scholarly journals Vulnerable Patient Outreach Program (VPOP)

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kellner ◽  
Brittainy Hereford ◽  
Mark Stephens

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted many traditional patient care delivery models. To help meet patient needs, the Penn State Health Department of Family and Community Medicine started a medical student-run Vulnerable Patient Outreach Program (VPOP). This program pairs medical students with providers to address healthcare needs for the most vulnerable patients. At the program outset, a total of 125 patients were identified and 64 agreed to participate. All patients were over the age of 65 and had multiple medical comorbidities. This study reviews the impact of VPOP on the care of 34 participants. Each participant completed pre-structured satisfaction surveys over the phone. The results indicate a high degree (94%) of patient satisfaction. Patients were particularly comfortable communicating their health needs to medical students and specifically highlighted medical student professionalism. Medical students also found this program to be beneficial, citing an ability to help during pandemic times in a clinically meaningful way. The highly positive reactions from both patients and medical students suggest that outreach programs, like this one, are one way to meet the needs of vulnerable patients. These findings also suggest that, as a longitudinal experience beyond COVID-19, medical students may benefit from participation in vulnerable patient outreach programs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 215145932095172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Richardson ◽  
Wasif Islam ◽  
Matthew Magruder

Introduction: The world-wide lockdown caused by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has upended the trajectories of lives everywhere. The medical profession has been on the front lines of this rapidly developing situation, which in turn has called for unprecedented changes in the medical school curriculum. These changes have severe implications for medical students interested in applying to competitive surgical specialties like orthopedics. Methods: As medical students in 3 different class years pursuing orthopedic surgery, we provide our perspectives on the impact that COVID-19 has had on medical student orthopedic education. Results: With the removal of away rotations and a shift to virtual interviews, rising fourth year medical students are arguably the most impacted as they prepare for the orthopedic residency application process. Third year students, who are in the exploratory phase of choosing a specialty, also face uncertainties in the shift to a “new” clerkship experience that may (1) be of shorter duration, (2) implement shifts to limit overcrowding of clinical space, and (3) increase the use of telehealth over direct patient contact. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the course of medical students’ orthopedic education in unprecedented ways. We believe the following suggestions may be helpful for students seeking alternative, supplemental ways of learning: (1) read up on major orthopedic journals, (2) reach out to orthopedic surgeons in areas of interest, (3) reach out to program directors/medical clerkship directors/program coordinators for opportunities to attend their educational curriculum virtually, (4) attend online lectures and hospital grand rounds, and (5) practice suturing technique with a practice kit. Conclusions: While the medical education landscape remains uncertain amid the evolving conditions of COVID-19, as medical students we strive to learn from this pandemic and respond to future unforeseen challenges with resilience, dedication, and compassion: all qualities we admire in orthopedic surgeons.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Avik Chatterjee ◽  
Thomas N. Rusher ◽  
Julia Nugent ◽  
Kenneth W. Herring ◽  
Lindsey M. Rose ◽  
...  

Despite the importance of healthful dietary choices in combating the childhood obesity epidemic, neither primary and secondary schools nor medical schools provide adequate nutrition education. In 2005, two medical students at the University of North Carolina started the Improving Meals and Physical Activity in Children and Teens (IMPACT) program, which utilized a peer-educator model to engage medical students and high school students in teaching 4th graders about healthy eating and physical activity. Over the years, medical student leaders of IMPACT continued the program, orienting the curriculum around the 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go campaign, aligning the IMPACT curriculum with North Carolina state curricular objectives for 4th graders and engaging and training teams of health professional students to deliver the program. The IMPACT project demonstrates how medical and other health professional students can successfully promote nutrition and physical activity education for themselves and for children through community-based initiatives. Ongoing efforts are aimed at increasing family participation in the curriculum to maximize changes in eating and physical activity of IMPACT participants and ensuring sustainability of the organization by engaging health professional student participants in continuing to improve the program.


PRiMER ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Christensen ◽  
Travis Hunt ◽  
Steven A. Elsesser ◽  
Christine Jerpbak

Introduction: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community members experience adverse health outcomes at higher rates than non-LGBTQ individuals. We examined the impact of student demographics as well as gender and sexuality didactic instruction on the attitudes of first-year medical students toward LGBTQ patients. Methods: In January 2017, 255 first-year students at an urban allopathic medical school participated in a gender and sexuality health curriculum. We assessed student attitudes regarding LGBTQ patients using anonymous pre- and postintervention surveys. Each item was measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: Of 255 possible respondents, we received 244 responses to the preintervention survey (95.7% response rate) and 253 to the postintervention survey (99.2% response rate). Participants were predominantly white (66.8%), heterosexual (94.7%), and cisgender (100%). Respondents who identified as LGBQ were significantly (P<.05) more likely than heterosexual students to agree with the following preintervention statements, among others: (1) Discordance between birth sex and gender is a natural human phenomenon, (2) When meeting a patient for the first time, I feel comfortable asking what pronoun they use, (3) I am able to empathize with the life experience of an LGB/T patient, (4) I am motivated to seek out opportunities to learn more about LGBTQ-specific health care issues. Statistically significant changes in attitudes between time points are seen in 4 out of 15 items. Conclusion: A focused gender and sexuality curriculum appears to impact medical student attitudes regarding LGBTQ patients. Furthermore, recruitment of LGBTQ-identifying medical students may translate into improved workforce motivation to provide health care for LGBTQ patients.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (34_suppl) ◽  
pp. 34-34
Author(s):  
Naomi Whittaker ◽  
Helen S. Uong ◽  
Evan Kirschner ◽  
Peter T. Silberstein

34 Background: The Partners Against Cancer (PAC) program pairs first and second year medical student volunteers with individual cancer patients in need at the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Creighton University Medical Center. A review of the scientific literature yields no publications about student run programs at medical institutions pairing students with cancer patients. Methods: Prior to beginning the program, each student completed an entry survey. While in the program, students were asked to submit log entries after each patient encounter. A total of 137 student logs from 30 students were surveyed for themes (e.g. student addressing patient’s physical needs), which were counted. Results: PAC trained 129 medical students about patient resources and matched over 51 patient-student pairs. In the entry surveys, 98.5% of students entering the PAC program wanted to learn more about the psychosocial issues cancer patients experience and their quality of life. Most students (98.5%) wanted to gain more experience talking about death and dying with patients and working with a dying patient. Of reported patient contact, 39% was in clinic, 44% phone, 8% email, and 6% was an inpatient or treatment facility visit. In the log data, students noted helping patients emotionally (85%) and with access to resources or promoting health and compliance (28%). Medical students demonstrated empathy in 75% of logs and gaining knowledge of medicine in 26%. 12% of logs noted schedule conflicts or contact difficulties. Conclusions: PAC is a longitudinal experience where medical students play an active role in their individual patient’s care. Students provide physical assistance to patients, such as helping with access to resources, and emotional assistance by listening to the patient. In return, the student has the opportunity to learn empathy by understanding the impact of chronic and, often terminal, disease on the patient. The challenges of the program have included scheduling difficulties and student confusion with the program. A website and mentor program have been developed to address these issues. Despite challenges, PAC exhibits great potential for enhancements in patient care and medical education, most notably empathy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 709-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Branavan Manoranjan ◽  
Ayan K Dey ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Alexandra Kuzyk ◽  
Karen Petticrew ◽  
...  

The continued decline in medical trainees entering the workforce as clinician-scientists has elevated the need to engage medical students in research. While past studies have shown early exposure to generate interest among medical students for research and academic careers, financial constraints have limited the number of such formal research training programs. In light of recent government budget cuts to support research training for medical students, non-government organizations (NGOs) may play a progressively larger role in supporting the development of clinician-scientists. Since 2005, the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation has sponsored 621 Canadian medical student research projects, which represents the largest longitudinal data set of Canadian medical students engaged in research. We present the results of the pre- and post-research studentship questionnaires, program evaluation survey and the 5-year and 10-year follow-up questionnaires of past recipients. This paper provides insight into the role of NGOs as stakeholders in the training of clinician-scientists and evaluates the impact of such programs on the attitudes and career trajectory of medical students. While the problem of too few physicians entering academic and research-oriented careers continues to grow, alternative-funding strategies from NGOs may prove to be an effective approach in developing and maintaining medical student interest in research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Nolan ◽  
Katherine Owen

Abstract Background During the Covid-19 pandemic medical students were offered paid roles as medical student healthcare assistants. Anecdotal reports suggested that students found this experience rich for learning. Previous studies have explored alternative models of student service, however this defined medical student support role is novel. Methods Individual semi-structured interviews were recorded with 20 medical students at a UK medical school exploring their experiences of placement learning and experiences of working as healthcare assistants. Responses were analysed qualitatively using a framework approach. The framework was developed into a model describing key findings and their relationships. Results Interviews yielded data that broadly covered aspects of (1) Medical students’ experiences of clinical placement learning (2) Medical students’ experiences of working as medical student healthcare assistants (3) Learning resulting from working as a healthcare assistant (4) Hierarchies and professional barriers in the clinical environment (5) Influences on professional identity. Participants described barriers and facilitators of clinical learning and how assuming a healthcare assistant role impacted on learning and socialisation within the multidisciplinary team. Students became increasingly socialised within the healthcare team, contributing directly to patient care; the resulting social capital opened new opportunities for learning, team working and enhanced students’ interprofessional identity. Students described the impact of these experiences on their aspirations for their future practice. Conclusions Changes to work patterns in healthcare and delivery models of medical education have eroded opportunities for students to contribute to healthcare delivery and be embedded within a team. This is impacting negatively on student learning and socialisation and we suggest that medical curricula have much to learn from nursing and allied health professional training. Longitudinal embedment with a multidisciplinary team, where students have a defined role and work directly with patients may not only add value to clinical service, but also overcome current barriers to effective placement learning and interprofessional identity formation for medical students.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
William Cathcart-Rake

BACKGROUND: North American medical schools are now creating regional medical campuses (RMCs) to train more physicians to meet the healthcare needs of rural and underserved populations. Part-time and volunteer faculty must be recruited and retained to teach medical students engaged in clinical experiences at these RMCs. Physician educators report being positively motivated by the presence of medical students but also report increased time constraints. There is a paucity of information regarding the impact on attending physicians of teaching medical students at RMCs. The aim of this study was to investigate the benefits and disadvantages for attending physicians at a rural regional medical campus on having medical students on their services during clinical rotations. METHODS: An online questionnaire was sent to 62 Kansas University School of Medicine-Salina (KUSM-S) clinical faculty members that supervised third and/or fourth year medical students in clinics and/or the hospital. Physicians were queried as to the benefits and disadvantages of supervising medical students. RESULTS: Thirty-six physicians completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 58%. The majority of respondents felt positively about having medical students on their service: 92% of respondents enjoyed having medical students in clinic/hospital, 81% agreed that having a medical student working with them was personally beneficial, and 72% agreed that the presence of medical students increased their job satisfaction. Fifty-six percent of respondents reported that having medical students with them in the clinic/hospital decreased the number of patients they were able to see and that additional incentive would encourage them to remain a teaching faculty member. CONCLUSIONS: Attending physicians at KUSM-S report that they enjoy having medical students on their service and that it increases job satisfaction; however, teaching medical students is time consuming and may decrease productivity. Adequate financial compensation for physician teachers at RMCs may be necessary to ensure successful delivery of the educational product.


Author(s):  
Lilya O. Zub ◽  
Stanislav V. Roborchuk ◽  
Inna O. Buzdugan

Pedagogical theory is one of the criteria for the development of personality, especially relevant in the period of distance education of medical students through self-fulfilment, self-education, self-esteem. The purpose of the study was to analyse the development of personality and establish the role of pedagogical theory in the development of the personality of the medical student. The basis of this purpose was proposed to include four stages of methodological justification, among which the first stage is the coverage of the individual as a concept and its features; the second stage – analysis of pedagogical theory and its significance in the education of medical students; the third stage of the study was to assess the role of distance learning, its positive aspects and shortcomings; the fourth stage is the connection of pedagogical theory with distance learning and their influence on the development of personality among medical students. The study evaluates the impact of pedagogical education on the development of the personality of a medical student during distance learning. The significant contribution of pedagogical theory (education and skill) in the development of the personality of a medical student during distance learning is substantiated. It is found out that during pedagogical education the medical student gets education by studying educational subjects, and receives personal and scientific development as a result. Under the influence of pedagogical education, the study identified comprehensive development, self-improvement, proper self-esteem, self-education, which is so necessary to achieve the goal and personal development in society. It is determined that during distance learning it is faster and more correct for a student to develop themselves as a personality. The correct approach of the teacher accelerates the process of development


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Yasmin

Sexual education is still becoming a taboo in Indonesian society, and it leads to minimum knowledge of sexual and reproduction health. The impact that caused by this perception is the increasing number of Leukorrhea or usually called as vaginal discharge. Among other reproduction diseases, vaginal discharge is the most common and even popular disease. The number of pathologic vaginal discharge victim keep increasing each year. But so many studies have proved vaginal discharge as a disease that is preventable. Keeping vaginal hygiene routine on a daily basis is proved to prevent vaginal discharge and even other reproduction diseases. On another hand, a medical student supposedly has more knowledge about vaginal hygiene. In this article, the author will talk more about vaginal hygiene knowledge among medical students to prevent vaginal discharge.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Hafer ◽  
Xibin Wu ◽  
Steven Lin

Background and Objectives: Medical scribes are an increasingly popular strategy for reducing clerical burden, but little is known about their effect on medical student education. We aimed to evaluate the impact of scribes on medical students’ self-reported learning experience. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods pilot study. Participants were medical students (third and fourth years) on a family medicine clerkship who worked with an attending physician who practiced with a scribe. Students did not work directly with scribes. Scribes charted for attending physicians during encounters that did not involve a student. Outcomes were three 7-point Likert scale questions about teaching quality and an open-ended written reflection. Qualitative data was analyzed using a constant comparative method and grounded theory approach. Results: A total of 16 medical students returned at least one questionnaire, yielding 28 completed surveys. Students reported high satisfaction with their learning experience and time spent face-to-face with their attending, and found scribes nondisruptive to their learning. Major themes of the open-ended reflections included more time for teaching and feedback, physicians who were less stressed and more attentive, appreciation for a culture of teamwork, and scribes serving as an electronic health records (EHR) resource. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the effect of scribes on medical student education from the students’ perspective. Our findings suggest that scribes may allow for greater teaching focus, contribute to a teamwork culture, and serve as an EHR resource. Scribes appear to benefit medical students’ learning experience. Larger and more rigorous studies are needed.


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