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The global health development community is increasingly examining the phenomenon of short-term experiences in global health (STEGH), with an aim to mitigate the negative impacts of such activities on host communities. Appropriate supervision is one strategy, but various barriers (e.g., institutional requirements) limit the availability of qualified supervisors. Remote supervision represents one potential model to provide supervision that may mitigate the negative impacts of STEGH. This paper reports observed outcomes from a description of a pilot remote supervision program employed in a global health program for Canadian undergraduate students. Benefits for learners included greater confidence and independence, greater perceived effectiveness in conducting their project abroad, and reassurance of remote support from their supervisor, supplemented with day-to-day guidance from the local partner. Host communities reported greater trust in the bidirectional nature of partnership with the visiting institution, empowerment through directing students’ work, and improved alignment of projects with community needs. Finally, faculty noted that remote supervision provided greater flexibility and freedom when compared to traditional in-person supervision, allowing them to maintain professional duties at home. Collectively, this pilot suggests that remote supervision demonstrates a potential solution to mitigating the harms of STEGHs undertaken by learners by providing adequate and appropriate remote supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Ninth Annual Dubai Medical Education Symposium 2015 on medical education and clinical practice held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 30, 2015. Topics of the event include discussion on best practice in medical education and professional development of doctors, learning styles in medical education and feedback in teaching in clinical settings .

Background Transitions in medical education are emotionally and socially dynamic; this may affect learning. Students transitioning from preclinical to clinical training may experience negative consequences. Less is understood about students' experiences during transitions within clinical training and influential factors. Methods The authors used organizational socialization theory to explore a transition within the clinical years. Final- year medical students experienced a nine-week internal medicine clerkship; willing students participated. Students (n = 101; 97 %) completed a questionnaire with open-ended questions at the beginning and end of the clerkship and participated in six consecutive focus groups, until data saturation occurred (n = 37). Data were thematically analyzed. Results Socialization was challenging. Many students experienced difficulty developing relationships with team members. Students with a positive attitude experienced a smoother transition. Many students were uncertain of their roles, concerned about the workload and desired guidance to meet clerkship demands. This transition resulted in varied outcomes from enjoyment, increased confidence and student development through to disinterest. Conclusion Transitions within clinical training are complex. Faculty should focus on adequate socialization in a new clerkship as this may facilitate a smoother transition. This may necessitate orientations, staff training, and formal student support. Further research is needed on the impact of these recommendations on learning and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realization that medical graduates are failing to serve the health needs of the society has compelled the medical educationists and regulatory authorities worldwide to review the medical training. A medical curriculum oriented towards developing the key competencies that enable a fresh graduate to be delivering socially responsive health care is seen as a promising step towards alleviating this problem. This calls for a departure from the traditional approach of organizing the curricular components around educational objectives, to a competency-based approach for planning the curriculum. The present article discusses the concept of competency-based medical education in Indian context, the steps in planning and implementing such a curriculum, and the key aspects of assessment for its effective implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An interprofessional faculty group analyzed a critical reflection assignment of students in a service-learning practicum interprofessional education (IPE) course. Students were from ten programs: physical therapy, occupational therapy, nuclear medicine technology, radiation therapy, athletic training, nursing, investigative medical science, cytotechnology, nutrition and dietetics, and clinical laboratory science. Research questions investigated what the assignments revealed about students' application of beliefs, emotions, and behaviours, and if course objectives were met. Methods and Findings: This qualitative study retrospectively analyzed one critical reflection from the course conducted in 2011. Researchers selected a stratified sample of 40 assignments from a population of 278. Nine major themes emerged: achieving IPE outcomes, engaging in team process, learning culture/community engagement, being client/patient centred, becoming aware of behaviours, experiencing barriers, articulating beliefs, connecting with course objectives, and expressing emotions. Conclusions: In an IPE practicum course, transformative learning was evident. Students articulated beliefs, emotions, and behaviours related to interprofessional teamwork. Students expressed detailed understanding of team processes. For future research, critical reflection assignments were useful to assess student beliefs, emotions, and behaviours in a practicum course. We suggest studying practice among health professionals who have experienced IPE compared with those who have not had IPE in their professional curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Social Work profession experiences various challenges in practice that influence the practice education of students. Educators, practitioners and the experiences of students should inform practice education in curriculums. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of fourth-year BSW students at the University of the Western Cape doing their fieldwork education in healthcare contexts. Integration of social work theories, the types of client problems, emotions caused by fieldwork and ethical dilemmas were challenges to students in health contexts. Supervision was emphasised by the students as a positive experience during fieldwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and Background: Athletic therapy postsecondary education and certification requirements in Canada have reached considerable milestones throughout their history. The most important of these accomplishments was administration of the first Canadian Athletic Therapists' Association (CATA) certification examination in 1975. At that time, there were three basic exam eligibility requirements: (1) core curricular courses; (2) 1800 practical hours; and (3) a valid first aid certificate. The only significant change to these certification requirements occurred in 1976, when the 1800-hour internship requirement was reduced to 1200 hours. However, a documented rationale for this change could not be determined. The noteworthy milestone occurred when the CATA approved a policy stating that, as of September 1999, all future athletic therapy candidates would have to be enrolled in a Canadian accredited program at a postsecondary institution. Although this policy significantly advanced the CATA's postsecondary academic/curricular requirements, the 1200-hour internship requirement has remained unchanged for almost four decades. Objective: The purpose of this commentary is to stimulate discussion about the linkage between the practical-hour requirements and teaching, evaluating, and achieving clinical competence. Recommendations: Recommendations for change are based on lessons learned by other organizations for medical educators and allied health care professions, such as the National Athletic Trainers' Association. One suggestion for change is to hold students accountable for achieving a predetermined level of clinical competence before they move through or graduate from a program. In order to accomplish this goal, students must be assessed with valid and reliable evaluation tools. Conclusion: Therefore, it is important to establish a group of stakeholders who can identify issues and articulate a plan to guide the future of postsecondary athletic therapy education in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are significant shortages in the public health workforce and it's expected to worsen. Efforts to reduce this shortage are varied and include building the workforce by increasing exposure of students and young professionals in applied public health experiences. Providing these experiences increases productivity, and may help alleviate some of the workforce shortages in public health. This article seeks to highlight the work done at the Family Health Services Division (FHSD) in the Hawai'i Department of Health over the past 6 and half years in working with students in epidemiology practicum and fellowship experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Training medical students in tobacco prevention and cessation skills is critical to have competent physicians who are prepared to address the grave levels of morbidity and mortality associated with tobacco use. However, in India, enough attention has not been given to elicit the active participation of physicians in tobacco control. Keeping this in view, a program was undertaken to develop the skills and competence of medical students with the objective of improving medical student inquiry into smoking and the delivery of advice accordingly for patients in their clinical year's routine consultations. Methods: The targeted learners were 149 1st-year medical and dental students of SCB Medical College, Cuttack, Orissa, India, who had appeared the second semester examination; 84 of the participants were male. Students were allowed to appear a test before the training session on knowledge of tobacco cessation and post test was done after 1.5 months of training. The knowledge score was evaluated to evaluate the learning outcome. Results: We observed that a curriculum on tobacco intervention could improve relevant knowledge, attitudes and self-confidence and be applied in students early clinical experiences. Conclusions: There is need of joint action by practicing clinicians, the medical faculty and the curriculum planners of the country to incorporate tobacco cessation into the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Patient care and medical knowledge are Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies. The correlation between amount of patient contact and knowledge acquisition is not known. OBJECTIVE: To determine if a correlation exists between the number of patient encounters and in-training exam (ITE) scores in internal medicine (IM) and pediatric residents at a large academic medical center. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study PARTICIPANTS: Resident physicians at Mayo Clinic from July 2006 to June 2010 in IM (318 resident-years) and pediatrics (66 resident-years). METHODS: We tabulated patient encounters through review of clinical notes in an electronic medical record during post graduate year (PGY)-1 and PGY-2. Using linear regression models, we investigated associations between ITE score and number of notes during the previous PGY, adjusted for previous ITE score, gender, medical school origin, and conference attendance. KEY RESULTS: For IM, PGY-2 admission and consult encounters in the hospital and specialty clinics had a positive linear association with ITE-3 % score ( β = 0.02; p = 0.004). For IM, PGY-1 conference attendance is positively associated with PGY-2 ITE performance. We did not detect a correlation between PGY-1 patient encounters and subsequent ITE scores for IM or pediatric residents. No association was found between IM PGY-2 ITE score and inpatient, outpatient, or total encounters in the first year of training. Resident continuity clinic and total encounters were not associated with change in PGY-3 ITE score. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a positive association between hospital and subspecialty encounters during the second year of IM training and subsequent ITE score, such that each additional 50 encounters were associated with an increase of 1 % correct in PGY-3 ITE score after controlling for previous ITE performance and continuity clinic encounters. We did not find a correlation for volume of encounters and medical knowledge for IM PGY-1 residents or the pediatric cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation is a modern educational tool that has recently gained in the field of medical education. The use of simulation continues to expand, and studies evaluating the effectiveness of simulation-based medical education are ongoing. The history of medical education and adult educational theory are reviewed, and the details of effective simulation techniques are described. Finally, outcomes of simulation-based medical education are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Language barriers present a substantial communication challenge in the hospital setting. OBJECTIVE To describe how clinicians with various levels of Spanish language proficiency work with interpreters or their own Spanish skills in common clinical scenarios. DESIGN & PARTICIPANTS Survey of physicians and nurses who report ever speaking Spanish with patients on a general medicine hospital floor. MEASUREMENTS Spanish proficiency rated on a 5-point scale, self-reported use of specific strategies (own Spanish skills, professional or ad-hoc interpreters) to overcome the language barrier. RESULTS Sixty-eight physicians and 65 nurses participated. Physicians with low-level Spanish proficiency reported frequent use of ad-hoc interpreters for all information-based scenarios, except pre-rounding in the morning when most reported using their own Spanish skills. For difficult conversations and procedural consent, most used professional interpreters. Comparatively, physicians with medium proficiency reported higher rates of using their own Spanish skills for information-based scenarios, lower rates of professional interpreter use, and little use of ad-hoc interpreters. They rarely used their own Spanish skills or ad-hoc interpreters for difficult conversations. Physicians with high-level Spanish proficiency almost uniformly reported using their own Spanish skills. The majority (82%) of nurses had low-level Spanish proficiency, and frequently worked with professional interpreters for educating patients, but more often used ad hoc interpreters and their own Spanish skills for information-based scenarios, including medication administration. CONCLUSIONS Physicians and nurses with limited Spanish proficiency use these skills, even in important clinical circumstances in the hospital. Health-care organizations should evaluate clinicians' non-English language proficiency and set policies about use of language skills in clinical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Questioning is one of the essential techniques used by lecturers to make lectures more interactive and effective. This study surveyed the perception of questioning techniques by medical school faculty members and analyzed how the questioning technique is used in actual classes. Methods: Data on the perceptions of the questioning skills used during lectures was collected using a self-questionnaire for faculty members (N = 33) during the second semester of 2008. The questionnaire consisted of 18 items covering the awareness and characteristics of questioning skills. Recorded video tapes were used to observe the faculty members' questioning skills. Results: Most faculty members regarded the questioning technique during classes as being important and expected positive outcomes in terms of the students' participation in class, concentration in class and understanding of the class contents. In the 99 classes analyzed, the median number of questions per class was 1 (0-29). Among them, 40 classes (40.4 %) did not use questioning techniques. The frequency of questioning per lecture was similar regardless of the faculty members' perception. On the other hand, the faculty members perceived that their usual wait time after question was approximately 10 seconds compared to only 2.5 seconds measured from video analysis. More lecture-experienced faculty members tended to ask more questions in class. Conclusions: There were some discrepancies regarding the questioning technique between the faculty members' perceptions and reality, even though they had positive opinions of the technique. The questioning skills during a lecture need to be emphasized to faculty members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Here, we compare clinical skills training in the 20th and 21st centuries in two different countries, in order to underline advancements and principal obstacles. Methods. The clinical training of medical students in the nineteen-sixties at the Sarajevo School of Medicine, Yugoslavia, and contemporary training at one of Europe's prestigious medical schools at Heidelberg University, Germany were analyzed with respect to the organization of training, teaching tools, methods, and staff. Several issues were defined as unimproved over the course of time, and we suggest that they present the core of the current problem. Results. Considerable advances have been made in teaching methodologies, tools and assessment of students. The major remaining obstacles are the institutional value system, poor motivation of teaching staff, curriculum structure, timing, and placement of training in the curriculum, as well as the patients' attitude towards participation in the training. Conclusions. In the process of bettering the existing training models we suggest acting along several lines. Increased institutional awareness of obstacles, as well as willingness to develop the ways and means to increase the motivation of the faculty, is imperative. Furthermore, it is necessary to introduce changes in the structure and timing of training and to complement it with a Catalogue, Practicum and Portfolio of Clinical Skills. We believe that recognizing the impediments and employing the proposed solutions could significantly improve the quality of clinical skills training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issues of concern related to practicum experiences in undergraduate education programs. It states that practicum experiences are an integral component of the curriculum in most of the undergraduate education programs. Preservice teachers have identified several concerns including the implementation of managerial and instructional practices, and assuming the role of instructional leader. It also provides suggestions for improvement of authentic learning opportunities.

Background: The General Medical Council expects UK medical graduates to gain some statistical knowledge during their undergraduate education; but provides no specific guidance as to amount, content or teaching method. Published work on statistics teaching for medical undergraduates has been dominated by medical statisticians, with little input from the doctors who will actually be using this knowledge and these skills after graduation. Furthermore, doctor's statistical training needs may have changed due to advances in information technology and the increasing importance of evidence-based medicine. Thus there exists a need to investigate the views of practising medical doctors as to the statistical training required for undergraduate medical students, based on their own use of these skills in daily practice. Methods: A questionnaire was designed to investigate doctors' views about undergraduate training in statistics and the need for these skills in daily practice, with a view to informing future teaching. The questionnaire was emailed to all clinicians with a link to the University of East Anglia Medical School. Open ended questions were included to elicit doctors' opinions about both their own undergraduate training in statistics and recommendations for the training of current medical students. Content analysis was performed by two of the authors to systematically categorise and describe all the responses provided by participants. Results: 130 doctors responded, including both hospital consultants and general practitioners. The findings indicated that most had not recognised the value of their undergraduate teaching in statistics and probability at the time, but had subsequently found the skills relevant to their career. Suggestions for improving undergraduate teaching in these areas included referring to actual research and ensuring relevance to, and integration with, clinical practice. Conclusions: Grounding the teaching of statistics in the context of real research studies and including examples of typical clinical work may better prepare medical students for their subsequent career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the World Health Organization's Programme in Occupational Health which is devised to enhance more the skills and knowledge of physicians, nurses, health ministers, and work advocates in terms of occupational health services. It also evaluates the efficacy of the program, as well as its content quality. Details related to the program's scope and importance are also provided.

Public health and nursing leaders in Iowa identified a need to increase access to health occupations education and avert a projected shortage of qualified faculty. The Iowa Department of Public Health provided a competitive funding opportunity to create a strategic plan to accomplish these goals through the use of e-learning. Federal funding through the US Department of Health and Human Services supported the development of a plan that focuses on the nursing profession. Recommendations of the plan are being implemented at the state and local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the authors discuss the future of medical education in the U.S. as of September 2015, as well as the impact of interventions on long-term retention and clinical care, and the type of research needed in the sector.

The article proposes a multi-specialty surgical, simulation embedded course designed for residents transitioning from early to intermediate training in Great Britain. Topics discussed include concerns that the current two-year programme does not give the trainees significant experience in surgical procedures leading to reduced confidence, and indications that the proposed multi-specialty surgical course enhances residents' confidence and theoretical knowledge.

The article reports that the elective choices of medical students may not have major impacts in their residencies in Canada. Also cited are the various opinions on the importance of electives in medical residencies, the purpose of electives as cited by Maylynn Ding of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS), and the plan by medical schools to limit the number of students focusing on single specialty.

The article focuses on online medical education program for physicians offered by American Cancer Society Inc. (ACS). It says that ACS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians, who can take free online quizzes at http://CME.AmCancerSoc.org. It mentions that all CME online quizzes and registration are free of charge and registration will allow users to track past and ongoing activities.