Self-Assessment of Final Year Medical Students’ Proficiency at Basic Procedures

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established neurosurgical procedure commonly used in movement and psychiatric disorders. Its widespread clinical implementation, however, may not be commensurate with medical education. No current assessment of medical student’s understanding of DBS as a treatment option for indicated conditions is available, potentially threatening the availability of DBS to future patients. The aim of the present study is to explore the current knowledge and attitudes of medical students toward DBS as a treatment modality. Methods: A total of 65 medical students at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine were surveyed regarding their knowledge of DBS. The survey consisted of a 25-item questionnaire including a demographic section and 3 separate inventories designed to assess bias, knowledge, and self-assessment of knowledge specific to DBS therapy. Students in pre-clinical and clinical years were analyzed separately to describe changes in knowledge or attitude associated with clinical exposure to DBS. Comparisons were analyzed using t tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlations. Results: Of surveyed students, 36% were unsure of the FDA approval status of DBS treatment; 65% of students believed they had not been adequately educated about DBS and its utility; and 10.6% of students believed that DBS is likely associated with severe adverse effects and/or brain damage. The overall baseline attitudes of students toward DBS were positive. There was no observed difference between surveyed pre-clinical and clinical students, highlighting a lack of exposure throughout the clinical years of medical school education. Conclusion: Although DBS is an effective treatment modality for various conditions, current education is non-commensurate with its application, which can negatively impact awareness and understanding for its implications by medical professionals. In order to better serve patients who may benefit from DBS, medical curricula must change to educate future physicians on the benefit of this intervention.

Download Full-text

Self-Assessment of Problem Solving Disposition in Medical Students

Journal of Biomedical Education ◽

10.1155/2014/161204 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Silvia Lizett Olivares-Olivares ◽

Mildred Vanessa López-Cabrera

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Medical Schools ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Competency Based Education ◽

Competency Based ◽

Future Demands ◽

Disposition Model

Medical schools are committed to both students and society to develop capabilities required to succeed in health care environments. Present diagnosis and treatment methods become obsolete faster, demanding that medical schools incorporate competency-based education to keep pace with future demands. This study was conducted to assess the problem solving disposition of medical students. A three-subcategory model of the skill is proposed. The instrument was validated on content by a group of 17 experts in medical education and applied to 135 registered students on the sixth year of the M.D. Physician Surgeon program at a private medical school. Cronbach’s alpha indicated an internal consistency of 0.751. The findings suggest that selected items have both homogeneity and validity. The factor analysis resulted in components that were associated with three problem-solving subcategories. The students’ perceptions are higher in the pattern recognition and application of general strategies for problem solving subcategories of the Problem solving disposition model.

Download Full-text

Correlations between Medical Students’ Self Assessment of Communication Skills and Patient-Physician Interaction Assessed by Standardized Patients in Clinical Performance Examination

International Journal of Bio-Science and Bio-Technology ◽

10.14257/ijbsbt.2015.7.3.01 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Seieun Oh ◽

Woo Jeong Kim ◽

Min Young Kim

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Clinical Performance ◽

Standardized Patients ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Performance Examination

Download Full-text

Self-assessment of intercultural communication skills: a survey of physicians and medical students in Geneva, Switzerland

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/1472-6920-11-63 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Patricia Hudelson ◽

Noelle Junod Perron ◽

Thomas Perneger

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Intercultural Communication ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Self Assessment

Download Full-text

Predictors of the quality of life of medical university students in the initial period of schooling

Medical Journal of the Russian Federation ◽

10.17816/0869-2106-2021-27-1-5-16 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 5-16

Author(s):

Vladimir V. Kuznetsov ◽

Kirill V. Kosilov ◽

Ekaterina K. Fedorishcheva ◽

Elena Yu. Kostina ◽

Olga A. Barabash

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Medical Students ◽

Professional Burnout ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

Medical University

AIM: This study aimed to examine prognostic parameters of health-related quality of life of medical students to determine the possibilities of its correlation with subsequent optimization of the educational environment of the university. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted from 02/01/2017 to 01/10/2020 at the School of Biomedicine of the Far Eastern Federal University and the Pacific State Medical University. It included 496 students of both sexes [251 (50.6%) women, 245 (49.4%) men; average age, 20.4 years] enrolled in 13 medical courses. Demographic characteristics, education and living conditions, and morbidity data were collected using the comprehensive I.V. Pozdeeva questionnaire (2008) supplemented by authors as well as the standard medical documentation of the polyclinic. The MOS SF-36 Health-Related Quality of Life Brief Self-Assessment Questionnaire was used to evaluate the health-related quality of life. The Academic Motivation Scale questionnaire survey was performed, and statistical data on academic performance were collected using K. Maslach and S. Jackson questionnaire for the administrative offices of educational institutions. RESULTS: The following scores were obtained on the self-assessment of the quality of life: physical functioning, 58.8 points; role functioning, 27.4 points; somatic pain (reverse assessment), 79.4 points; general well-being, 48.6 points; hardiness, 61.2 points; social functioning, 57.3 points; emotional status, 51.0 points; psychological comfort, 53.7 points. The students showed a high level of motivation to learn (47.759.8 points by the Vallerand scale) and a low professional burnout index (24.944.0 by Maslach and Jackson scale); the performance indicators were 4.14.6 points. Each parameter of self-assessment of physical and mental state is significantly associated with the composite average assessment of the health-related quality of life (r=0.490.86; p0.05). The health-related quality of life of medical students was found to be associated with academic performance (=0.27, p0.05), but motivation to study (=0.35, p0.05) was not correlated with the level of professional burnout. A strong relationship was also found between health-related quality of life and comorbidity (=0.30, p0.05) and sports (=0.27, p0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The scores on the total self-assessment of the quality of life by medical students are within the normal range. Most students are highly motivated to learn, perform well, and have little or no burnout. The health-related quality of life of medical students at the start of their schooling is reliably influenced by academic performance, motivation to study, and level of chronic morbidity and physical activity.

Download Full-text

Undergraduate Dermatology Medical Education: Results of a Large-Scale Patient Viewing Program

Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery ◽

10.1177/1203475419848350 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (5) ◽

pp. 482-487

Author(s):

Brittany A. M. Waller ◽

Annie Liu ◽

Patrick Fleming ◽

Perla Lansang

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Primary Care Physicians ◽

Test Score ◽

Large Scale ◽

Self Perception ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Clinical Teachers ◽

Assessment Scores ◽

Difficult Time

Background: Delivering quality dermatologic instruction to medical students can be difficult; time constraints, limited clinical teachers, and a lack of standardization pose challenges. The literature suggests that many trainees and primary care physicians could benefit from increased clinical dermatology teaching. Objective: We sought to deliver and analyze the results of a large-scale patient-viewing undergraduate dermatology education program. Methods: A total of 250 third-year medical students participated in a 32-station patient-viewing program. Voluntary pre- and posttest surveys were administered to evaluate knowledge and self-perceived abilities in dermatology. The identical tests were composed of 20 multiple-choice and 5 self-perception questions. Results: The response rate for completion of pre- and posttests was 24% (N = 59). Pre- and postknowledge test score means were 69.0% and 93.20%, respectively. Pre- and post–self-perception test score means were 3.95/10 and 7.25/10, respectively. Positive student feedback was received on the patient-viewing educational experience. Conclusion: Improvements in knowledge scores and self-assessment scores support the potential integration of structured patient-viewing teaching into undergraduate dermatology medical education curricula.

Download Full-text