How Service Learning Can Impact Medical Students’ Perceptions of Social Responsibility

As criticism intensifies regarding healthcare disparities, the Liaison Committee for Medical Education has added accrediting standards mandating Service Learning (SL) in their curriculum. SL is a viable educational method to enhance social responsibility and other elements of professional identity. The problem of implementing highly effective SL projects in medical education was addressed in this study. Kiely’s model of transformational SL was used in this basic qualitative study to examine 10 medical students’ experiences during an SL project. The research question for the study was focused on the students’ descriptions of their experiences to understand how they perceived changes in themselves resulting from participation in SL. Findings from the data collected with semistructured interviews indicated that medical students described SL experiences as beneficial for community integration, educating others, and gratification. They expressed disappointment that they did not know the results of their projects. They related SL experiences that were eye-opening for them and stated that SL influenced their development of compassion as well as their intent to serve their community in their future practice of medicine. The resulting research study consisted of a curriculum plan for a required, credit-bearing SL project. The research contributes to positive social change by the intentional design of a transformative SL curriculum to foster social responsibility development.

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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.

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Doctors, Dioceses, and Decisions: Examining the Impact of the Catholic Hospital System and Federal Conscience Clauses on Medical Education

Pittsburgh Journal of Environmental and Public Health Law ◽

10.5195/pjephl.2012.31 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie M. Wurdock

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Human Life ◽

Hospital System ◽

Medical Education And Training ◽

Practice Of Medicine ◽

History Of ◽

Catholic Hospital ◽

The Impact

In a time when health care reform and the limits on First Amendment freedom of religion are persistent subjects of debate, Catholic restrictions on health care have made it to the forefront of public concern. Catholic providers prohibit a variety of medical procedures traditionally viewed by the Church as contrary to the tenet of respect for human life and dignity. Many Americans view this as an unconstitutional restriction on care. As a result, the growing presence of Catholic providers, namely hospitals, has become a major point of contention in many communities. The potential barrier to medical services raises concern not only for potential patients, but also for medical students whose chosen specialty may include a prohibited service. This article identifies some difficulties that may emerge for current and prospective medical students and advocates that both groups should be required to contemplate (1) their personal beliefs as they pertain to religiously-restricted care, and (2) the effects those beliefs will have on their medical education and training. This article also gives a comprehensive background of the history of the Catholic hospital system in America and analyzes the federal "conscience clauses" and their implications for the instruction and practice of medicine. Finally, this article concludes that a mandatory bioethics curriculum is absolutely crucial to ensure adequate ethics training for medical students.

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Genetics Practice Classes: A Useful Educational Method to Enhance the Learning of Medical Students

Educational Research in Medical Sciences ◽

10.5812/erms.108331 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol In Press (In Press) ◽

Author(s):

Mahdi Bijanzadeh

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Teaching Methods ◽

High Speed ◽

Practical Aspect ◽

Medical Genetics ◽

Clinical Aspects ◽

Educational Method ◽

Practical Experiences ◽

Open Question

Background: The current curriculum of genetics for medical students in the universities of Iran includes basic and clinical materials that are mainly theory-based. The integration of medical genetics into various aspects of medicine and exposing students to the practical and clinical aspects of genetics play a key role in improving the skills of graduated young physicians. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the viewpoints of medical students regarding the practicality of genetics practice classes. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted using a researcher-made questionnaire, which was completed by 72 medical students at Ahvaz Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences in Ahvaz, Iran. The respondents had a genetics practice class (two-credit course), which was taught in the third semester of basic medical education. The participants were asked about the quality and quantity of the genetics course and teaching methods of the instructor, as well as the practicality of the course. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 19. Results: The majority of the students (59.7%) believed that the genetics practice class was useful and helped with the better understanding of genetics principles. In addition, 60% of the students stated that the class increased their interest to study and research in medical genetics. In response to the open question, 32% of the students emphasized on teaching more clinical examples by teachers and doing more laboratory tests by students. Conclusions: The practical aspect of medical education is constantly reshaped, and the curricula of medical schools have to encompass new measures to keep up with the high speed of these changes. Each item in the medical genetics education should be accompanied with students’ practical experiences and advanced teaching methods in order to meet the requirements of genetics practice classes and prepare the students for the visitation of genetics patients in hospitals, analysis of laboratory genetic tests, and holding counseling sessions in this regard.

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Medical Students' Quest Towards the Long White Coat

Advances in Medical Education, Research, and Ethics - Exploring the Pressures of Medical Education From a Mental Health and Wellness Perspective ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2811-1.ch001 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 1-42

Author(s):

Christina Ramirez Smith

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Well Being ◽

Medical Doctor ◽

White Coat ◽

Practice Of Medicine ◽

Education Medical ◽

Health And Well Being

Every year across the globe, thousands of students begin the quest towards becoming a medical doctor and donning a long white coat. Global research indicates that after beginning medical education, medical students' mental health and well-being dramatically declines. The loss of well-being continues into the residency and practice of medicine. The aim of this chapter is to broadly examine the pressures unique to medical students within the context of medical education training, higher education, and the general population. A call for medical education to adopt innovative policy, plans, and administrative and curricular changes designed to foster a culture conducive to the long-term positive mental health and well-being of medical students during training and into the internship and long-term practice of medicine concludes the chapter.

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Use of simulation in teaching haematological aspects to undergraduate medical students improves student’s knowledge related to the taught theoretical underpinnings

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02709-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Laila Alsuwaidi ◽

Jorgen Kristensen ◽

Amar HK ◽

Saba Al Heialy

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Medical Curriculum ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Evaluation Framework ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Educational Method ◽

Clinical Vignettes ◽

Simulation Centre

Abstract Background Simulation is an educational method which has several modalities and applications. In the last few decades Simulation-Based Medical Education (SBME) has become a significant influence in medical education. Despite the recognized potential of simulation to be used widely in support of healthcare education, there are no studies focused on the role of simulation in teaching haematology. Moreover, the reaction level is the most commonly reported in medical education. This study evaluates, at two levels of Kirkpatrick’s model, the effectiveness of incorporating SBME in teaching haematological aspects to medical students. Methods A total of 84 second year medical students from two cohorts received theoretical components of Haematopoietic and Immune System in 4 credits course, delivered using lecture approach. First cohort students (n = 49) participated in interactive learning tutorials to discuss clinical vignettes. Second cohort (n = 35) students participated in simulation sessions where the tutorial’s clinical vignettes were developed to clinical simulation scenarios conducted in the simulation centre. The potential influence of the simulation in learning enhancement was evaluated using Kirkpatrick’s Evaluation Framework. Results The students rated the simulation sessions highly and found them to be a valuable learning experience. The category performance summary, generated by the assessment platform, demonstrates improvement in the student’s knowledge enhanced by the SBME. Conclusions Adaptation of SBME in teaching haematological aspects is a feasible way to improve the student’s knowledge related to the taught theoretical foundations. SBME has the potential to enhance the undergraduate medical curriculum and it is expected, in the near future, to be an increasingly recommended educational strategy to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

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Medical Students' Quest Towards the Long White Coat

Research Anthology on Mental Health Stigma, Education, and Treatment ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-8544-3.ch069 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1257-1288

Author(s):

Christina Ramirez Smith

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Well Being ◽

Medical Doctor ◽

White Coat ◽

Practice Of Medicine ◽

Education Medical ◽

Health And Well Being

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PREPARING MEDICAL STUDENTS

The Professional Medical Journal ◽

10.29309/tpmj/2011.18.02.2082 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 18 (02) ◽

pp. 280-284

Author(s):

NOSHEEN ZAIDI ◽

MAHMOOD AHMED ◽

SAIF UD DIN SAIF ◽

Wasif Khan

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Service Learning ◽

Child Labor ◽

Role Models ◽

School Quality ◽

Research Question ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional

Background: In Pakistan there are 3.3 Million child laborers without healthcare services and educational opportunities, which affect our social fabric. We report how structured ‘Service Experience’ helped broaden medical students understanding of social justice. Objective: To produce health professionals who are ready to work for a cause without voracity. Study design: A Cross sectional survey through a focal group discussion. Research question: Do opportunities for structured Service Learning help modify student’s perception of their role as doctors in society? Place of Study: Foundation University Medical College, Islamabad. Study Period: Fifteen months, from January 2008–April 2009. Methods: Fifteen students interviewed 700 child laborers using a piloted interview form during a fifteen months period. Focus group discussions were held with these students to discuss their experiences. Qualitative analysis of the discussion is reported. Results: Students empathized that children worked on a contractual basis averaging $1 per 10 hours with no meals. Parents encouraged them to earn money and they felt more satisfied pleasing them. Children didn’t attend school because of the school quality and fear of abuse. “Our exposure to child labor had been limited; this has taken us to the core of the issue. We now feel responsible as a physician and a leader to ensure ‘security of children in every respect’ as part of their health.” “We will avoid employing children at our homes and will council parents, trying to be role models for others.” “As future leaders we will propose measures including establishment of free quality educational systems with paid vocational tracks.” Conclusions: Service learning will inculcate empathy for the oppressed groups of the community and also develop a social and civic responsibility in medical students.

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Pathology Competencies for Medical Education and Educational Cases

Academic Pathology ◽

10.1177/2374289517715040 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 237428951771504 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Barbara E. C. Knollmann-Ritschel ◽

Donald P. Regula ◽

Michael J. Borowitz ◽

Richard Conran ◽

Michael B. Prystowsky

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Learning Objectives ◽

Learning Goals ◽

Early Integration ◽

Call To Action ◽

Diagnostic Skills ◽

Life Long Learning ◽

Practice Of Medicine ◽

Teaching Cases

Current medical school curricula predominantly facilitate early integration of basic science principles into clinical practice to strengthen diagnostic skills and the ability to make treatment decisions. In addition, they promote life-long learning and understanding of the principles of medical practice. The Pathology Competencies for Medical Education (PCME) were developed in response to a call to action by pathology course directors nationwide to teach medical students pathology principles necessary for the practice of medicine. The PCME are divided into three competencies: 1) Disease Mechanisms and Processes, 2) Organ System Pathology, and 3) Diagnostic Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology. Each of these competencies is broad and contains multiple learning goals with more specific learning objectives. The original competencies were designed to be a living document, meaning that they will be revised and updated periodically, and have undergone their first revision with this publication. The development of teaching cases, which have a classic case-based design, for the learning objectives is the next step in providing educational content that is peer-reviewed and readily accessible for pathology course directors, medical educators, and medical students. Application of the PCME and cases promotes a minimum standard of exposure of the undifferentiated medical student to pathophysiologic principles. The publication of the PCME and the educational cases will create a current educational resource and repository published through Academic Pathology.

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AB0682 RHEUMATOLOGY TEACHING IN TIMES OF COVID-19

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-eular.2635 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 1374.1-1374

Author(s):

Y. Chang ◽

J. Nicholls

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Clinical Skills ◽

Standardized Patients ◽

Simulated Patients ◽

Bedside Teaching ◽

Multiple Choice Questions ◽

Educational Method ◽

Telephone Consultation ◽

Real Patients

Background:The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the delivery of face-to-face teaching especially bedside teaching for medical students in the hospitals. Rheumatology outpatient clinics have mostly become virtual or telephone consultation clinics which prevent medical students from seeing patients in person. Students are deprived of the opportunities to take rheumatology history, examining patients and seeing signs of rheumatologic diseases. New adaptations have to be made to ensure equitability and that students still receive the relevant teaching in line with their learning curriculum and to help them prepare for their examinations.Objectives:Our aims are:1)To adapt bedside teaching in the wards to simulated teaching in the classroom using trained simulated ‘patients’; and2)To create simulation teaching of patient journeys in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) format known as Clinically Observed Medical Education Tutorials (COMET) (Nair et al., 2001).Methods:1)For simulated teaching in the classroom, we have trained our teaching colleagues as simulated or standardized patients (SPs). We write up fictitious patient histories which simulate common presentations at rheumatology clinics. We train the SPs to give as accurate a history as possible and to simulate pains in different joints (e.g. pain at the metacarpophalangeal joints and proximal interphalangeal joints in rheumatoid arthritis) on clinical examinations. For clinical presentations that are not easily simulated, we use photographs of the relevant signs. This method is used not only as formative assessments but also as end-of-placement summative assessments.2)COMET comprises 3 OSCE-style stations with a tutor each where the students perform different tasks based on a patient’s clinical problem (e.g. acute hot swollen joint). The first station is initial A-to-E assessment of the patient (using a simulator), followed by investigations and interpretations of lab results and imaging (station 2) and lastly, management (including prescribing medications) and communication skills (e.g. explain arthrocentesis to the patient).Results:The overall feedback from students is very positive. We use Likert scale to assess confidence level before and after the teaching session, and pre-session and post-session multiple choice questions to assess learning and knowledge gained.Conclusion:While simulated teaching cannot replace encounters with real patients, students do enjoy these sessions as they get to ‘experience’ a large variety of rheumatologic cases and practice their clinical skills which at times are limited with real patients due to reluctance and pain of the patients.References:[1]Nair, R., Morrissey, J., Carasco, D., Desilva, S. & Patel, V. (2001) COMET: Clinically Observed Medical Education Tutorial - a novel educational method in clinical skills. International Journal of Clinical Skills[2]Van der Vleuten, C.P.M. & Swanson, D.B. (1990) Assessment of clinical skills with standardized patients: state of the art. Teach Learn Med, 2: 58-76.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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Using SurveyMonkey® to teach safe social media strategies to medical students in their clinical years

Communication & Medicine ◽

10.1558/cam.v11i2.27556 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 117-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Katrina A. Bramstedt ◽

Ben Ierna ◽

Victoria Woodcroft-Brown

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Medical Students ◽

Media Ethics ◽

Ethical Awareness ◽

Media Technology ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Clinical Rotations ◽

Medical Apps ◽

Practice Of Medicine ◽

Medical Photography

Social media is a valuable tool in the practice of medicine, but it can also be an area of ‘treacherous waters’ for medical students. Those in their upper years of study are off-site and scattered broadly, undertaking clinical rotations; thus, in-house (university lecture) sessions are impractical. Nonetheless, during these clinical years students are generally high users of social media technology, putting them at risk of harm if they lack appropriate ethical awareness. We created a compulsory session in social media ethics (Doctoring and Social Media) offered in two online modes (narrated PowerPoint file or YouTube video) to fourth- and fifth-year undergraduate medical students. The novelty of our work was the use of SurveyMonkey® to deliver the file links, as well as to take attendance and deliver a post-session performance assessment. All 167 students completed the course and provided feedback. Overall, 73% Agreed or Strongly Agreed the course session would aid their professionalism skills and behaviours, and 95% supported delivery of the curriculum online. The most frequent areas of learning occurred in the following topics: email correspondence with patients, medical photography, and awareness of medical apps. SurveyMonkey® is a valuable and efficient tool for curriculum delivery, attendance taking, and assessment activities.

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