scholarly journals Resource format preferences across the medical curriculum

2016 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith M. Pickett, MLIS

Objective: This research study sought to determine the formats (print or electronic) of articles and book chapters most-preferred by first-year medical students, third-year medical students entering clinical clerkships, and incoming residents and to determine if these preferences change during the course of the medical curriculum. These trends will enable academic health sciences libraries to make appropriate collection development decisions to best cater to their user populations.Methods: First-year medical students, third-year medical students, and incoming medical residents were asked to complete a paper survey from September 2014 to June 2015. The survey consisted of five multiple-choice questions, with two questions given space for optional short answers. Quantitative and qualitative responses were collected and calculated using Microsoft Excel.Results: First-year students, third-year students, and incoming residents all preferred to read journal articles and book chapters in print, except in cases where the article or book chapter is under ten pages in length. Although print is preferred, demand for electronic articles and book chapters increases as students progress from undergraduate medical education into residency. The only category where a majority of incoming residents chose an electronic resource was which format they would give to a colleague, if the article or book chapter was critical to the care of an individual patient.Conclusions: The preference for print resources is strong across the medical curriculum, although residents show an increased preference for electronic materials when compared to first- and third-year students. Academic health sciences libraries should take these preferences into account when making decisions regarding collection development.

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e039357
Author(s):  
Sara Sorrell ◽  
Halah Ibrahim

ObjectivesMedical school serves as a critical developmental period for future physicians, during which students begin to form a professional identity. Just as personal appearance, particularly clothing, is an important external expression of one’s personal identity, ‘uniforms’ in healthcare, including white coats and scrubs, symbolise status and a group identity. There are, however, limited studies on the impact of physician attire on medical students’ formation of professional identity. Accordingly, through qualitative analysis of written narratives, we sought to analyse medical students’ experiences of wearing professional physician attire, namely scrubs, and how the uniform impacted their confidence level, performance and behaviours, as well as their identity as future physicians.DesignQualitative analysis of medical student’s written narratives.SettingKhalifa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences (KU CMHS) is a new medical school in the United Arab Emirates, with an inaugural class of 30 students admitted in August 2019. It is the only medical school in the city of Abu Dhabi, and the only school in the country that follows a postgraduate medical curriculum.ParticipantsAll first year medical students at KU CMHS were purposively sampled.MethodsStudents completed a voluntary online anonymous questionnaire. We employed a social identity approach to data analysis. Thematic content analysis was conducted on their narratives to identify themes.ResultsWe identified three major themes, namely (1) emotions, (2) logistics and (3) interpersonal relationships.ConclusionsMedical students form early perceptions regarding physician attire and its impact on their professional identity. Engaging in conversations regarding professional attire with educators or mentors could provide an important opportunity for students to discuss and explore professional identity early in training.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 216
Author(s):  
Theodora Teunissen ◽  
Joni Scholte ◽  
Fransica Van der Meulen ◽  
Antoinette Lagro-Janssen ◽  
Cornelia Fluit

Sex and gender are important determinants of healthcare that need to be taken into account for medical teaching. Education is more effective if tailored to students’ subjectively-perceived needs and connected to their prior knowledge and opinions. This study explored first-year medical students thoughts about sex and gender differences in general and in specifically in healthcare, and what their educational preferences are in learning about these concepts during their medical training. Therefore six focus groups were conducted with 26 first-year medical students, 7 male and 19 female students, within one Dutch medical faculty. The discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. After that a thematic analysis was performed which included descriptive coding, interpretative coding, and definition of overarching themes.  Three major themes were identified. (1) Students’ self-perception of concepts sex and gender, including three major domains: (a) The unavoidable allocation of individuals to groups, (b) The role of stereotypes, and (c) The effect of sex/gender on career choice options. (2) Students’ goal orientedness in learning about sex/gender. (3) Students’ struggles between the binary system of medicine and the complexity of reality. Continuous reflection during medical school might help medical students to acquire sex- and gender-sensitive competencies that can be applied in their future work. To increase awareness about the influence of sex and gender differences in healthcare and on career choices, we recommend addressing these themes explicitly early on in the medical curriculum.


1999 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 182-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda J. Gooderham ◽  
Lyn Guenther

Background: Physicians teach sun awareness to their patients, but frequently have no formal training in this area. A week-long dermatology curriculum during Sun Awareness Week that included skin cancer and sun awareness education to first-year medical students was introduced in May 1998 at the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the baseline knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour of the first-year medical students towards sun awareness before and after the new curriculum. Method: This study used a pre- and post-test design to determine the impact of the curriculum on the medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and intent to change behaviour. It also reports any influence of demographic variables on these parameters. Results: The students demonstrated a substantial improvement in their knowledge of sun-related topics despite some baseline knowledge. Many students reported unhealthy behaviour prior to the curriculum, but demonstrated an intent to adopt more healthy behaviour after the curriculum. Minor differences in knowledge and behaviour due to demographic characteristics disappeared upon completion of the curriculum. Conclusions: An undergraduate medical curriculum with skin cancer and sun awareness education can improve the medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour towards sun awareness.


2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly E. Liu ◽  
Benjamin Barankin ◽  
John Howard ◽  
Lyn C. Guenther

Background: A one-week sun awareness curriculum was developed at the University of Western Ontario to educate first-year medical students on skin cancer risks and prevention. Objective: To assess the retention of knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral practices one year after receiving education in sun awareness. Method: Three surveys were administered: before, immediately after the sun awareness teaching, and one year later. Actual practiced behavior in the past year was compared with the intended behavior. Results: Half as many sunburns were reported in the year following the sun awareness curriculum compared with the previous year. Medical students demonstrated a good retention of the knowledge learned a year earlier. However, many students still believed that a tanned appearance looks healthy. While there was intent to adopt more healthy behavior after the curriculum, the actual behavior practiced varied. Conclusions: An undergraduate medical curriculum on sun awareness can be effective in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of future physicians.


2021 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Hickner ◽  
Drew Wright ◽  
Loretta Merlo ◽  
Janna S. Gordon-Elliott ◽  
Diana Delgado

Background: Prior to 2020, library orientation for first-year medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine took the form of an on-site treasure hunt competition. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the orientation for the MD class of 2024 was shifted to an all-virtual format. This shift mandated a full redesign of the library orientation.Case Presentation: The Samuel J. Wood Library sought to preserve the excitement and fun of the treasure hunt in the new virtual format. The competition was redesigned as a Zoom meeting using breakout rooms, with library faculty and staff serving as team facilitators. Tasks were rewritten, shifting the focus from the library’s physical spaces to its virtual services and online resources. The redesigned orientation was evaluated using two data sources: a postsession survey of student participants and a debriefing of the library employees who participated. Student evaluations were positive, while the faculty and staff provided numerous suggestions for improving future virtual orientations.Conclusions: A successful virtual library orientation requires careful preparation, including testing the competition tasks, full rehearsal with library facilitators, and a thoughtful approach to technology and logistics. We have chosen to share the materials we developed for other academic health sciences libraries that may wish to take a similar approach to their own virtual orientations.


Author(s):  
Deepa Devadas ◽  
Urmila Sinha ◽  
Sanjay Kumar

Background: First year of medical training is a challenging period in the life of medical students. Adjusting to a demanding medical curriculum along with sudden transition to a medical college environment makes first year medical students vulnerable to stress. No studies have been reported so far on stress in medical students from the Andaman& Nicobar Islands. Aim: To evaluate the levels of perceived stress and explore its causes in first year medical students of Andaman Islands and compare it with non medical age matched students. Materials & Methods: A comparative study was done on a total of 182 first year students (89 medical and 93 non-medicals) of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. After obtaining informed consent, an anonymous self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the study participants. The questionnaire included their sociodemographic details & Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and stressors. The data was analyzed using SPSS software version 21. Results: The mean PSS score as measured by PSS-10 was 23.9+/- 6.15 SD in medical and 18.82 +/- 5.58 SD in non medical students. Independent sample t test demonstrated higher levels of perceived stress in medical students as compared to non medical students. Chi square test revealed association of higher PSS scores with the medical course of study. The most common stressors described by first year medical students belonged to the academic domain. Conclusion: Higher levels of perceived stress occurs in medical students which highlights need for implementation of appropriate stress management strategies to help students adjust to the demanding curriculum. Keywords: Stress, medical education, undergraduate, medical students, PSS-10


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-354
Author(s):  
Julia Eckel ◽  
Olga Zavaritskaya ◽  
Katrin Schüttpelz-Brauns ◽  
Rudolf Schubert

Recently, medical students’ scientific thinking skills have been identified as an important issue in medical education. Scientific thinking cannot be imparted in conventional lectures, but rather requires actively involving students. We modified a practical course in physiology. A study was designed to test whether the new course fosters scientific thinking without impairing the transfer of physiological knowledge. The study group consisted of 226 first-year medical students at the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University. Written consent to participate in the study was obtained from all participants. The group was then randomly divided into two groups (traditional vs. modified course). The subject of both courses was a laboratory experiment in skeletal muscle physiology. In the traditional course, the students addressed topics already presented in lectures. In the modified course, students dealt with the same topics as in the traditional course, but the experiment was expanded to include one issue not taught before. When working on this issue, the students were instructed in scientific thinking. All participants filled out a questionnaire with 15 multiple-choice questions addressing the physiological subject matter and four open-ended questions addressing the criteria of scientific methodology. Physiological knowledge in both groups did not differ [ F(1) = 2.08, P = 0.15]. Scores in scientific thinking in the modified course were higher (mean = 4.20, SD = 1.89) than in the traditional course (mean = 2.04, SD = 1.91) with F(1) = 70.69, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.24 (large effect). Our study demonstrates that small adjustments to courses in medical education can promote scientific thinking without impairing knowledge transfer.


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