Point-of-care ultrasonography for the diagnosis of testicular torsion: a practical resident curriculum

Background: Prompt Doppler ultrasonography to aid in diagnosis is often key to managing testicular torsion, but there may be delays in access; a faster, more widely available alternative is point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS). The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a scrotal POCUS curriculum for urology and emergency medicine residents. Methods: Content experts in urology, emergency medicine and diagnostic imaging collaborated in a modified Delphi method to design a practical didactic curriculum for scrotal POCUS for the identification of testicular torsion. Training included 3 online video teaching modules and a 1-hour hands-on teaching session with standardized adult patients. We evaluated participants’ competency in scrotal POCUS using a validated scale. We assessed participants’ knowledge, comfort and confidence in performing scrotal POCUS before and after the intervention and at 3 months. Results: Twenty-four urology (n = 12) and emergency medicine (n = 12) residents participated in the curriculum. After hands-on practice, 23 participants (96%) were deemed competent at scrotal POCUS. Pre–post testing showed significant improvement in knowledge (mean score 63% v. 80%, p < 0.001), comfort (mean Likert score 0.6 v. 3.6, p < 0.001) and confidence (mean Likert score 1.0 v. 2.1, p < 0.001) after the intervention. These effects were maintained at the 3-month assessment. Conclusion: The scrotal POCUS curriculum was effective and acceptable to both urology and emergency medicine residents. The findings suggest that scrotal POCUS can be learned effectively through a short hands-on session and didactic instruction.

Implementation of Cultural Competence Education into Athletic Training Programs: A Qualitative Report

Cultural competence education is a foundational behavior of professional practice that Athletic Training Programs (ATPs) have been tasked to incorporate into their curriculums. Ten ATP faculty were individually interviewed to determine the current methods used to teach provision of culturally competent care. Four major themes were identified: 1) Barriers to cultural competence education implementation in a didactic setting, 2) Strategies for incorporation into an existing didactic curriculum, 3) Barriers to cultural competence education in a clinical setting, and 4) Strategies to implement cultural competence education into an existing clinical model. Further research is necessary to determine the effectiveness of specific strategies.

Planning Engaging Virtual Synchronous Didactics in the Era of COVID-19 (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED As part of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements, residents must participate in structured didactic activities. Traditional didactics include lectures, grand rounds, simulation, case discussions and other forms of in person, synchronous learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has made in person activities less feasible as many programs have been forced to move to virtual didactics. Educators must still achieve the goals and objectives of their didactic curriculum, despite new limitations on instructional strategies. There are several strategies that may be useful in organizing and creating a virtual-based residency didactic curriculum. Educators must master new technology, be flexible and creative, and set rules of engagement for instructors and learners. Establishing best practices for virtual didactics will allow for successful virtual synchronous didactics and reduce the impact of transitioning to a virtual learning environment while keeping teachers and learners safe while shelter at home orders are in place.

Experiential Education in the Time of COVID-19: An Australian Experience

The pharmacy degree at Monash University is a four year undergraduate Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours (BPharm(Hons)), followed by a one year Master of Pharmacy incorporating a preregistration year of supervised practice, known in Australia as internship. The first cohort of the BPharm(Hons) will graduate in 2020. A key principle of the new curriculum was that clinical experiential placements should commence early in the curriculum, be fully integrated with the didactic curriculum, and prepare students for internship by developing their competence in performing useful and relevant tasks in the workplace. Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) are used as the framework for their experiences.

Experiential Education in the Time of COVID-19: An Australian Experience

The pharmacy degree at Monash University is a four year undergraduate Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours (BPharm(Hons)), followed by a one year Master of Pharmacy incorporating a preregistration year of supervised practice, known in Australia as internship. The first cohort of the BPharm(Hons) will graduate in 2020. A key principle of the new curriculum was that clinical experiential placements should commence early in the curriculum, be fully integrated with the didactic curriculum, and prepare students for internship by developing their competence in performing useful and relevant tasks in the workplace. Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) are used as the framework for their experiences.