Medical teacher
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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems around the world, impacting how we deliver medical education. The normal day-to-day routines have been altered for a number of reasons, including changes to scheduled training rotations, physical distancing requirements, trainee redeployment, and heightened level of concern. ⋯ Along with a continued focus on learner/faculty wellness, medical educators will have to optimize existing training experiences, adapt those that are no longer viable, employ new technologies, and be flexible when assessing competencies. These practical tips offer guidance on how to adapt medical education programs within the constraints of the pandemic landscape, stressing the need for communication, innovation, collaboration, flexibility, and planning within the era of competency-based medical education.
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With increased interest in the use of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, comes questions about their implications for curriculum development and assessment. This paper addresses some of those questions, discussed at a symposium of the 2017 conference of AMEE, by presenting the components of an EPA, describing their importance and application, identifying their implications for assessment, and pinpointing some of challenges they pose in undergraduate and postgraduate settings. It defines entrustment, describes the three levels of trust, and presents trainee and supervisor factors that influence it as well as perceived benefits, and risks. ⋯ In an undergraduate setting EPAs have great appeal, but work is needed to identify and develop a robust assessment system for core EPAs. At the postgraduate level, there is tension between the granularity of the competencies and the integrated nature of the EPAs. Even though work remains, EPAs offer an important step in the evolution of competency-based education.
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Background: Effectively managing clinical uncertainty is increasingly recognized as a goal of medical education. Stress from uncertainty has been associated with depression and burnout in trainees and may also impact patient care. Despite its importance, however, strategies to embrace uncertainty in clinical practice are lacking. ⋯ Tips are divided into tips for oneself; for implementing with students and trainees; and for implementing with patients and in healthcare systems. Conclusions: These tips can enhance healthcare professionals' and students' ability to thrive in the face of uncertainty. Strategies to embrace uncertainty are critical for ourselves, our trainees, our patients, and our healthcare systems.
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This AMEE guide provides a research overview of the identification of, and responding to unprofessional behaviour in medical students. It is directed towards medical educators in preclinical and clinical undergraduate medical education. It aims to describe, clarify and categorize different types of unprofessional behaviours, highlighting students' unprofessional behaviour profiles and what they mean for further guidance. ⋯ How to effectively respond to unprofessional behaviour deserves our attention, owing to the amount of time, effort and resources spent by teachers in managing unprofessional behaviour of medical students. Clinical and medical educators find it hard to address unprofessional behaviour and turn toward refraining from handling it, thus leading to the 'failure to fail' phenomenon. Finding the ways to describe and categorize observed unprofessional behaviour of students encourages teachers to take the appropriate actions.