scholarly journals ‘Too male, too pale, too stale’: a qualitative exploration of student experiences of gender bias within medical education

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e039092
Author(s):  
Megan E L Brown ◽  
George E G Hunt ◽  
Ffion Hughes ◽  
Gabrielle M Finn

ObjectiveTo explore medical student perceptions and experiences of gender bias within medical education.SettingGender bias—‘prejudiced actions or thoughts based on the perception that women are not equal to men’—is a widespread issue. Within medicine, the pay gap, under-representation of women in senior roles and sexual harassment are among the most concerning issues demonstrating its presence and impact. While research investigating experiences of clinicians is gaining traction, investigation of medical students’ experiences is lacking. This qualitative study analyses medical students’ experiences of gender bias within their education to discern any patterns to this bias. Illuminating the current state of medical education gender bias will hopefully highlight areas in which student experience could be improved. Constructivist thematic analysis was used to analyse data, informed by William’s patterns of gender bias, intersectional feminism and communities of practice theory.ParticipantsThirty-two medical students from multiple UK medical schools participated in individual interviews. Nine faculty members were also interviewed to triangulate data.ResultsGender bias has an overt presence during medical student education, manifesting in line with William’s patterns of bias, impacting career aspirations. Physical environments serve to manifest organisational values, sending implicit messages regarding who is most welcome—currently, this imagery remains ‘too male, too pale…too stale’. Existing gender initiatives require careful scrutiny, as this work identifies the superficial application of positive action, and a failure to affect meaningful change.ConclusionsDespite progress having been made regarding overt gender discrimination, implicit bias persists, with existing positive action inadequate in promoting the advancement of women. Institutions should mandate participation in implicit bias education programmes for all staff and must strive to revise the imagery within physical environments to better represent society. Gender initiatives, like Athena Scientific Women’s Academic Network, also require large-scale evaluation regarding their impact, which this work found to be lacking.

2020 ◽  
pp. 084653711989366
Author(s):  
Joseph Yang ◽  
Danny Jomaa ◽  
Omar Islam ◽  
Benedetto Mussari ◽  
Corinne Laverty ◽  
...  

Purpose: Implementing competency-based medical education in diagnostic radiology residencies will change the paradigm of learning and assessment for residents. The objective of this study is to evaluate medical student perceptions of competency-based medical education in diagnostic radiology programs and how this may affect their decision to pursue a career in diagnostic radiology. Methods: First-, second-, and third-year medical students at a Canadian university were invited to complete a 14-question survey containing a mix of multiple choice, yes/no, Likert scale, and open-ended questions. This aimed to collect information on students’ understanding and perceptions of competency-based medical education and how the transition to competency-based medical education would factor into their decision to enter a career in diagnostic radiology. Results: The survey was distributed to 300 medical students and received 63 responses (21%). Thirty-seven percent of students had an interest in pursuing diagnostic radiology that ranged from interested to committed and 46% reported an understanding of competency-based medical education and its learning approach. The implementation of competency-based medical education in diagnostic radiology programs was reported to be a positive factor by 70% of students and almost all reported that breaking down residency into measurable milestones and required case exposure was beneficial. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that medical students perceive competency-based medical education to be a beneficial change to diagnostic radiology residency programs. The changes accompanying the transition to competency-based medical education were favored by students and factored into their residency decision-making.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Castelli ◽  
Dinah Diab ◽  
Alicia Scimeca ◽  
Chintan Mehta ◽  
Nicolette Payne ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The full impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic has yet to be seen, yet medical education has already been critically disrupted. As U.S. hospitals were forced to aggressively limit non-essential care to preserve personal protective equipment and minimize COVID-19 exposure, in-person education and hands-on training was nearly eliminated for students. The objective of this study was to immediately and comprehensively investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical student education. Medical students in the U.S. were invited to complete an online survey about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their medical education experience. Students provided basic demographic information and answered questions about the impact of COVID-19 on their training/education, finances, and mental health. Results: Medical students reported nearly 18 fewer hours of patient care per week, an immediate switch to virtual learning (74%) along with grading changes (62%), and widespread cancellation of national exams. Additionally, 55% of fourth year students graduated early to provide direct clinical care. Students across years felt that changes from the pandemic would negatively affect their residency applications and that upcoming rotations would be impacted (p<0.001). Students reported that the pandemic had negatively affected their finances, increased their anxiety/stress, increased their feelings of burnout, and negatively impacted their work-life balance (p<0.001). Conclusion: Medical education has been critically impacted by COVID-19. Student perceptions and evaluation of experiences to date should be considered as educators prepare to ready students for academic and professional transitions in the context of continued COVID-19 disruptions and distanced learning.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Egnew ◽  
Peter R. Lewis ◽  
Kimberly R. Meyers ◽  
William R. Phillips

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore medical student perceptions of their medical school teaching and learning about human suffering and their recommendations for teaching about suffering. During data collection, students also shared their percerptions of personal suffering which they attributed to their medical education. Methods: In April through May 2015, we conducted focus groups involving a total of 51 students representing all four classes at two US medical schools. Results: Some students in all groups reported suffering that they attributed to the experience of medical school and the culture of medical education. Sources of suffering included isolation, stoicism, confusion about personal/professional identity and role as medical students, and witnessing suffering in patients, families, and colleagues. Students described emotional distress, dehumanization, powerlessness, and disillusionment as negative consequences of their suffering. Reported means of adaptation to their suffering included distraction, emotional suppression, compartmentalization, and reframing. Students also identified activities that promoted well-being: small-group discussions, protected opportunities for venting, and guidance for sharing their experiences. They recommended integration of these strategies longitudinally throughout medical training. Conclusions: Students reported suffering related to their medical education. They identified common causes of suffering, harmful consequences, and adaptive and supportive approaches to limit and/or ameliorate suffering. Understanding student suffering can complement efforts to reduce medical student distress and support well-being.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldrin Musiun ◽  
Khamisah Awang Lukman ◽  
Mohammad Saffree Jeffree ◽  
Fredie Robinson ◽  
Mohd Rohaizat Hassan ◽  
...  

Stress is accepted as the accumulation of unpleasant state of physical, mental and emotion on a person. Medical education has been known as one of the most stressful academic curriculum.  Hence, medical students may subjected to multiple psychological changes and challenges throughout the years of medical education.  The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of stress and its associated factors among medical students. This cross sectional study was conducted from April to May 2018 in medical school in Sabah. It involved 396 medical students through universal sampling.  Self-administered questionnaires were used as an instrument for data collection. The questionnaires included were Sociodemographic Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales 21 (DASS-21) and Medical Student Stressors Questionnaire (MSSQ). Bivariate analysis (Chi Square test, Fisher’s Exact Test, Independent T test and Man-Whitney U test) were used to analyse the association. The response rate was 90.2%. The prevalence of stress among medical students were 33.3%.  Significant associated factors include financial support inadequacy (p=0.010) and all categories of medical student stressors. The mean score of the academic related stressors was found to be at 2.117 (±0.758) which was the highest mean score among medical student stressors assessed by MSSQ. The result of this study can be used as a basis for implementation of preventive measures such as provision of comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health care services in university-based settings.


Author(s):  
Kristina Kaljo ◽  
Laura Jacques

The preparation of today's physicians is a tremendous responsibility. For medical students to be successful, they must experience a multitude of opportunities to develop appropriate clinical skills, problem solving acumen, and medical knowledge. Due to various barriers, medical students may develop gaps in critical and foundational knowledge. The use of flipped lectures has the capacity to “mobilize” education and ensure for versatility and improved content acquisition through the implementation of both online and face-to-face teaching methodologies. This hybrid learning environment has the capacity to also address the increasingly diverse needs of today's matriculating medical student. This article identifies tools and strategies of how to incorporate flipped lectures into medical education.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Elaine Hardman ◽  
Bobby L. Miller ◽  
Darshana T. Shah

Nutrition education is an essential component of medical education if new physicians are to be equipped to address common chronic diseases, including obesity and the associated diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Most medical students recognize this need and desire nutrition education; however, finding time in a medical school curriculum and funding are challenging. Available, free online resources and small group exercises can be utilized to provide basic, up-to-date nutrition information to medical students.


1988 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 903-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Evans ◽  
G. J. Coman ◽  
R. O. Stanley

Scores of a sample of Australian medical students on the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity are compared with the normative data. The comparison suggests that these medical students' scores are generally slightly higher than those of the normative group but comparable to those of USA college and medical student samples. A comparison of 4th and 6th Year medical student samples indicated no differences between measures. These data will be further used in a longitudinal study of the effects of traditional medical education on students' consulting skills.


Author(s):  
Laura Kelly

This book is the first comprehensive history of medical student culture and medical education in Ireland from the middle of the nineteenth century until the 1950s. Utilising a variety of rich sources, including novels, newspapers, student magazines, doctors’ memoirs, and oral history accounts, it examines Irish medical student life and culture, incorporating students’ educational and extra-curricular activities at all of the Irish medical schools. The book investigates students' experiences in the lecture theatre, hospital, dissecting room and outside their studies, such as in ‘digs’, sporting teams and in student societies, illustrating how representations of medical students changed in Ireland over the period and examines the importance of class, religious affiliation and the appropriate traits that students were expected to possess. It highlights religious divisions as well as the dominance of the middle classes in Irish medical schools while also exploring institutional differences, the students’ decisions to pursue medical education, emigration and the experiences of women medical students within a predominantly masculine sphere. Through an examination of the history of medical education in Ireland, this book builds on our understanding of the Irish medical profession while also contributing to the wider scholarship of student life and culture. It will appeal to those interested in the history of medicine, the history of education and social history in modern Ireland.


Author(s):  
Lauren E. Farmer ◽  
Camille A. Clare

Abstract Background The Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) has acknowledged the importance of pregnancy options counseling by listing it as a “shows how” skill for all undergraduate medical students. Unfortunately, there is no standard curriculum utilized to teach medical students pregnancy options counseling or to assess skill sustainability over time. Objectives To review and summarize the literature on pregnancy options counseling in undergraduate medical education. Methods We performed a structured literature review searching Google Scholar, PubMed, and EMBASE for articles between 2000 and February 2020. Inclusion criteria were English language studies of M. D. and D.O. programs in North America with a discussion of pregnancy options counseling as it relates to medical student education. Results There is a small but growing body of literature on pregnancy options counseling in medical student education. The common themes across the 17 papers reviewed include the status of pregnancy options counseling in undergraduate medical education, barriers to teaching options counseling, the timing of education, utilization of the options counseling Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), learner challenges, and novel strategies for implementing education in options counseling and subsequent learning outcomes. Conclusions There is no standardized pregnancy options counseling curriculum in undergraduate medical education (UME). The landscape in which this important skill is being taught is one of random, insufficient, and uncoordinated curricular interventions. This is the only review on this subject, making it a unique summary on pregnancy options counseling in UME.


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