Is an OSCE valuable in identifying communication skills deficits in an intern before their residency?
What do we know about selection methods for specialist medical training?
How can you create an academic teaching portfolio?
Eye tracking technology has a role in medical education
Utility of selection methods for specialist medical training: A BEME (best evidence medical education) systematic review: BEME Guide No. 45
Chris Roberts, Priya Khanna, Louise Rigby, Emma Bartle, Anthony Llewellyn, Julie Gustavs, Libby Newton, James P. Newcombe, Mark Davies, Jill Thistlethwaite and James Lynam
The aim of this BEME guide is to explore, analyse and combine the evidence related to selection into postgraduate medical speciality training.
‘Selection of medical graduates into speciality training programs is a high-stakes assessment process, which aims to predict the likelihood of applicants undertaking training successfully and to identify those who are likely to perform poorly both in training and in future practice.’
Twelve tips to avoid ethical pitfalls when recruiting students as subjects in medical education research
Elisabeth Boileau, Johane Patenaude and Christina St-Onge
This twelve tips highlights common issues and clearly summarises guidelines for conducting an ethical study with students as research subjects.
‘Due consideration of participants protects professional relationships in the long run, which is especially relevant in health professions contexts where students are often future colleagues.’
Twelve tips for creating an academic teaching portfolio
Kim Little-Wienert and Mark Mazziotti
Twelve tips to provide the reader with the knowledge and skills necessary to help them prepare a successful teaching portfolio that can be used to document their educational achievements and support the promotion that they deserve.
‘An academic teaching portfolio is not only a requirement at many academic teaching institutions, but it is also important in a medical educator’s growth and development through documentation, reflection, evaluation, and change.’
Medical migration: A qualitative exploration of the atypical path of Japanese international medical graduates
Brian S. Heist and Haruka Matsubara Torok
This paper looks at Japanese International Medical Graduates (IMGs) and their reasons for pursuing US clinical training.
‘Push and pull factors commonly exist as negative and positive characteristics of a dimension in the source and recipient country, respectively.’
Use of an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) for early identification of communication skills deficits in interns
Mary Ellen J. Goldhamer, Amy Cohen, Michelle Brooks, Eric A. Macklin, John Patrick T. Co and Debra Weinstein
An objective structured clinical exam is valuable for the early identification of communication skills deficits in interns.
‘By identifying a positive association between OSCE performance and subsequent unfavourable evaluation of communication skills, this study provides a preliminary suggestion that OSCE may be useful in early identification of interns with less effective communication skills.’
How do formative objective structured clinical examinations drive learning? Analysis of residents’ perceptions
Debra Pugh, Isabelle Desjardins and Kevin Eva
Residents in this study valued the opportunity to complete an OSCE as a learning experience (AFL), but this was tempered somewhat by a desire to perform well (AOL) despite the fact that it was a formative, low stakes, examination.
‘Formative assessment is viewed as both a hurdle to overcome and a learning opportunity.’
Ethical dilemmas during international clinical rotations in global health settings: Findings from a training and debriefing program
Michael J. Peluso, Stacey Kallem, Mei Elansary and Tracy L. Rabin
This paper discusses the outcome of a web-based survey on preparing students for ethical dilemmas during international clinical rotations, completed by eighty two medical students who undertook electives at 16 international sites between 2012 and 2015.
‘In addition to pre-departure training and post-return debriefing, It is critical to enhance “on the ground” discussion and reflection between visiting students and the host institution.’
Eye-tracking technology in medical education: A systematic review
Hajra Ashraf, Mikael H. Sodergren, Nabeel Merali, George Mylonas, Harsimrat Singh and Ara Darzi
This paper provides a summary of evidence relating to how eye-tracking technology and gaze behaviour can be used to improve upon existing education practice within the medical field.
‘Eye-tracking technology is now more readily available than ever before and with progresses in technology it is assumed that eye-tracking methodology will continue to increase in popularity.’
Thresholds and interpretations: How clinical competency committees identify pediatric residents with performance concerns
Daniel J. Schumacher, Catherine Michelson, Sue Poynter, Michelle M. Barnes, Su-Ting T. Li, Natalie Burman, Daniel J. Sklansky, Lynn Thoreson, Sharon Calaman, Beth King, Alan Schwartz and the APPD LEARN CCC Study Group
This paper offers potential best practice suggestions and pitfalls for Clinical Competency Committees (CCCs) to consider. Six themes falling into two main domains were identified.
‘Since the advent of milestones based assessment, evidence has emerged that milestones can facilitate earlier identification of residents with performance concerns.’
Preparing teachers for competency-based medical education: Fundamental teaching activities
Allyn Walsh, Sudha Koppula, Viola Antao, Cheri Bethune, Stewart Cameron, Teresa Cavett, Diane Clavet and Marion Dove
This paper describes the outcomes of an extensive consultation carried out by the Working Group on Faculty Development of the College of Family Physicians of Canada to explore and develop a new concept, a menu of ‘Fundamental Teaching Activities” (FTAs) for use by family medicine teachers in their professional development.
‘The Fundamental Teaching Activities Framework describes what is involved in a teaching task, thus facilitating this professional development.’
Risk factors for a delay in medical education: Results of an online survey among four German medical schools
Jens Walldorf and Martin R. Fischer
This paper explores why some medical students in Germany have a more prolonged course than others and looks at some of the possible meaning behind the findings.
‘Students who regarded their own motivation as an important impetus for a timely progress in medical school had a significantly lower risk for study delays.’
Using learning analytics to evaluate a video-based lecture series
K. H. Vincent Lau, Pue Farooque, Gary Leydon, Michael L. Schwartz, R. Mark Sadler and Jeremy J. Moeller
Evaluation of a video-based lecture may be enhanced through learner analytics.
‘The ready availability of learning analytics data for educational technology optimization may improve quality control and justify the commonly high upfront costs cited by critics.’
An argument against the use of Occam’s razor in modern medical education
Martin B. Whyte
Has Occam’s razor a component of medical education for more than a century, lost its usefulness, and is it time to remove it from the medical curriculum?
‘It may be statistically more likely that a patient has several common diseases rather than having a single, rarer disease.’
What role do medical students have in shaping the future of the National Health Service?
Apurv Sehgal
The medical curriculum and the health service might benefit from medical students taking an expanded role in error prevention, public health promotion and clinical responsibilities.
‘A newly qualified doctor’s personal view, exploring how a struggling health service and changing medical education may impact the future role of the medical student.’
AND IN THE LETTERS…
Comment on: Long-term benefits by a mind–body medicine skills course on perceived stress and empathy among medical and nursing students.
Response to: Small group activities within academic communities improve the connectedness of students and faculty.
Don’t forget the hidden curriculum.
The Importance of context in medical education program evaluation.
How was hidden-curriculum teaching enhanced? A question to Zhang et al.
Online professionalism – A student perspective. A response to Hemming et al.