and training…by acting as a positive role model’. However, recent studies suggest some are not fulfilling this, which is impacting medical students' experiences and attitudes during their training. As such, doctors have a duty to act as role models and teachers, as specified by the GMC, which it seems are not currently being fulfilled. This would improve the medical students’ learning experiences and demonstrate good professional values for them to emulate. Therefore, these duties should be as important as patient care, since this will influence future generations.

Download Full-text

Required Longitudinal Service-Learning and Its Effects on Medical Students’ Attitudes Toward the Underserved

Medical Science Educator ◽

10.1007/s40670-021-01350-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Monica Rose Arebalos ◽

Faun Lee Botor ◽

Edward Simanton ◽

Jennifer Young

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Service Learning ◽

Student Attitudes ◽

Underserved Populations ◽

Preclinical Phase ◽

School Of Medicine ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Medical Student Attitudes ◽

The University

AbstractAlthough medical students enter medicine with altruistic motives and seek to serve indigent populations, studies show that medical students’ attitudes towards the undeserved tend to worsen significantly as they go through their medical education. This finding emphasizes the need for medical educators to implement activities such as service-learning that may help mitigate this negative trend.All students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine are required to participate in longitudinal service-learning throughout medical school, and a majority of students interact with the underserved at their service-learning sites. Using the previously validated Medical Student Attitudes Towards the Underserved (MSATU), independent sample T-tests showed that students who interact with underserved populations at their sites scored with significantly better attitudes towards the underserved at the end of their preclinical phase. Subjects included 58 medical students with 100% taking the MSATU. This result indicates that longitudinal service-learning, particularly when it includes interaction with the underserved, can be one method to combat the worsening of medical students’ attitudes as they complete their medical education.

Download Full-text

Artificial intelligence-based education assists medical students’ interpretation of hip fracture

Insights into Imaging ◽

10.1186/s13244-020-00932-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chi-Tung Cheng ◽

Chih-Chi Chen ◽

Chih-Yuan Fu ◽

Chung-Hsien Chaou ◽

Yu-Tung Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Artificial Intelligence ◽

Medical Education ◽

Hip Fracture ◽

Medical Students ◽

Medical Image ◽

Learning System ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Dynamic Collaboration ◽

Increase In Accuracy ◽

Image Learning

Abstract Background With recent transformations in medical education, the integration of technology to improve medical students’ abilities has become feasible. Artificial intelligence (AI) has impacted several aspects of healthcare. However, few studies have focused on medical education. We performed an AI-assisted education study and confirmed that AI can accelerate trainees’ medical image learning. Materials We developed an AI-based medical image learning system to highlight hip fracture on a plain pelvic film. Thirty medical students were divided into a conventional (CL) group and an AI-assisted learning (AIL) group. In the CL group, the participants received a prelearning test and a postlearning test. In the AIL group, the participants received another test with AI-assisted education before the postlearning test. Then, we analyzed changes in diagnostic accuracy. Results The prelearning performance was comparable in both groups. In the CL group, postlearning accuracy (78.66 ± 14.53) was higher than prelearning accuracy (75.86 ± 11.36) with no significant difference (p = .264). The AIL group showed remarkable improvement. The WithAI score (88.87 ± 5.51) was significantly higher than the prelearning score (75.73 ± 10.58, p < 0.01). Moreover, the postlearning score (84.93 ± 14.53) was better than the prelearning score (p < 0.01). The increase in accuracy was significantly higher in the AIL group than in the CL group. Conclusion The study demonstrated the viability of AI for augmenting medical education. Integrating AI into medical education requires dynamic collaboration from research, clinical, and educational perspectives.

Download Full-text

The impact of integrating environmental health into medical school curricula: a survey-based study

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-020-02458-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Benjamin Kligler ◽

Genevieve Pinto Zipp ◽

Carmela Rocchetti ◽

Michelle Secic ◽

Erin Speiser Ihde

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Medical School ◽

Environmental Health ◽

School Curriculum ◽

Learning Objectives ◽

Lead Contamination ◽

Institute Of Medicine ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Inclusion of environmental health (EH) in medical education serves as a catalyst for preparing future physicians to address issues as complex as climate change and health, water pollution and lead contamination. However, previous research has found EH education to be largely lacking in U.S. medical education, putting future physicians at risk of not having the expertise to address patients’ environmental illnesses, nor speak to prevention. Methods Environmental health (EH) knowledge and skills were incorporated into the first-year medical school curriculum at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (Nutley, New Jersey), via a two-hour interactive large group learning module with follow up activities. Students completed the Environmental Health in Med School (EHMS) survey before and after the year 1 EH module. This survey evaluates medical students’ attitudes, awareness and professionalism regarding environmental health. In year 2, students completed the Environmental Health Survey II, which measured students’ perceptions of preparedness to discuss EH with future patients. The research team created both surveys based upon learning objectives that broadly aligned with the Institute of Medicine six competency-based environmental health learning objectives. Results 36 year 1 students completed both the pre and post EHMS surveys. McNemar’s test was used for paired comparisons. Results identified no statistically significant changes from pre to post surveys, identifying a dramatic ceiling. When comparing year 2, EHS II pre-survey (n = 84) and post-survey (n = 79) responses, a statistically significant positive change in students’ self-reported sense of preparedness to discuss environmental health with their patients following the curriculum intervention was noted. Conclusions Our conclusion for the EHMS in Year 1 was that the current generation of medical students at this school is already extremely aware of and concerned about the impact of environmental issues on health. Through the EHS II in Year 2, we found that the six-week environmental health module combining didactic and experiential elements significantly increased medical students’ self-reported sense of preparedness to discuss environmental health issues, including climate change, with their patients.

Download Full-text

Medical education challenges and innovations during COVID-19 pandemic

Postgraduate Medical Journal ◽

10.1136/postgradmedj-2021-140032 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. postgradmedj-2021-140032

Author(s):

Michail Papapanou ◽

Eleni Routsi ◽

Konstantinos Tsamakis ◽

Lampros Fotis ◽

Georgios Marinos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Student Assessment ◽

Well Being ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

Healthcare Staff ◽

Academic Trajectories ◽

Traditional Structure ◽

Physical Presence ◽

The Impact

COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly disrupted the well-established, traditional structure of medical education. Τhe new limitations of physical presence have accelerated the development of an online learning environment, comprising both of asynchronous and synchronous distance education, and the introduction of novel ways of student assessment. At the same time, this prolonged crisis had serious implications on the lives of medical students including their psychological well-being and the impact on their academic trajectories. The new reality has, on many occasions, triggered the ‘acting up’ of medical students as frontline healthcare staff, which has been perceived by many of them as a positive learning and contributing experience, and has led to a variety of responses from the educational institutions. All things considered, the urgency for rapid and novel adaptations to the new circumstances has functioned as a springboard for remarkable innovations in medical education,including the promotion of a more “evidence-based” approach.

Download Full-text