Mystery Shopper Lecture Feedback Programme – a collaborative project between staff and students at a graduate entry medical school

Author(s):  
Hannah Maxfield ◽  
John Flemming ◽  
Logan Mills ◽  
Katherine Owen

The pilot study described is an innovative model which ensures that lecturers receive relevant and tailored feedback from students in order to improve their delivery of lectures, ultimately improving student education.The current method of lecture feedback at Warwick Medical School asks students to comment on a whole term’s worth of lectures at once – consequently feedback is often non-specific and unconstructive.This project has been rolled out by a collaborative team of four medical students and one Faculty member. The project team designed a training event to instruct 10-15 students from each year group to deliver constructive and useful feedback to lecturers. The project team designed the online feedback form, which is completed by the trained students after observing a lecture. Students sign up to review lectures via a digital platform managed by the project team. Once the feedback form is submitted, it is quality-control-assessed by a Faculty member before being sent anonymously to the lecturer.This project allows medical students to provide lecturers with meaningful information about what they did well and how they can improve. Initial feedback from lecturers has been positive; they have valued the constructive criticism and the suggestions they have been given for improving future lectures.

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp19X703001
Author(s):  
Aidan Culhane ◽  
Patrick O’Dwyer ◽  
Andrew O’Regan ◽  
Liam Glynn

BackgroundAt 18 weeks duration, University of Limerick — Graduate Entry Medical School (UL–GEMS) has the longest general practice clinical attachment for medical students in Ireland and fulfils the educational criteria for a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC).The longer the clinical placement the greater the imperative to see that these practices achieve satisfactory educational standards.AimThis project describes a quality assurance initiative of general practices that participate in the education of medical students at GEMS.MethodA literature review of previous quality assurance initiatives in relation to general practices that teach medical students was performed. Information gained from this process was then compared with UL-GEMS own criteria for teaching general practices. A set of criteria by for assessing teaching general practices was devised. The assessment process included a combination of self-assessment by the GP tutors and practice visits by the UL-GEMS teaching staff.ResultsNearly 100% of teaching practices had the correct teaching facilities, such as own room for the student or own computer. Suggested teaching methods, such as parallel consulting, as advised by the Department of General Practice were carried by 100% of practices. Use of the two-way feedback form and the GP/Student manual was poor. GP tutors requested more regular visits form the GP teaching staff as well as more guidance on content for formal tutorials so that a consistency teaching approach could be achieved.ConclusionThis was the first quality assurance initiative on an extended clinical placement. The knowledge gained will lead to a more inclusive standard setting process for teaching medical students in general practice settings.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e032493
Author(s):  
Nariell Morrison ◽  
Michelle Machado ◽  
Clare Blackburn

ObjectiveTo explore graduate-entry medical students experiences of undergraduate training in the context of academic underperformance of medical students from ethnic minority backgrounds.DesignQualitative study using semi-structured focus groups.SettingA West Midlands medical school.Participants24 graduate-entry MBChB students were recruited using volunteer and snowball sampling; all students self-identified as being from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds.ResultsBME students reported facing a range of difficulties, throughout their undergraduate medical training, that they felt impeded their learning and performance. Their relationships with staff and clinicians, though also identified as facilitators to learning, were also perceived to have hindered progress, as many students felt that a lack of BME representation and lack of understanding of cultural differences among staff impacted their experience. Students also reported a lack of trust in the institution’s ability to support BME students, with many not seeking support. Students’ narratives indicated that they had to mask their identity to fit in among their peers and to avoid negative stereotyping. Although rare, students faced overt racism from their peers and from patients. Many students reported feelings of isolation, reduced self-confidence and low self-esteem.ConclusionsBME students in this study reported experiencing relationship issues with other students, academic and clinical staff, lack of trust in the institution and some racist events. Although it is not clear from this small study of one institution whether these findings would be replicated in other institutions, they nevertheless highlight important issues to be considered by the institution concerned and other institutions. These findings suggest that all stakeholders of graduate-entry undergraduate medical education should reflect on the current institutional practices intended to improve student–peer and student–staff relationships. Reviewing current proposals intended to diversify student and staff populations as well as evaluating guidance on tackling racism is likely to be beneficial.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Taylor ◽  
Anona Blackwell

Despite recommendations that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) familiarization should be offered to UK medical students, in Wales little such teaching was offered. We decided to assess medical students’ knowledge of CAMs, perceived training needs in CAMs, their view of its role in the National Health Service (NHS) and current teaching given. Analysis of data from a questionnaire given to medical students and direct questioning of senior academic medical school staff in Cardiff and Swansea Medical Schools was carried out. The participants comprised 78 first year medical students in the undergraduate entry program in Cardiff and 58 first year medical students from the graduate entry program in Swansea. Senior academic medical school staff at Cardiff and Swansea Medical Schools were asked about current CAM teaching. Results revealed that 32% of undergraduate entry students (UGES) had previous knowledge of CAMs compared with 51% of graduate entry students (GES). Of the UGES, 62% believed they should be taught about CAM's compared with 94% of GES. Of UGES 31% felt that CAMs have a role in the NHS compared with 50% of GES. None of the students had received teaching about CAMs and little formal CAM teaching is currently included in the curricula at each site. The majority of medical students in Wales would like to receive CAM teaching and significant numbers support a role for CAMs in the NHS. Little formal teaching is currently provided.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
Simon Tso

Background: The transition experience of graduate-entry medicine degree programme students is less well understood as compared to those from undergraduate-entry medicine degree programmes. Aim: This thematic analysis study aimed to explore the transition experience of graduate-entry medicine degree programme students at a United Kingdom medical school. Methods: Twenty-one student volunteers from the University of Warwick 4-year graduate-entry medicine degree programme took part in this study with fourteen participants attended a further follow-up interview. Audio recordings of their semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results: Results revealed three key transition periods within the University of Warwick Medical School’s graduate-entry medicine degree programme. Learning, professional identity development and managing coping strategies were the three key challenging issues dominating their transition experience. Medical students encountered a range of challenging issues throughout their medical school journey that could be categorised under three conceptual themes: challenges associated with the curriculum, challenges associated with their social role and generic life challenges. Conclusions: The findings from this study could be useful to educators and medical schools in enhancing their student support services. It could also be useful to prospective and existing medical students in understanding the realities of undertaking a graduate-entry medicine degree programme.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer S Mascaro ◽  
Sean Kelley ◽  
Alana Darcher ◽  
Lobsang Negi ◽  
Carol Worthman ◽  
...  

Increasing data suggest that for medical school students the stress of academic and psychologicaldemands can impair social emotions that are a core aspect of compassion and ultimately physiciancompetence. Few interventions have proven successful for enhancing physician compassion inways that persist in the face of suffering and that enable sustained caretaker well-being. To addressthis issue, the current study was designed to (1) investigate the feasibility of cognitively-basedcompassion training (CBCT) for second-year medical students, and (2) test whether CBCT decreasesdepression, enhances compassion, and improves daily functioning in medical students. Comparedto the wait-list group, students randomized to CBCT reported increased compassion, and decreasedloneliness and depression. Changes in compassion were most robust in individuals reporting highlevels of depression at baseline, suggesting that CBCT may benefit those most in need by breakingthe link between personal suffering and a concomitant drop in compassion


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp20X711293
Author(s):  
Sarah Garnett ◽  
Hajira Dambha-Miller ◽  
Beth Stuart

BackgroundEmpathy is a key health care concept and refers to care that incorporates understanding of patient perspective’s, shared decision making, and consideration of the broader context in which illness is experience. Evidence suggests experiences of doctor empathy correlate with improved health outcomes and patient satisfaction. It has also been linked to job satisfaction, and mental wellbeing for doctors. To date, there is a paucity of evidence on empathy levels among medical students. This is critical to understand given that it is a key point at which perceptions and practices of empathy in the longer term might be formed.AimTo quantify the level of empathy among UK undergraduate medical studentsMethodAn anonymised cross-sectional online survey was distributed to medical students across three universities. The previously validated Davis’s Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used to quantify empathy. The survey also collected information on age, sex, ethnicity, year of medical school training and included a free-text box for ‘any other comments’.ResultsData analysis is currently underway with high response rates. Mean empathy scores by age, sex, year of study and ethnic group are presented. A correlation analysis will examine associations between age and year of study, and mean empathy sores.ConclusionThese data will help to provide a better understanding of empathy levels to inform the provision of future empathy training and medical school curriculum design. Given previous evidence linking experiences of empathy to better health outcomes, the findings may also be significant to future patient care


2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X697229
Author(s):  
Matthew Webb ◽  
Sarah Thirlwall ◽  
Bob McKinley

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.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document