Search

Quality clinical placements for pre-registration nursing students are particularly important at a time when there is a recruitment crisis within nursing. A study was conducted to identify what impact clinical placements have on pre-registration adult nursing students' choice of clinical specialty as a newly qualified nurse (NQN). Data were collected from students on their final day of a BSc (Hons) programme at two campus sites at a university in the east of England. Participants judged the desirability of a clinical placement on the basis of the quality of the learning, working and clinical environment and the nature of the specialty. The influence of clinical placements on the choice of first destination of NQNs more than doubles within the final year of study. Clinical placements generate vivid experiences, which exert a strong influence on the first employment destination decisions of NQNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

This paper describes a unique organizational approach involving education specialists and faculty members in the continuous development of a Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. The described curriculum includes extensive use of technology with blended learning and use of interactive videoconferencing to three campuses. This curriculum is competency-based, integrated with teaching by faculty members from multiple disciplines and includes spiraling to promote deep learning. Student-centered personal and professional development facilitates achievement of soft-skills. The education specialists involved in curriculum development include instructional designers, experienced educators who provide daily course management and assist in the classroom, and an assessment specialist. The premise of this model is that the education specialist team provides expertise that will promote curricular efficacy and excellence, and by assuming instructional tasks that do not require content expertise they allow faculty members to more efficiently accomplish teaching responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The assessment of surgical trainees has become well‐established in practice; however, this is not yet the case for surgical trainers. The aim of this study was to develop a trainer assessment questionnaire (OxTrAQ) based on the 12 key trainer attributes identified by a previous systematic review, to then explore this questionnaire's potential domains and test its reliability. Methods: The OxTrAQ was piloted at two surgical training centres in two surgical sub‐specialities. At each centre, every trainee assessed every trainer while under their clinical supervision. Results: Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was calculated for this 12‐item questionnaire as 0.958. Factor analysis revealed two domains which accounted for 77.997% of the variance; these were the general domain (nine items) and the independence domain (three items). Inter‐observer reliability was shown by the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) (average measures) for the overall OxTrAQ score, general domain score and independence domain score which were 0.951, 0.945 and 0.955 for centre 1 and 0.857, 0.819 and 0.883 for centre 2, respectively. Intra‐observer reliability was shown by the ICCs (average measures) for the overall OxTrAQ score, general domain score and independence domain score which were 0.925, 0.913 and 0.940, respectively. Construct validity was demonstrated by a high correlation (Spearman rho = 0.886, P = 0.019) between trainer scores and the scores predicted by the trainers themselves. Conclusions: The OxTrAQ is a simple trainer assessment questionnaire which has demonstrated both high inter‐ and intra‐observer reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was aimed at showing the major practicum problems facing the students of the colleges of Education and Women -Seiyun at Hadhramout University. The study sample consisted of (108) male and female students who have taught at schools as student-teachers during the academic year 2013/2014. In order to achieve the goal of the study, the researcher set a research instrument which was made of statements expressing practicum problems. The study has come up with that the major problems facing the student-teachers in their viewpoints are regulatory and supervisory. The studentteachers feel that the discussion session of the student-teachers with their supervisors is set in a hurry, and they are embarrassed when they are asked to teach courses which are not related to their specialisation. The headmaster does not offer ideas about school regulations. The student-teachers also think that the subject-teacher does not pay attention to the student-teachers' lesson plan, and they suffer from the scarcity of tips offered by the subject-teacher. The problems in terms of academy and profession are having difficulty in preparing the appropriate teaching aids for the lesson and weakness of sufficient knowledge of the philosophy of the Yemeni education. The student-teachers also think that some of the schoolbook topics are not taught at university, and they believe that they have difficulty in using the modern teaching methods while explaining their lessons. Moreover, the student-teachers feel difficulty in practicum because of a lot of cognitive aspects. The study has shown that there were no statistical mean differences in the degree of arising the problems with the student-teachers attributed to the college, sex or estimation. The study has also shown that there were statistical mean differences attributed to the study stage, the secondary school is taking advantage. [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]

The article explores the role of specialty trainees as clinical teachers of medical students in the area of psychiatry in Australia. It discusses several approaches that will help trainees to enhance their skills and capacity, providing examples from the local and international literature as well as from experiences as psychiatry medical educator. It highlights the need for further development of research and scholarship in medical education.

This paper presents observation made during a brief observation of the PBL programme at School of Medical Sciences (SMS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). It provides a classification for the type of PBL offered at USM highlights the main aspects of the tutorial process there and reviews the experience of students and tutors engaged in PBL at this SMS. The paper proposes a series of recommendations with regards to the planned 2014 curricular reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the concepts of vertical and horizontal integration as a way in dealing with integrated curriculum. The present trend of integrated way in medical education is a radical shift from traditional curriculum that has been adopted for several years. The two most ordinarily found curriculum paradigms are founded on either disciplinary or unified organizational structures.

Context: Community-based medical education (CBME) has become widely accepted as an important innovation in undergraduate medical education. In curriculum featuring CBME, students are acquainted with the community early in their studies however; the impact of this training can be judged best to see them practice the required aspects of CBME. Malaysia is a multiracial country with a very strong community dependant life style. Main national health problems have called for a change in health profession education from traditional hospital based health care to community-based delivery system. Three major university's medical schools that either practice community oriented or community based medical education in undergraduate medical curriculum are evaluated. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has a community based medical education (CBME) curriculum as Community and Family Case Study (CFCS) compared to a community oriented education curriculum (COE) adopted by Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). However, UM at the time of undertaking this study back in 2005 was though practicing COE has also later opted CBME as CFCS. Objective: To determine whether medical graduates from USM with a community-based medical education in its curriculum for more than 25 years are inspired to have stronger commitment towards community health as shown in their on-job practice of medicine compared to other graduates from UM and UKM, who have adopted community-oriented medical education program. Method: A questionnaire-based pilot study with 12 items (variables) was designed to obtain supervisor's opinion on commitment of interns towards the health of community they serve. The questionnaire was administered to a randomized group of 85 specialists supervising the internship training program in five major disciplines including internal medicine, surgery, orthopaedic, gynaecology and obstetrics and paediatric medicine. The data received from 62 respondents from five major disciplines was analyzed utilizing SPSS version 12.0.1. Result: The responses received from 62 supervisors on an inventory in which 9 out of 12 variables were directly related to community commitments of interns. It was shown that the USM graduates who were taught through a CBME curriculum have performed better than the graduates from UM and UKM who followed a COE curriculum. P-value (< 0.001) was highly significant and consistent with higher mean score in those variables. Conclusion: The graduates taught through a CBME curriculum performed better in community commitments towards patients care compared to graduates from COE curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anatomy is an important knowledge for medical practice. Insufficient anatomy knowledge leading to errors in identification of anatomical structures during medical practices has been reported in many countries. Many medical students seem to have difficulties in learning anatomy and retaining the knowledge for future practice, thus this might reflect the possible flaws in anatomy education. In order to achieve optimum anatomy education environment and to close the gaps in education, measuring the students' perception on anatomy teaching and learning is a pre-emptive measure needed by educationists. At present, there is no valid and reliable inventory available to specifically evaluate the anatomy education environment. Therefore, this article highlights the importance of having such inventory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Medical and allied health educators around the globe agreed that an optimal educational climate is a vital aspect for effective learning to take place. Without a doubt, appraisal of the educational climate has been emphasized as a key to the delivery of high quality medical education. In addition, the appraisal provides useful feedback to particular institution to improve their curriculum. Objective: This study was employed as part of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) Universiti Sains Malaysia curriculum review process. It aimed to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the current medical curriculum thus could provide useful information to guide the curriculum review committee during the review process. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted on a total of 656 medical students from the first, third and fifth year of study. Purposive sampling method was applied. DREEM was administered to the medical students to evaluate the educational climate in the studied medical school. Result: A total of 511 (77.9%) medical students completely responded to the 50 statements of DREEM. The mean global score across phases of medical training was 128.36/200. The global scores for year 1, year 3 and year 5 were 138.94/200, 122.27/200 and 125.49/200 respectively. Results showed that; 1) the medical school had reasonably level of educational climates across phases of medical training; 2) the medical teachers were knowledgeable and well prepared for the teaching; 3) the students were overloaded with factual knowledge; 4) the medical teachers were quite harsh to students during teaching session especially in clinical phase; 5) students experienced a significant amount of stress that led to poor memory; 6) the learning process was inclined toward teacher-centered rather than student-centered learning; 7) students had a considerable healthy social relationships with peers as well as others; and 8) academic dishonesty became more apparent in the clinical phase. Conclusion: The medical school's educational environment across different phases of study was more positive than negative. However, there are plenty of rooms for improvement as perceived by the medical students. The medical school should address various important issues highlighted in this article during the curriculum review process. [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]

Nursing students are subject to different situations that cause stress (academic, clinical and external situations). When nursing students perform clinical practices they are faced with multiple stressors (disease, pain…). The aim of this study was to assess perceived stress in nursing students before and after their clinical practice period (2009/2010). Of the 398 registered students, 264 of them answered, both at the beginning and at the end of the clinical placement, the STAI questionnaire (measures anxiety) and the KEZKAK test (identifies stress factors). Before the clinical training period, 28 of the 41 items of the KEZKAK test yielded an average score greater than 1.5 (stress generating situations). At the end of the clinical training, 17 items presented this score. Furthermore, the KEZKAK average score and the anxiety state score were both significantly reduced. The most stressful situations were: "mistaking medication", "doing my job badly, endangering the patient", "making mistakes" and "pricking myself with an infected needle". It appears that the senior students, who have more knowledge and clinical skills, perceived the clinical practice as less stressful. It is advisable to follow the evolution of these students in the third and final year of the Diploma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field education might be described as a ‘sacred cow’ of the social work profession: it remains enshrined in accreditation guidelines internationally; it is a key curriculum component in social work programmes; it is traditionally accommodated in the workload of practitioners and organisational activity; and students identify the learning experience as central to their transition to practice. However, it is frequently peripheral and seldom regarded as a core component of practitioner or organisational workload. In addition, many assumptions and myths surround field education. It is asserted here that these contradictions warrant further debate by educators, students, professional bodies and the field as the twenty-first century unfolds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study attempted to explore and clarify the ambiguity surrounding cultural concepts, broaden and deepen the current understanding of cultural competency, and operationalize its core components in multicultural education in the United States. The research findings presented in this study were organized into three overarching themes: Level I: knowledge development; Level II: integrative processes; and Level III: practice evaluation. The findings contributed to the formulation of levels in multicultural learning and to the specification of core cultural components in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Tertiary reviews (review of reviews) in medical education tend to focus on doctors, continuing education and professional practice. This paper provides a tertiary review of all areas of medical education at all levels. An in-depth focus on prescribing is included.Methods and results: A systematic search using the keywords ‘medical education’ AND (‘systematic review’ OR ‘meta-analysis’) yielded 187 reviews. Reviews were coded by intervention, curriculum/theme, participants and outcomes, creating a systematic map. The most popular interventions and curriculum were simulation (9%) and prescribing (7%), respectively. Most reviews included multiple participant types (68%) and sought patient/health outcomes (64%). Twelve prescribing reviews included in the in-depth review found active educational strategies more effective than passive strategies.Discussion: The systematic map highlights topics and interventions, but further research should explore the cost-effectiveness of the reviews themselves. Prescribing reviews tend to focus on doctors; more research into the acquisition of prescribing skills by students/junior doctors is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the activity of the Antibiolor network, created in 2003, to promote antibiotic stewardship in Lorraine, and comply with the French Ministry guidelines issued in May 2002. Methods: The authors described the objectives and structure of the network, actions implemented with physicians, pharmacists, community or hospital biologists, and evaluation. Results: The network is made up of five committees supervised by a pilot committee. Over the previous 7 years, various actions were undertaken such as the drafting of guidelines for the hospitals and general practitioners, the creation of a hotline for advice on antibiotic treatment, the creation of a website, and giving information on infectious diseases via a quarterly letter sent to healthcare professionals. The network participated in continuous medical education for practitioners and organized the evaluation of professional practice in Lorraine hospitals. It also helped set up a network of community private laboratories for the study of resistance in the most frequently isolated bacteria, and implemented the monitoring of antibiotic consumption in hospitals. Conclusion: After 7 years, the Lorraine antibiology network has proved its beneficial role in terms of communication and scientific information for antibiotic stewardship. The Antibiolor network would like to follow other indicators in the future, such as the evolution of community antibiotic consumption in partnership with the public healthcare insurance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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]

Shiftwork has been recognized as a major psychosocial distress with clinical implications. In Complejo Sanitario San Luis (San Luis Medical Center), medical residents (MR) work 90 hours a week. They suffer from sleep deprivations, acute and chronic fatigue, and they face multiple risks to their health and to patients' safety. Chronopsychology applied to the study of shiftwork proposes a criterion for a better arrangement of shifts, ensuring the protection of workers' health and the quality of medical services, and offers alternative treatments for cases of lack of adaptation. Workers were trained in sleep hygiene and lifestyle compatible with night work and extended work shifts in order to be aware of how their bodies and cognitive and emotional faculties which depend on wellness and physiological harmony responded. Since this is an issue related to risks to health in a public service which affects both parts involved (patients and professionals), it should be open to wide and public debate, including preventive measures aimed at regulating the limit of working hours per shift and week. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives. This paper aims to discuss the implementation of a ‘community of practice’ model of clinical teaching into four residential aged care facilities. Background. There is increasing international evidence that aged care is a burgeoning health issue, particularly in developed countries. Recruitment and retention of nurses is problematic in residential aged care. Nursing students maintain negative perceptions of aged care and dislike clinical placements in that area. Additionally, supporting students in residential aged care is difficult considering the staffing mix of skilled/unskilled staff. Innovative educational strategies are needed to manage the increasing shortages of clinical placements for nursing students in all clinical areas. Study design. Staff experiences were elicited through four focus groups onsite at the residential aged care facility where students had been placed, one year after implementation of a ‘communities of practice’ clinical model. Data analysis used a qualitative, thematic approach. Results. The staff in the residential aged care facilities expressed that work was involved in supporting students in the workplace, but that the additional workload was a valuable investment. Conclusions. Staff in residential aged care see working with students as a local investment, where students’ fresh eyes, recent knowledge and questioning behaviours are a worthy investment of staff time and effort. Staff also valued the investment in the future, where working with students now creates future nurses sensitive to aged care issues. Relevance to clinical practice. In a ‘communities of practice’ model of clinical experience for students, there are benefits for staff as well as students. The implementation of this clinical model in residential aged care was relatively low in cost, a benefit in this sector and has the potential to address the critical issues of recruitment and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and objective. The aim of this study was to describe oral shift reporting and to discuss whether it stimulates learning for nursing students in clinical rotations in nursing homes. The goal was to investigate aspects that are important for oral shift report to be instructive for nursing students. Background. Nursing students’ clinical learning experiences are important components of their professional development. Oral shift reporting serves several purposes and provides an opportunity for professional communication that supports both educational and social functions for nursing students during clinical practice. Design. A qualitative study. Methods. The study features both field work with field notes and qualitative research interviews was conducted in 2006. Twelve third-year nursing students and their supervising nurses ( n = 11) participated in the study. Results. The nursing students described a range of experiences with oral shift reports. Some perceived little educational benefit from the oral shift reports, while others felt that both the form and the content of the oral shift reports were useful. The students’ experiences corroborated the statements provided by the supervising nurses in the nursing homes. Conclusions. We conclude that oral shift reporting may be an important learning opportunity. This is especially true when nursing students engage in professional discussions with their colleagues and superiors. Our findings suggest solutions to improve the learning value of the oral shift reporting process for nursing students. Relevance to clinical practice. Oral shift reporting can stimulate learning if it includes consultation and discussion between nursing students and the nursing staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard in nursing education today is to prepare nurses for future practice through generic programs with a culminating practicum experience. The clinical faculty in this program was interested in evaluating differences in student thinking strategies that occurred as a result of an increase from 60 to 120 clinical hours, coupled with reflec­tive journaling. The Self-Regulated Learning model was used as a conceptual support for the journaling prompts, as well as a structure for narrative analysis. The 120-hour practicum group revealed a greater use of metacognitive self-evaluation strategies versus greater use of behavioral self-monitoring strategies by the 60-hour practicum group. This finding suggests that although self-observation and self-monitoring are important and desired thinking habits to develop in nursing students, an increase to 120 hours is beneficial. It promotes a greater use of self-evaluation of thinking and greater levels of self-efficacy in making deci­sions to solve clinical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a pilot study that was undertaken to test the Snapshot tool-an innovative tool for making judgements about clinical practice performance. An evaluative research design was used. The Snapshot tool was designed and was piloted on two groups of students (n=180; n=152) in a university-based simulation setting. Data were collected through questionnaires containing a mixture of Likert-style and open-ended questions. First-year students found the Snapshot process and criteria to be realistic and relevant/applicable to practice, useful for receiving feedback and for structuring feedback to others, and the Snapshot was largely perceived as more preferable for university-based assessment than Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). Third-year students evaluated the Snapshoot tool in terms of both the Snapshot process (40% of statements made) and the Snapshot criteria used (60% of statements), finding the criteria realistic, appropriate, clear and comprehensive, and the process helpful to their learning, helping them to identify their strengths and weaknesses and helping them to identify specific skills that they need to improve. This article makes a contribution to the clinical assessment agenda for two reasons. Firstly, with the introduction of the use of simulation as part of legitimate clinical practice experience it offers a tool for assessment of students in simulation activities. Secondly, it explores the potential for this tool to be used as a part of the assessment of students during their clinical placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Title. Spiritual health, clinical practice stress, depressive tendency and health-promoting behaviours among nursing students. Aim. This paper is a report of an exploration of the association of spiritual health with clinical practice stress, depressive tendency and health-promoting behaviours among nursing students. Background. Several studies in western countries have demonstrated an association between spirituality and health. Spirituality-related research in eastern countries, however, is still in its infancy. Methods. A cross-sectional design was adopted and structured questionnaires were used for data collection. We adopted the Probability Proportional to Size cluster sampling method to recruit nursing students in senior grades. Data were collected in 2005 using the Spiritual Health Scale, Perceived Clinical Practice Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II and Health Promotion Behaviours Scale. Results. A total of 1276 nursing students with an average age of 20·1 years (sd = 1·6 years) participated in the study. Spiritual health was negatively associated with clinical practice stress ( r = −0·211, P < 0·001) and depressive tendency ( r = −0·324, P < 0·001) and positively associated with health-promoting behaviours ( r = 0·611, P < 0·001). Using hierarchical regression analysis to control for demographic factors, spiritual health was found to be an important predictive factor for clinical practice stress, depressive tendency and health-promoting behaviours. Conclusion. These results are consistent with research findings from western countries. Educators should develop strategies to address nursing students’ spiritual health. This may help nursing students to manage their stress, to reduce depressive symptoms and to enhance health-promoting behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of integrating evidence-based practice (EBP) into clinical practicum on EBP efficacy and barriers to research utilization among Korean RN-to-BSN students. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. Eighty-one students were recruited from a school of nursing in Korea. Evidence-based practice clinical practicum was composed of two consecutive programs during one semester. Lectures, individual mentoring on EBP practicum, small group, and wrap-up conferences were provided. Outcomes of EBP efficacy and barriers to research utilization were analyzed using paired t tests for 74 final participants. Evidence-based practice efficacy scores increased significantly (p < 0.05), and the barriers to research utilization scores decreased significantly after the EBP clinical practicum. The results highlight the effectiveness of EBP education among RN-to-BSN students. These results may help health educators develop effective educational strategies to integrate EBP concepts into a clinical practicum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of non-traditional clinical placements within a pre-registration nurse training course led to some concerns regarding the relevance and appropriateness of such experience within a nursing programme. These concerns gave rise to a literature review to explore student nurses' attitudes to clinical placements within non-traditional areas. Non-traditional placement areas enable contact with vulnerable populations, including older adults, people experiencing mental illness and those with intellectual or physical disabilities. Positive practice placement experience is associated with the successful development of clinical skills, strongly influences future career choice and is suggested to have a significant impact on the attitudes the student has towards the client group and specialism. There may need to be a shift in emphasis within nurse education, away from the traditional medical model, towards a more holistic understanding of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Web-based instruction offers an advantageous approach to medical education, few studies have addressed the use of Web-based education to teach clinical content at the postgraduate level. Even fewer studies have addressed clinical outcomes after the Web-based instruction, yet postgraduate training requirements now focus on outcomes of training. A randomized trial was conducted to compare knowledge of postgraduate year (PGY) 1 residents after Web-based with that after paper-based instruction and to compare residents' clinical application of their instruction using unannounced standardized patients (SPs) and unannounced activated standardized patients (ASPs). PGY 1 residents were assigned to a month-long ambulatory rotation during which they were randomized as a block to Web- or paper-based instruction covering the same four geriatric syndromes (dementia, depression, falls, and urinary incontinence). Outcome measures were mean change scores for before and after testing and scores from SP and ASP clinical encounter forms (checklist, chart abstraction, and electronic order entry). Residents who completed the Web-based instruction showed significantly greater improvement on the knowledge tests than those who received paper-based instruction. There were no significant differences in the scores from the SP and ASP clinical encounters except that the chart abstraction score was better for Web-based group than the paper-based group for dementia. Web-based instruction is an educational tool that medical residents readily accept and can be used to improve knowledge of core geriatrics content as measured using immediate posttesting. More-intensive educational interventions are needed to improve clinical performance by trainees in the care of older patients. [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.

The study unit Spirituality for Health Carers was part of the BSc(Hons) nursing/midwifery programme which aimed at providing an innovative clinical placement for students. This placement promoted the delivery of spiritual care to clients in Lourdes. This paper discusses the experiential learning of students based on Gibbs (1988) Framework of Reflection. The scarce research demonstrates that caring for clients in Lourdes enabled students to develop meaningful relationships due to increased carer to clients' ratio, more time available and the presence of role models who were dedicated and compassionate with clients. Qualitative data were collected by a reflective diary, a written reflective assignment and a focus group discussion. The four themes which emerged from the data are team building, holistic care, trustful nurse-client relationship and strengthening personal spirituality. Recommendations were proposed to enhance the delivery of spiritual care and holistic care by further exposure of students to care for the pilgrims in Lourdes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Training in the form of MD-PhD programs is an important part of the academic mission of medical schools, yet the costs incurred in providing these programs may be considerable. This research explores the financial impacts on a university of supporting an MD-PhD program. Summary: We estimate the net financial impact of an MD-PhD program under a variety of assumptions about the financial gain that the school obtains through MD-PhD students' contributions to externally funded research. Under certain assumptions, the net financial impact of the MD-PhD program is positive, and under the most unfavorable assumptions the cost per student year is less than $30, 000. Conclusions: The apparent costs of an MD-PhD program are ameliorated or even turned into gains when one considers the resources generated by MD-PhD students. Thus, such programs can serve as a means of increasing external awards and improving the overall quality in graduate schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 author discusses that how can a medical education learn from social networking website Facebook, and Internet streaming media, Netflix. Topics discussed include survey data from Medical institutions to understand trainee perspectives and behaviors, suggestions of PubMed articles related to their didactic content, and improvements in the curriculum to increase student engagement.

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 discusses the role of mentoring in nurse education in Great Britain. Topics include the professional standards of the organisation Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the assessment of nursing students during placements, and the need to provide support for nursing students in relation to mentor job skills.