Expanding Knowledge and Exposure to Aerospace Medicine by Creating a Medical Student Curriculum

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 448-452
Author(s):  
Amy J. Kreykes ◽  
Eric H. Petersen ◽  
Cheryl L. Lowry
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical Specialty ◽  
Low Earth Orbit ◽  
Aerospace Medicine ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Initial Survey ◽  
Career Options ◽  
The University

BACKGROUND: Aerospace Medicine is a small medical specialty. With the increasing need for aircraft pilots, continued low Earth orbit NASA operations, and the emergence of commercial spaceflight, there is a necessity for recruiting and educating the next generation of Aerospace Medicine specialists. This study was designed to create and validate a short Aerospace Medicine curriculum.METHODS: Medical students at the University of Texas Medical Branch were recruited to attend a series of six 1-h meetings covering Aerospace Medicine career options and key Aerospace Medicine topics. A survey addressing student demographics, interest in a career in Aerospace Medicine, and knowledge of key Aerospace Medicine topics was administered at the beginning and end of the curriculum. Interest in pursuing a career in Aerospace Medicine pre- and postcurriculum was compared with an independent t-test. The knowledge-based portion of the survey was also evaluated using an independent t-test.RESULTS: There were 23 participants who were recruited and filled out the initial survey and 15 participants who attended the final meeting and filled out the postcurriculum survey. Mean interest in pursuing a career in Aerospace Medicine did not change significantly (75.45% before involvement in the curriculum and 83.08% after participation). Knowledge of foundational Aerospace Medicine topics increased from 64.25% before involvement in the curriculum to 73.33% at the end of the study. There was an average of 12 participants at each meeting.DISCUSSION: This demonstrates the utility of this curriculum as an educational tool for medical students. Future efforts will focus on dissemination of the curriculum nationally and internationally.Kreykes AJ, Petersen EH, Lowry CL. Expanding knowledge and exposure to aerospace medicine by creating a medical student curriculum. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(5):448–452.

Introducing Climate Change to Medical Students

2019 ◽  
pp. 230-242
Author(s):  
David Kline ◽  
Thomas R. Cole ◽  
Susan Pacheco
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Health Science ◽  
Short Paper ◽  
Science Center ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
Elective Course ◽  
Texas Health ◽  
The University

This chapter discusses using a broad humanities perspective to teach medical students about climate change. It argues that the humanities can recover a more robust approach to bioethics and serve as a bridge between students’ professional training and their own spiritual and moral convictions. The chapter describes a short elective course taught to first- and second-year students at the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. It concludes with a class exercise in which students read the Physician Charter and write a short paper that takes one commitment from the charter and applies it to climate change.

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

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.

On the Necessity of all Medical Students attending a Course of Lectures and receiving Clinical Instruction also in Psychological Medicine

1885 ◽  
Vol 31 (133) ◽  
pp. 38-46
Author(s):  
Edward B. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Mental Disease ◽  
Medical Studies ◽  
Clinical Instruction ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Psychological Medicine ◽  
The University

Few, I think, will attempt to deny that it is desirable that all medical students should attend a course of lectures on the important subject of Mental Disease. And further, that these lectures should be compulsory, no matter what the university or medical school may be at which the students matriculate, or where they may intend to take their degrees or diplomas. Some there are who may object to these lectures being compulsory, for the reason that this course of lectures would be the addition of another subject to the already lengthened curriculum of medical studies. I think we are all agreed that the medical student of the present day has enough, and more than enough, of subjects to occupy the short term of four years that is usually allotted to his studies.

scholarly journals Promoting Resilience in Medicine: The Effects of a Mind–Body Medicine Elective to Improve Medical Student Well-being

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 216495612092736
Author(s):  
Michelle K Williams ◽  
Irene M Estores ◽  
Lisa J Merlo
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Group Setting ◽  
University Of Florida ◽  
Safe Place ◽  
Mind Body Medicine ◽  
The University

Background Poor mental health is common among medical students. In response, some medical schools have implemented wellness interventions. The University of Florida College of Medicine recently introduced a mind–body medicine elective, Promoting Resilience in Medicine (PRIMe), based on the Georgetown University School of Medicine course. PRIMe teaches meditation techniques including mindfulness, biofeedback, art, and journaling in a faculty-facilitated small group setting. Methods First- and second-year medical students (N = 24) who participated in the 11-week elective (3 cohorts over 2 years) completed anonymous surveys regarding their experiences. Measures included the Freiberg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), Perceived Stress Scale-10 item (PSS-10), and a series of multiple-choice and free-response questions developed for this study. The study was approved by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board. Results Among students with available pre- and posttest scores, the average PSS-10 score at pretest was 14.4 ( SD =  6.17, range = 3–26) and at posttest was 14.2 ( SD =  4.17, range = 8–22), suggesting no change in perceived stress. However, average scores on the FMI improved from 34.4 ( SD =  6.10, range = 24–47) at pretest to 41.8 ( SD =  4.81, range = 33–49) at posttest. The overwhelming majority of participants (95.8%) described the course as “definitely” worth it. The greatest improvements were noted in mindfulness, relationships with peers, and having a safe place in medical school to receive support. Learning mindfulness/meditation skills and increasing social support were noted as the primary factors impacting student well-being. Conclusion A mind–body medicine elective course may be a practical method to improve medical student well-being and improve ability to care for patients. Future studies should include follow-up testing to determine if benefits are sustained over time. In addition, more work is needed to understand the cost–benefit of providing instruction in mind–body medicine techniques to all medical students.

scholarly journals Impact of a Hands-on Knee Exam Workshop on Medical Student Clinical Examination Scores

PRiMER ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Miniato ◽  
Paul Schaefer ◽  
David Weldy
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Family Medicine ◽  
Clinical Examination ◽  
Objective Structured Clinical Examination ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Teaching Techniques ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The Family ◽  
The University

Introduction: The goal of this research project was to retrospectively evaluate the effect of a voluntary hands-on musculoskeletal knee exam workshop, presented to medical students in the family medicine rotation at the University of Toledo, on the outcomes of a required objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Methods: We analyzed student OSCE scores for both knee and back exams before (July 2011 to June 2012) and after (August 2013 to June 2015) the workshop was offered. The analysis was based on those who attended the voluntary knee exam workshop and those who did not. We compared scores between the two groups of students using two-tailed t testing and χ2 testing, and assessed the correlation of attending the workshop to passing the knee OSCE. Results: One hundred eighty-seven students attended the workshop and 279 did not. During the period when the workshop was offered, the overall mean score on the knee OSCE was 59.5% for the 187 who attended the workshop and 35.9% for the 116 who did not, which was significantly different (P<.001). A χ2 test with α=0.05 showed that attending the workshop correlated with completing at least 70% of maneuvers acceptably during the knee OSCE (P<.001). Conclusions: Our study yielded positive outcomes on OSCE scores, comparable to other studies that investigated the effect of similar teaching techniques. Comparison of the scores of those who attended the knee workshop on the simpler back exam OSCE, in which no workshop was offered, demonstrated the efficacy of the workshop.

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