scholarly journals Using the physiology of normal aging as a capstone integration exercise in a medical physiology course

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-368
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Kibble

As the Baby Boomer generation reaches old age, there has been a significant increase in the number of older adults needing healthcare over the past decade. The physiology of aging is therefore a highly relevant topic for the preclinical medical curriculum. I describe a new capstone unit on the physiology of aging, placed at the end a medical physiology course, to provide a vehicle for integration of prior learning about physiology of each individual body system. Students were provided with online self-study modules as preparation for a mandatory small group case-based learning activity. A detailed case of an elderly female patient being assessed for fall risk was provided. Students were required to document a “Review of Systems” predicting decreased system functions due to senescence and to prepare a group concept map illustrating how physiologic deficits contributed to fall risk in the patient. Students successfully completed the activity and reported generally good satisfaction with the experience. The activity was judged an effective tool for students to consolidate prior learning and to apply physiology to an important medical topic. The lesson also provided several opportunities for curriculum integration with cell biology, biochemistry, anatomy, and clinical skills components.

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. JMECD.S17496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Wisco ◽  
Stephanie Young ◽  
Paul Rabedeaux ◽  
Seth D. Lerner ◽  
Paul F. Wimmers ◽  
...  

A series of three annual surveys of David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA students and UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences students were administered from 2010 to 2012 to ascertain student perceptions of which anatomy pedagogy—prosection or dissection—was most valuable to them during the first year of preclinical medical education and for the entire medical school experience in general. Students were asked, “What value does gross anatomy education have in preclinical medical education?” We further asked the students who participated in both prosection and dissection pedagogies, “Would you have preferred an anatomy curriculum like the Summer Anatomy Dissection during your first year in medical school instead of prosection?” All students who responded to the survey viewed anatomy as a highly valued part of the medical curriculum, specifically referring to four major themes: Anatomy is (1) the basis for medical understanding, (2) part of the overall medical school experience, (3) a bridge to understanding pathology and physiology, and (4) the foundation for clinical skills. Students who participated in both prosection and dissection pedagogies surprisingly and overwhelmingly advocated for a prosection curriculum for the first year of medical school, not a dissection curriculum. Time efficiency was the dominant theme in survey responses from students who learned anatomy through prosection and then dissection. Students, regardless of whether interested in surgery/radiology or not, appreciated both pedagogies but commented that prosection was sufficient for learning basic anatomy, while dissection was a necessary experience in preparation for the anatomical medical specialties. This suggests that anatomy instruction should be integrated into the clinical years of medical education.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal Mirza ◽  
Anjiya Sulaiman ◽  
Satwat Hashmi ◽  
Samar Zaki ◽  
Rehana Rehman ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: To determine perception of medical students about learning from integrated simulated clinical skills sessions in Respiration and Circulation module of Year 1 undergraduate medical curriculum at Aga Khan University. Subjects & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Centre for Innovation in Medical Education, Aga Khan University (AKU) from July 2018 to February 2019. Integrated clinical skills session involves use of a combination of live simulated patient and mechanical simulator to teach clinical skills.  These sessions were conducted in Respiration and Circulation Module of MBBS Year I curriculum after which quantitative data was collected by a questionnaire that assessed usefulness of integrated clinical skills teaching method and confidence gained by students. The responses acquired were assessed on a Likert scale ranging from 1-5, (strongly agree -strongly disagree).  Descriptive analysis was performed. A focused group discussion (FGD) with students and an in-depth interview with a facilitator conducting the clinical skills sessions was arranged. Simple verbatim transcription of FGD recordings and thematic analyses was executed. Results: Quantitative analysis showed that more than 90% of the students believed integrated sessions were effective in acquiring the learning objectives and found them enjoyable and motivating. 80% expressed confidence that they had accomplished learning objectives and felt they have learned practical clinical skills. Qualitative analysis revealed that these sessions enhanced understanding of subject matter and student engagement during sessions. Conclusion: Integrated clinical skills sessions improved student interest, engagement and promoted student confidence. It should be implemented in undergraduate medical teaching curriculum. Continuous...


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen L. Bintley ◽  
Alexander Bell ◽  
Rachel Ashworth

Evidence shows that biomedical knowledge is more effectively taught within the medical curriculum by teaching in context, to facilitate learning transfer. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of combining high-technology simulation and physiology teaching on medical student learning and experience. First-year medical students received respiratory physiology teaching in the form of lectures, problem-based learning, and practical sessions. These students were then given the opportunity to apply their knowledge and problem solve using respiratory-related clinical case scenarios in simulated patients. Student understanding was assessed using a short quiz performed immediately before and after the session. Results revealed that the session significantly improved the mean score on tests (6.97 ± 0.29 vs. 8.22 ± 0.19, P < 0.001). Student evaluation was collected in focus groups, and recurring concepts were extracted from the data. Students reported that the sessions helped to bridge the gap between theory and practice, which aided their learning. In addition, this teaching methodology (simulation) was reportedly patient centered and added to the realism of the simulated scenario, with students stating that this teaching improved their confidence with managing real patients and clinical uncertainty. Simulation has been used extensively to teach clinical skills; however, research regarding its potential for teaching biomedical science within a clinical context is limited. Our study shows that combining high-technology simulation and physiology teaching contributed to an immediate improvement in medical student knowledge and enhanced their ability to make connections between theoretical knowledge and the world of practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Sukhraj Kaur ◽  
Ritu Sharma

Objectives: Biochemistry is one of the foundation sciences in the medical curriculum, which has immense importance in understanding the future clinical sciences, but it is generally considered to be a subject of just countless biochemical structures, pathways, and reactions. Conventionally, it was taught by means of didactic lectures, tutorials, and practical classes. These days, the education system is changing to a student-centered teaching–learning process with the use of various innovative teaching methods. Case-based learning (CBL) is one such approach which can make learning more effective and interesting. To generate interest of students in Biochemistry by correlating topics and their clinical application. Materials and Methods: After taking permission from the Institutional ethics committee, the students were given didactic lecture on the integration of carbohydrates and lipid metabolisms followed by a test (pre-test). They were then divided into small groups and given case histories which they were to discuss amongst themselves and arrive at a conclusion. These case histories were then discussed one to one with the facilitator. The students were again given a test (post-test). Results: There was a significant difference in the marks obtained in pre and post-test. Majority of the students felt it was an enjoyable and effective way of studying Biochemistry. Faculty also gave an encouraging response. Conclusion: CBL can be an important way of stimulating the students for self-directed learning and integrating topics of Biochemistry so that they are easily conceptualized.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee M. McFee ◽  
Andrea S. Cupp ◽  
Jennifer R. Wood

Didactic lectures are prevalent in physiology courses within veterinary medicine programs, but more active learning methods have also been utilized. Our goal was to identify the most appropriate learning method to augment the lecture component of our physiology course. We hypothesized that case-based learning would be well received by students and would be more effective at helping them learn physiological concepts compared with more traditional laboratory exercises. In this study, approximately one-half of the laboratory sessions for the two-semester course were dedicated to traditional hands-on laboratory exercises, whereas the remaining one-half of the sessions were dedicated to case-based exercises. The lecture portion of the course was not altered. Student attitudes were evaluated after each session and at the end of each semester via quantitative and qualitative survey questions. Student performance was evaluated using section exams and end-of-semester posttests. The vast majority of survey responses received were positive for both cased-based activities and traditional hands-on laboratories. In addition, participation in both types of active learning activities, but not lecture, was associated with retention of conceptual knowledge based on student performance between the section exams and posttests ( P < 0.002). These results indicate that both case-based learning and laboratory exercises are beneficial learning activities to incorporate into a lecture-based physiology course. However, positive survey responses were significantly greater following case-based activities vs. traditional hands-on laboratories, and only participation in case-based activities resulted in greater student performance on the posttest ( P < 0.04). Therefore, case-based activities may be the preferred supplemental learning activity for veterinary medical physiology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-382
Author(s):  
Shoukat Ali Arain ◽  
Nasir Ali Afsar ◽  
Dileep Kumar Rohra ◽  
Muhammad Zafar

Learning clinical skills in a large group of undergraduate medical students is challenging. Innovative technology-based modalities are being evaluated to complement limited hospital rotations. We determined the effectiveness of clinical skills-related audiovisual (AV) aids embedded in electronic-problem-based learning (PBL) sessions, in terms of students’ feedback and formative Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) grades. This mixed-method study was conducted during the Cardiovascular System module in year 3 of the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery program. The AV aids, mainly consisting of abnormal chest auscultation sounds, were linked to the cases for the intervention group. The control group received only a description of clinical signs. Sessions were conducted using an intranet platform. At the end of the module, feedback was obtained from intervention group students and faculty using a self-administered questionnaire. The learning was compared between intervention and control groups through an OSCE. Finally, focus group interviews were conducted to explore factors underlying deviation from the expected results. Out of 110 intervention group students, 86 (78%) responded. The students appreciated the inclusion of AV aids, as suggested by a high average satisfaction score of 4.2 (SD 0.8). They agreed that, apart from being appropriate and relevant, the aids improved the learning environment and engagement in the process. The tutors also gave a similar feedback. However, no difference in the OSCE scores was found between control and intervention groups. The study indicates that inclusion of AV aids improved students’ engagement and classroom environment in electronic-PBL sessions, but did not improve diagnostic abilities based on the learned clinical skills.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 238212051988684
Author(s):  
Anthonio Adefuye ◽  
Matthew Benedict ◽  
Johan Bezuidenhout ◽  
Jamiu O Busari

Background: The adoption of community-based medical education (CoBME) into the undergraduate medical curriculum is in line with the SPICE model for medical curriculum proposed by Harden and colleagues. Students are the consumers of medical education and are, thus, the ideal evaluators of the efficacy of their own course and learning environment. To evaluate the quality of the CoBME programme in Botshabelo District Hospital (BDH), this study investigated student’s perceptions of their experience during their CoBME training at BDH. In addition, suggestions on how to enrich students’ experience during the CoBME posting were obtained from the participants. Methods: This research was designed as a qualitative (ethnographic) study that used a structured questionnaire, to obtain written statements from 120 fourth-year undergraduate medical students describing their experience during their CoBME training at BDH. The structured questionnaire in the form of an evaluation form was self-administered, consisted of only open-ended questions grouped into 4 main sections and was distributed manually (hard copy) to the participants. Results: Of the 120 questionnaires distributed, 84 were returned, giving a response rate of 70.0%. When asked to indicate what they liked or disliked about their CoBME training, ‘Good educators/staff’ and the ‘Poor attitude of some doctors’ were the themes that scored highly (25.1% and 19.4%) in the ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ category, respectively. Some of the major challenges faced during the CoBME training at BDH included: exposure to new learning environment (14.2%), clinical practice context (12.6%), and language barrier (7.2%). Participants stated that they gained knowledge of how to perform certain clinical procedures and acquired core clinical skills in the areas of formulating management and managing some medical emergencies during their training at BDH. Increasing the duration of training (25.6% coverage) was suggested as a major way to enrich students’ experience during the training at BDH. Conclusion: Findings by this study reveal that CoBME is a valuable pedagogical tool to enhance learning in undergraduate medical education and that more work is required to improve the quality of CoBME training in BDH. We believe that the findings by this study will inform future planning of CoBME training programmes in BDH.


Author(s):  
Isabel Chen ◽  
Connor Forbes

Purpose: Medical schools are increasingly aware of the ways in which physician empathy can have a profound impact on patients’ lives and have developed humanities initiatives to address this concern. Reflective writing in particular is more commonly promoted in medical curricula, but there is limited research on the impact of reflective writing on medical student empathy levels. It aims to find the emotional effects of reflective writing interventions on medical and healthcare students by systemic review. Methods: Two investigators independently reviewed educational publications for critical analysis. This review focused systematically on quantitative papers that measure the impact of reflective writing on empathy. Results: Of the 1,032 studies found on Medline and CINAHL, only 8 used quantitative measures pre- and postwritten reflection to measure any impact on empathy outcomes. The outcomes measured included impact of reflective writing exercises on student wellness, aptitude, and/or clinical skills. Of these studies, a significant change in student empathy was observed in 100% of the studies, demonstrating a significant change in outcomes. Conclusion: Although the lack of homogeneity in outcome measurement in the literature limits possible conclusion from this review, the overwhelmingly positive reporting of outcomes suggests that reflective writing should be considered in any medical curriculum.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 238212052092368
Author(s):  
Wanda Jirau-Rosaly ◽  
Shilpa P Brown ◽  
Elena A Wood ◽  
Nicole Rockich-Winston

Purpose: The aging population in the United States poses a substantial challenge to our health care system, and particularly affects the training of physicians in geriatric care. To introduce undergraduate medical students to a variety of clinical skills and concepts emphasized in geriatrics, we created an interprofessional geriatric workshop and examined changes in student perceptions of working in interprofessional teams, knowledge regarding geriatric concepts, perceptions of the pre-work material, and suggestions for curricular improvement to enhance the workshop for future students. Methods: Second-year medical students participated in a 4-hour workshop with tasks that emphasized activities of daily living, geriatric physical assessment, end-of-life discussions, Beers Criteria, and a home health assessment. Pre- and post-surveys were administered including the Students Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education–Revised (SPICE-R) survey and a knowledge assessment. Student perceptions of pre-work and overall program assessment were captured after the workshop. Descriptive statistics and paired t tests assessed for significant differences. Emerging themes were analyzed using the Glaser constant comparative method. Results: Of the 186 medical student participants, 178 students completed the SPICE-R survey, demonstrating significant increases in students’ perceptions of the value of interprofessional education ( P < .001). In addition, 111 students completed the pre- and post-test for the knowledge assessment, demonstrating significant gains in geriatric concepts ( P < .001). Overall, most students perceived the pre-work as useful and felt prepared to evaluate geriatric patients. Open-ended question analysis supported results, in which 34 students indicated that they felt most comfortable performing a home health assessment and emphasized the usage of the home health simulation. Conclusions: Introducing medical students to a variety of geriatric assessments and concepts in an interprofessional environment early in their career positively influences their perceptions of working as an interprofessional team member to deliver comprehensive care to older adults.


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