Expanding Medical Student Interaction In Neurology With A Redesigned Student Interest Group In Neurology (SIGN) Chapter

Abstract Background: SIGN chapters across the country provide opportunities for medical students to participate in clinical, research, and service activities in neurology. Despite these, enrollment in SIGN chapters has been traditionally low.Methods: Following changes were introduced: an open board style SIGN chapter executive committee with greater active engagement of first and second year students, new types SIGN chapter activities including journal club articles, hands on workshop (example EMG), celebration/cause events (example ALS walk). In addition, a free neurology clinic was introduced. Activities were planned in consultation with office of medical education, and were organized during ‘down times’. Data on student enrollment, activities successfully carried out, students interested in neurology residency, number of neurology-related research projects with student involvement were collected prior to changes and compared to values after changes were introduced.Results: Post intervention, student engagement in neurology activities and projects increased significantly. There were also significantly more students engaged in neurology related research projects and significantly more students reported interest in neurology. However, a similar increase in applications to neurology residency was not yet observed.Conclusions: An open chapter with early engagement and involvement of first and second year medical students, creating a variety of chapter activities with greater hands on involvement, planned in conjunction with office of medical education has reinvigorated our SIGN chapter.

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Expanding medical student interaction in neurology with a redesigned student interest group in neurology (sign) chapter

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02641-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rohit Gummi ◽

Ross Smith ◽

Raghav Govindarajan

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Interest Group ◽

The United States ◽

Student Interest ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Journal Clubs ◽

Hands On ◽

Neurology Clinic ◽

Second Year

Abstract Background Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) chapters across the medical schools in the United States provide opportunities for medical students to participate in clinical, research, and service activities in neurology. Despite these, applicants for the field of neurology have traditionally been low. Methods Following changes were introduced: an open board style SIGN chapter executive committee with greater active engagement of first and second year students. New activities included journal clubs, hands on workshops, celebration/cause events (example ALS walk). In addition, a free neurology clinic was introduced. Activities were planned in consultation with office of medical education, and were organized during ‘down times’. Data on student enrollment, activities successfully carried out, students interested in neurology residency, number of neurology-related research projects with student involvement were collected prior to changes and compared to values after changes were introduced. Results Post intervention, student engagement in neurology activities and projects increased significantly. However, a similar increase in applications to neurology residency was not yet observed. Conclusions An open chapter with early engagement and involvement of first and second year medical students, creating a variety of chapter activities with greater hands on involvement, planned in conjunction with office of medical education has reinvigorated our SIGN chapter.

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Expanding Medical Student Interaction In Neurology With A Redesigned Student Interest Group In Neurology (Sign) Chapter

10.21203/rs.3.rs-25197/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rohit Gummi ◽

Ross Smith ◽

Raghav Govindarajan

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Interest Group ◽

The United States ◽

Student Interest ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Journal Clubs ◽

Hands On ◽

Neurology Clinic ◽

Second Year

Abstract Background: Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) chapters across the medical schools in the United States provide opportunities for medical students to participate in clinical, research, and service activities in neurology. Despite these, applicants for the field of neurology have traditionally been low.Methods: Following changes were introduced: an open board style SIGN chapter executive committee with greater active engagement of first and second year students. New activities included journal clubs, hands on workshops, celebration/cause events (example ALS walk). In addition, a free neurology clinic was introduced. Activities were planned in consultation with office of medical education, and were organized during ‘down times’. Data on student enrollment, activities successfully carried out, students interested in neurology residency, number of neurology-related research projects with student involvement were collected prior to changes and compared to values after changes were introduced.Results: Post intervention, student engagement in neurology activities and projects increased significantly. However, a similar increase in applications to neurology residency was not yet observed.Conclusions: An open chapter with early engagement and involvement of first and second year medical students, creating a variety of chapter activities with greater hands on involvement, planned in conjunction with office of medical education has reinvigorated our SIGN chapter.

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Two Student Perspectives on Clinical Medical Education During the COVID19 Pandemic

International Journal of Medical Students ◽

10.5195/ijms.2021.909 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anne P. George ◽

Elise E. Ewens

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Patient Care ◽

Direct Patient Care ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

Hands On ◽

Hands On Learning ◽

Ultimate Question ◽

To Come ◽

The U.S

In the age of COVID19, the ultimate question in healthcare became who was essential and who was not. Basically, who could be cut from the roster in patient care? Unfortunately, as medical students, many of us did not make that cut, and as rotations were continually evolving and changing, students from even the same institution had varying experiences. Third-year clerkships are defined by the direct patient care and hands-on learning students get, but in the age of COVID19, “hands-on learning” has been a bit hard to come by. Hence, COVID has caused many changes in the way medicine is being taught and practiced. This article will detail the experiences of two medical students from the same institution, working in different locations for their third-year clerkships. We contrast our rural and urban experiences as students in the time of COVID and display the varying experiences students are having during this time. We touch on the potential ramifications for these wide varieties of experiences from students across the U.S. and how this will affect sub-internships and residency applications.

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A Qualitative Exploration of Medical Student Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1121899/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gabriel Ellison ◽

Thomas Pruzinsky

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Student ◽

Medical Students ◽

Clinical Training ◽

Medical Specialty ◽

Moral Dilemmas ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Family Responsibilities ◽

Second Year ◽

Difficult Times

Abstract BackgroundThere is evidence that medical student self-reported empathy may decline as one progresses through their clinical training. Due to the unprecedented changes to both patient care and medical education caused by COVID-19, it is reasonable to assume that medical student empathy may be impacted. The goal of this July 2020 study was to qualitatively explore how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect medical students’ reported experience of empathy.MethodUsing a semi-structured interview, the authors interviewed 12 medical students, 6 second-year and 6 fourth-year. They selected these groups because of the distinct differences in their clinical experience. ResultsData analysis identified 5 major themes: 1) Expanded Perspective (e.g., a feeling of “we’re in this together”, increased awareness of patient vulnerability) 2) Moral Dilemmas (e.g., difficult decisions faced by students as a result of the pandemic such as weighing educational vs. family responsibilities, students risking their own health to provide the best possible care) 3) Confirmation of Values (e.g., Feeling reaffirmed in decision to enter medicine, feeling the pandemic was “what we signed up for” by entering medical school) 4) Shaping Priorities (e.g., changes in medical specialty or populations of interest) 5) Barriers to Empathy and Adaptive Strategies (e.g., COVID-19 created many physical, psychological, and social barriers to empathy for students, students presented many strategies for ameliorating these barriers). Five students (42%) reported increased empathy with no students reporting a decrease in empathy due to experiences during the pandemic. Conclusions Participants did not report that their personal experience of empathy for patients was negatively influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many reported that their empathy increased. The observed differences in responses by pre-clinical (second-year) and clinical (fourth-year) students suggests a possible shift in how empathy is experienced and practiced as one progresses through their medical education. The overwhelmingly positive responses to the semi-structured interview, emphasizing appreciation of the opportunity to discuss topics not previously openly discussed, underscores the importance of providing explicit opportunities for students to discuss their emotional/interpersonal experiences within medical education, particularly in difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Engaging Underrepresented Undergraduates in Engineering Through a Hands-On Automotive-Themed REU Program

Volume 5: Education and Globalization ◽

10.1115/imece2013-62111 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Laila Guessous ◽

Qian Zou ◽

Brian Sangeorzan ◽

J. David Schall ◽

Gary Barber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Department Of Defense ◽

National Science Foundation ◽

Mechanical Engineering ◽

Program Directors ◽

Research Projects ◽

Research Experience ◽

Medium Term ◽

Related Research ◽

Hands On ◽

National Science

Since the summer of 2006, the department of Mechanical Engineering at Oakland University (OU) has been organizing a research experience for undergraduates (REU) program that has been successful at recruiting underrepresented undergraduates in engineering — women in particular. Funded in 2006–2009 and in 2010–2013 through the National Science Foundation REU program and the Department of Defense ASSURE program, this summer REU program focuses on automotive and energy-related research projects. The main purpose of this paper is to share our 6-year experience of organizing and running a summer REU program and to report on the outcomes and short/medium-term assessment results of the program. Also included are some recommendations that we would make to further enhance the success of similar REU programs. We believe that this type of information could prove to be of value to other REU program directors and faculty seeking to organize similar programs.

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A Practical Approach to Clinical Ethics Education for Undergraduate Medical Students: A Case Study From Guatemala

Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development ◽

10.1177/2382120519869207 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 238212051986920 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

María Lorena Aguilera ◽

Sergio Martínez Siekavizza ◽

Francis Barchi

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Ethics Education ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Learning Goals ◽

Student Interest ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Formal Curriculum ◽

Critical Reasoning

Objective: This case study describes a faculty initiative to create a curriculum in applied medical ethics for undergraduate medical students at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin (UFM) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Methods: The new ethics curriculum (PRACTICE) incorporates ethics short-courses into the university’s system of nontraditional, credit-bearing electives offered to students as part of their 6-year undergraduate medical education and complements existing didactic courses in normative ethics. Structured case-based activities allow for flexibility in design and scheduling, do not compete with core requirements of the existing curriculum, and enable students to develop critical reasoning approaches to ethical situations they will encounter in medical practice. Two preliminary workshops provided teaching opportunities for the faculty, stimulated student interest in future ethics courses, and provided an evidence base to guide the development of a formal curriculum. Results: The elective currently includes six 2-hour modules, each of which is a stand-alone unit with learning goals and objectives, brief didactic lecture, assigned readings, discussion case, and assessment. To date, more than 110 students have participated in the workshops and courses. Student feedback and evaluations are being used to refine pedagogical approaches and drive future course content. Conclusions: The PRACTICE course format offers a transformative model for ethics education in Guatemala that can be used in medical education throughout the country and region.

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Perceptions of medical students towards autopsy teaching and its significance

Medicine Science and the Law ◽

10.1177/0025802419855448 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 59 (3) ◽

pp. 143-148

Author(s):

Arjun Tandon ◽

Tanuj Kanchan ◽

Alok Atreya ◽

Abhishek Tandon

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Positive Response ◽

Medical Curriculum ◽

Human Anatomy ◽

Death Certification ◽

Spss Software ◽

Second Year ◽

Medical Education Curriculum

The importance of autopsies in medical education is multidimensional. In accordance with the existing medical curriculum in India, forensic medicine is a subject taken up during the second year of the MBBS, and undergraduate students of medicine are expected to witness a minimum of 10 autopsies during the third to fifth semesters. This research analyses the perceptions of medical students towards medico-legal autopsy teaching and its significance at one medical institution in India. A total of 450 MBBS students participated in the study and submitted their responses to the predesigned semi-structured 20-point questionnaire on autopsy viewing and its relevance in general. The obtained data were analysed statistically using SPSS software. More than 75% of students agreed that they could appreciate the actual morphology and pathological changes in the human organs. There was a positive response from 54.9% students, who affirmed that autopsy helped refresh and improve their knowledge of human anatomy. More than 60% students agreed to have gained understanding of clinical–pathological correlations and became acquainted with death certification. The majority of the students (53.6%) agreed that autopsy postings made them mentally and emotionally stronger. The present study provides useful evidence regarding the perceptions of medical students towards autopsy teaching, and intends to highlight the utility of autopsies in enhancing the knowledge of medical students and its significance in the medical education curriculum.

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MP16: Which PoCUS skills are retained over time for medical students?

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2019.151 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (S1) ◽

pp. S47-S48

Author(s):

L. Edgar ◽

L. Fraccaro ◽

L. Park ◽

J. MacIsaac ◽

P. Pageau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Procedural Knowledge ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Skills Training ◽

Multiple Choice Questions ◽

Skills Retention ◽

Hands On ◽

Second Year ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasonography ◽

Over Time

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasonography (PoCUS) is being incorporated into Canadian undergraduate medical school curricula. The purpose of this study was to evaluate novel PoCUS education sessions to determine what aspects of the sessions benefitted from hands-on training and which PoCUS skills were retained over time. Methods: Second year medical students voluntarily received three different PoCUS training sessions, each lasting three hours. Prior to the sessions, participants prepared independently with pre-circulated online learning materials. After a 15-minute lecture, experienced PoCUS providers led small group (1 instructor: 5 students), live scanning sessions. Evaluations were conducted before and after each session using expert validated multiple choice questions testing general and procedural knowledge, image recognition and interpretation. Volunteer students were evaluated via direct observation of live scanning using an objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSAT) based on the O-score and then re-evaluated at 2 months post-training to assess PoCUS skills retention. Results: 40 second year medical students participated in extended Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (eFAST), cardiac, and gallbladder PoCUS sessions. The live-training sessions significantly improved student PoCUS knowledge beyond what they learned independently for eFAST (p < 0.001), cardiac (p < 0.001), and gallbladder (p = 0.02). The largest improvement was noted in procedural knowledge test scores improving from 44.0% to 84.0% (n = 38). 16 students were evaluated after each session with a mean O-score of 2.37. 8 students returned two months later to be re-evaluated demonstrating a change in O-scores for eFAST (2.00 to 2.38, p = 0.15), cardiac (2.28 to 2.00, p = 0.32), and gallbladder (2.91 to 1.88, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Procedural PoCUS knowledge benefited the most with hands-on training. eFAST and cardiac PoCUS competency was maintained over time while gallbladder PoCUS competency degraded suggesting that targeted PoCUS skills training may be possible. Further study is required to determine the best use of PoCUS resources in undergraduate medical education.

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