Psychological impact of covid19 on out-of-hospital emergency services

This article focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic affects Emergency Medical Assistant’s (EMA) mental health. In addition, it aims to define which psychological consequences it entails and if they have received postgraduate training on how to face the pandemic by the Health System or organizations that depend on it. This is a qualitative exploratory study of a phenomenological type where a semi- structured ad-hoc interview has been used for data collection, answered by EMA. The results show the psychological impact that COVID-19 has had on the work and personal life of these workers, the lack of psychological resources and the multiple psychological consequences developed as a result of the neglect of their mental health. EMA reaffirm the psychological challenge the COVID-19 pandemic means, creating situation of greater stress and anxiety than implied internal impediments for the job, family and friends. Therefore, they express the necessity for psychological support, being able to develop a diversity of psychological help resources that allow EMA to release the pychological oppression caused by the added stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessment of cognitive factors and their relationship with burnout syndrome at different levels of medical education

Consecutive completion of specialist and residency training is an important stage in the development of a young physician. Therapeutic activity implies emotional intensity and a great number of factors, causing stress. The syndrome of emotional burnout is not only a result of neuropsychological stress, but also a consequence of uncontrolled stress. The aim of the research was to determine influence of thinking styles, types of thinking and creativity level on factors of cognitive appraisal as predictors of burnout syndrome development in higher education trainees (specialist and postgraduate training programmes). The search of predictors of a burnout syndrome was carried out for a sample of 330 medical students and 50 physicians of the control group. As a result of research it has been revealed that trainees as well as practitioners have a practical style of thinking; postgraduate trainees more often use the combined one, students, figurative; and physicians, sign type of thinking; higher parameters of creativity are marked in postgraduate trainees over physicians. In general, students on specialty and postgraduate training programmes have less difficulty with most of the cognitive assessment factors. The correlation analysis showed as follows: for students, there were direct links of medium strength between the sign type of thinking and “strong emotionsˮ, emotional detachment, and “future perspectiveˮ; for postgraduate trainees, there were direct and inverse links of very weak and weak strength, which could be neglected. However, further factor analysis is required in order to assess the influence of certain factor on the development of emotional burnout syndrome in medical trainees.

Challenges of implementing competency-based medical education postgraduate training programs: the issue of context

Introduction: Competency-based medical education (CBME) is being adopted worldwide. The aim of this paper is to discuss the evolution of CBME and address some perceived challenges in CBME curriculum development and implementation in postgraduate (residency) medical education. Methods: This is an opinion paper based on lived experiences and personal beliefs. The authors have professional training in medical education and are actively involved in CBME research, curriculum development and implementation around the world. Results: The issue of local and system-wide context seems to be of particular importance to individuals, programs, institutions, governing bodies and other stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of CBME programs. CBME has evolved differently at different places, and there are concerns regarding the fidelity of implementation. Stakeholders have been dealing with challenging questions in their CBME journeys, which reflect the varied, complex and dynamic nature of health and education systems. Recently, scholars have established core components of any CBME program. Discussion and conclusions: CBME design should benefit from ground-up strategies that consider the local context. It is essential to approach implementation with a quality improvement lens and pay special attention to the fidelity and integrity of the core CBME components.

Building a biomedical pipeline: the impact of the Idaho IDeA INBRE summer research experience at a primarily undergraduate institution

Idaho Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) aims to build biomedical research capacity and enhance the scientific and technology knowledge of the Idaho workforce. A key INBRE Program at The College of Idaho, a primarily undergraduate institution of 1,100 students, is a 10-wk summer fellows research experience. This report documents outcomes from 2005 to present, including demographic trends, faculty and student research productivity, self-reported gains, educational attainment, and career outcomes. Of 103 participants, 83.7% were from Idaho, 26.7% from rural areas, and 23.9% first-generation college students. Faculty and student research productivity (conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications) increased threefold. We found that 91.4% of fellows entered a scientific- or healthcare-related career and that 70.7% completed or are currently enrolled in postgraduate training (51.7% doctoral and 19.0% master’s level). Anonymous surveys were uniformly positive, with gains in self-confidence and independent laboratory work. Open-ended responses indicated students valued mentoring efforts and improved awareness of scientific opportunities and competitive preparation for postgraduate training. Lastly, we observed that student research involvement increased college-wide during the award period. These data suggest that the summer fellows program is successfully meeting National Institutes of Health IDeA goals and serving as a pipeline to future health research careers and a scientifically trained Idaho workforce.

Predictive validity of A-level grades and teacher-predicted grades in UK medical school applicants: a retrospective analysis of administrative data in a time of COVID-19

ObjectivesTo compare in UK medical students the predictive validity of attained A-level grades and teacher-predicted A levels for undergraduate and postgraduate outcomes. Teacher-predicted A-level grades are a plausible proxy for the teacher-estimated grades that replaced UK examinations in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also models the likely future consequences for UK medical schools of replacing public A-level examination grades with teacher-predicted grades.DesignLongitudinal observational study using UK Medical Education Database data.SettingUK medical education and training.ParticipantsDataset 1: 81 202 medical school applicants in 2010–2018 with predicted and attained A-level grades. Dataset 2: 22 150 18-year-old medical school applicants in 2010–2014 with predicted and attained A-level grades, of whom 12 600 had medical school assessment outcomes and 1340 had postgraduate outcomes available.Outcome measuresUndergraduate and postgraduate medical examination results in relation to attained and teacher-predicted A-level results.ResultsDataset 1: teacher-predicted grades were accurate for 48.8% of A levels, overpredicted in 44.7% of cases and underpredicted in 6.5% of cases. Dataset 2: undergraduate and postgraduate outcomes correlated significantly better with attained than with teacher-predicted A-level grades. Modelling suggests that using teacher-estimated grades instead of attained grades will mean that 2020 entrants are more likely to underattain compared with previous years, 13% more gaining the equivalent of the lowest performance decile and 16% fewer reaching the equivalent of the current top decile, with knock-on effects for postgraduate training.ConclusionsThe replacement of attained A-level examination grades with teacher-estimated grades as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic may result in 2020 medical school entrants having somewhat lower academic performance compared with previous years. Medical schools may need to consider additional teaching for entrants who are struggling or who might need extra support for missed aspects of A-level teaching.

An analysis of the selection criteria for postgraduate physician assistant residency and fellowship programs in the United States

Background This study aims to investigate the admission criteria used by physician assistant postgraduate education programs in selecting licensed PA applicants for postgraduate training in the United States. To our knowledge, there have been no previously published reports on selection criteria and/or other factors influencing postgraduate PA admission decisions. Method A non-experimental, descriptive research study was designed to obtain information from members of the Association of Postgraduate Physician Assistant Programs (APPAP). Results Twenty-three out of 73 postgraduate programs (35%) responded to the survey. The study reported that applicant PAs and NPs are largely selected on the basis of several factors. The most heavily weighted factor is the interview itself; other selection criteria perceived to be extremely/very important included board certification/eligibility, letters of recommendation, advanced degree, and personal essay. Survey data suggest that publications, undergraduate transcripts, and class rankings are not considered to be of high importance in applicant selection. The number of PA applicants applying to each postgraduate training program averages around 26 and total number of enrollees is about 3.6 per program. Additionally, some programs reported furloughing of trainees (temporary suspension of didactic and clinical training) during the pandemic, whereas the vast majority of postgraduate PA programs remained operational and some even experienced an increase in application volume. The total cost of training a PA resident or fellow in postgraduate programs is currently $93,000 whereas the average cost of training a categorical physician resident is estimated at $150,000 per year when considering both salary and benefits. Conclusions This novel study examined criteria and other factors used by postgraduate PA programs in selecting candidates for admission. Results can be used by postgraduate programs to improve or modify current selection criteria to enhance the quality of trainee selection. Further research is needed to examine correlations between applicant attributes, selection criteria, and trainee success in completing postgraduate training.

Just the diagnosis is never enough!

Medical schools train us to be brilliant academicians and diagnosticians. But as physicians, we must never belittle patient communication nor be inconsiderate in our approach to patient care. Communication as a skill gets neglected in postgraduate training as young doctors chase procedural and diagnostic excellence. It is high time we make amends.

Redeployment of psychiatrist trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic: evaluation of attitude and preparedness

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed an unprecedented strain on healthcare systems worldwide. In response, psychiatrist trainees were redeployed from their training sites to help manage patients with COVID-19. This study aimed to examine the attitude of psychiatrist trainees toward redeployment to COVID-19 sites and their perceived preparedness for managing physical health conditions during redeployment. Methods: A cross-sectional researcher-developed online survey was administered among psychiatrist trainees in May 2020 at the Department of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. Results: Of the 45 psychiatrist trainees, 40 (88.9%) responded to the survey. Most trainees reported being comfortable dealing with chronic medical conditions, but less so with acute life-threatening medical conditions. Half reported feeling anxious about redeployment, and most felt the need for additional training. We found that trainees’ perceived redeployment preparedness was significantly associated with their level of postgraduate training and the time since and duration of their last medical or surgical training. Conclusion: Adequate preparation and training of psychiatrist trainees is important before redeployment to COVID-19 sites to ensure that they can effectively and safely manage patients with COVID-19.

Semiotics of mental illness. General psychopathology

The methodology and systematics of the diagnostic process in psychiatry are given, information is given about psychopathological symptoms and dynamics of the main productive and negative syndromes, including addictive, as well as the most significant forms of norm and pathology of personality. The leading features of clinical and psychopathological research in general psychopathology are substantiated. The section "Symptomatology" reveals the psychological and clinical features of the main mental processes. The section "Syndromology" describes the clinical features of the main positive and negative syndromes, their features in children and adolescents. Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation. It is intended for psychiatrists, psychiatrists, narcologists, psychotherapists, clinical psychologists undergoing pre- and postgraduate training, students of higher medical and psychological educational institutions, interns, clinical residents, graduate students and doctors of related disciplines.

OPINION OF TEACHERS BY SPECIALTY “DENTAL TECHNICIAN“ FOR THE CONTINUING POSTGRADUATE TRAINING OF DENTAL TECHNICIANS IN BULGARIA

Postgraduate training of dental technicians is their right and obligation, to meet the expectations of patients and dentists in the provision of health care. On May 31, 2019, the Bulgarian Association of Dental Technicians was established. It is still unable to organize its activities in the direction - organization and control of postgraduate education. Our purpose is to find out if teachers are willing to participate in continuing education for practicing dental technicians, the directions in which they have the opportunity to do this and who should organize it. To achieve this purpose we used the following methods: study of literature sources, documents, sociologically, graphic and descriptive analysis to present the results. We found that, according to a large part, continuing education should be organized by Bulgarian Association of Dental Technicians, the second place is assigned to Bulgarian Association of Dental Technicians jointly with the colleges, and the third place is represented by the manufacturing companies of materials and devices. together with prominent specialists from the practice. Most of them are ready to participate in the postgraduate training of dental technicians, with the predominance of the respondents ready to organize courses in the field of modern methods and means for restoration of the defects of the dental crowns and dental rows with non-removable dental prosthetic structures. A small part of the teachers (27,78%) offer other additional courses, which will help practicing dental technicians: for development and management of practice; in the mentoring process; to create a publishing activity.