Using Technology to Teach and Teaching About Technology

This chapter analyzes the role played by technology in undergraduate medical education (UME) using two perspectives: how technology is used as a tool to facilitate teaching and how medical students are taught to use technology in the clinical setting. For each perspective, a survey of literature, published from 2009 to 2019, was conducted to understand the current state. Authors critically examine the current state and describe and analyze issues with it. Recommendations are made for improving the blending of medical education, technology, pedagogy, and clinical practice. The narrative in this chapter is at the intersection of digital technology, educational theories, and medical settings (educational and practice).

The Role of Humanities in Medical Education

This chapter considers the role and value of the study of the humanities in medical education. Most authors on this subject believe the study of the humanities results in a better physician. However, few papers document this almost universally accepted idea. This chapter cites the available literature on the subject and also considers how the study of the humanities has become more common in countries beyond the United States. The study of the humanities is thought to improve physician communication and to influence ethical behaviors, ultimately improving patient care.

The Evolution of Core Curriculum in Medical Schools

Medical education has undergone an evolution from passive, lecture-based learning environments to curricula that accentuate an active and dynamic system. Stemming from technological innovation, a greater amount of responsibility has been placed on students during clerkships and residency. In addition, a shift in USMLE assessment focuses on interpretation and application as compared to the former memorization-heavy approach. Therefore, learning has been modified to prepare students for the future medical landscape. Through the use of Team-Based, Problem-Based, and/or Case-Based Learning, medical students are taught to understand content rather than memorize it. The authors elucidate the rationale behind active learning and present a guide for medical educators to adopt this style of learning in every part of the undergraduate medical school training process.

Teaching Millennials and Generation Z

Each generation is defined not solely by the date of their birth, but also for their beliefs, their priorities, and their motivations. Many factors play heavily into the development of each generation's collective identify, including parenting styles, significant political and current events, changing gender roles, and other formative experiences. These factors significantly and uniquely influence how each generation lives, learns, and interacts with others (Gerhardt, 2016). While most medical educators today are baby boomers, the majority of medical students are millennial and generation Z individuals, who communicate, learn, and interact very differently than their instructors. As a result, effective medical educators are challenged to update their methods of instruction to best suit these newer generations of learners for better assimilation, clinical application, and long-term retention of material, to maintain delivery of high-quality healthcare in the country for future generations (Desy et al., 2017; Waljee, 2018).

Finding Meaning and Purpose as a Physician

Finding meaning in this age of the burnout epidemic has become the latest obsession in clinical medicine. Many choose introspection, mindfulness, or mental health treatments to refuel their moral reserves, but research may also help to serve that goal. In this chapter, the author writes about his journey as an immigrant to the United States at 16, navigating the educational system to eventually attend Oxford and Harvard on full scholarships, and finding meaning through research.

My Mentors in Medicine

The author describes his journey of learning in medicine from childhood through graduation from medical school. The author describes how each of his mentors played a specific role at crucial points in his development. His parents and a high school professor inspired him to pursue medicine as a career. Academic, clinical, and research mentors assisted in the author's preparation for medical school. Finally, medical school faculty and staff at Weill Cornell Medicine enriched his medical school experience, guided his choice of psychiatry as a specialty, and encouraged him to think about the structure of his future career. The author gratefully emphasizes the importance of all of his mentors' efforts and resolves to serve a similar mentorship role for the next generation of physicians.

Continuing Professional Development

Continuing professional development is a critical responsibility within the complex role of today's physician. This chapter provides an overview of continuing professional development for physicians. The authors propose self-determination theory (SDT) as a foundational framework for discussing physician continuing professional development. They also address a variety of motivating factors for physicians being involved in continuing professional development. These factors include regulatory requirements, continued competence, career planning, and their own commitment to learn. Lastly, the authors include a discussion of various continuing professional development formats and the benefits of each, as well as challenges and barriers to effective continuing education.

The Premedical Years

The premedical baccalaureate period is critical to shaping a high-achieving, diverse, and service-oriented medical school applicant pool. The focus on achieving superior academic performance in premedical coursework captures the attention of most premedical students, but equal attention must be paid to developing the personal qualities and experiences that will form the foundation of their future capacity to understand and communicate with patients. Premedical students are best served to major in a field for authentic intellectual reasons regardless of the field's immediate connection to the health care field. There is a growing trend for applicants to have a gap year or more between the undergraduate period and medical school. The authors discuss the role of letters of evaluation and the premedical committee in the application process. The authors have more than 40 years of combined experience in premedical academic and career advising at a large, research-focused public institution.

Passing the Baton

Transitions in medical school are a recognized point of stress for learners. Overall, stress is a known aspect of any period of transition, where the unknown looms large and new skills need to be acquired to achieve mastery of the next step. As the medical needs of the population grow, medical schools are admitting larger and more diverse classes. These students will undergo several major points of transition in their undergraduate medical education careers including the period of matriculation to the first year and the transition from the preclinical years into the clinical years. The George Washington School of Medicine has developed a longitudinal approach including two specific programs to support students during these recognized points of academic transition. The Prematriculation Program (PMP) and the Foundations of Clinical Practice course address the specific needs of these stages. The authors contend that an intentional approach to support students at periods of known academic risk is a beneficial aid to student success.

Clinical Educator Track Resident Programs

Medical residents have a growing responsibility to educate their fellow residents and serve as the primary teachers for medical students; however, many residents have reported lacking the skills needed to be effective teachers. Clinical educator tracks (CET) were designed to provide a more intense and diverse opportunity for residents to receive training in areas of learning theory, teaching, evaluation and assessment, curriculum design, research, and leadership. This chapter highlights promising practices in established CET programs in the United States and spotlights one CET program in Louisiana as an example. Based on a review of the literature, CET programs have the following promising practices in common: a commitment to teaching and learning, continuous improvement through program design and evaluation, and a focus on leadership and mentoring. The authors elaborate on the CET program at LSU Health Center and discuss future trends in CET programming.