Journal of general internal medicine
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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training has been increasing among internal medicine (IM) residency programs, but few programs can provide longitudinal training due to barriers such as lack of trained faculty. ⋯ IM residency programs with limited faculty expertise in POCUS can leverage external resources to provide longitudinal POCUS training to its residents.
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The Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPE) is a cornerstone of residency applications. Little is known regarding adherence to Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) MSPE recommendations and longitudinal changes in MSPE content. ⋯ A minority of schools complies with AAMC MSPE guidelines, and MSPEs are inconsistent across time and schools. These practices may impair evaluation of students within and between schools.
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The COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted medical student experiences. Little is known about the impact of the pandemic on student well-being and protective factors for burnout. ⋯ While stress was higher compared to pre-pandemic data, burnout was significantly lower. Higher burnout and stress among Black, Asian, and other racial minority students and those who experienced financial strain, racism, or COVID-19 diagnoses likely reflect underlying racial and socioeconomic inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic and concurrent national racial injustice events. Volunteer engagement may be protective against burnout. Schools should proactively support vulnerable students during periods of stress.
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Though awareness of health care structures that are racist and oppressive is increasing among health care professionals, there is a gap in continuing education curricula focused on antiracist anti-oppressive practices, and limited faculty and staff development to guide individuals towards action. ⋯ The Tea House Series may be used as a model for continuing education to provide the tools and the community to confront systems of racism and oppression in any institution.
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Online education due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused many medical schools to increasingly employ asynchronous and virtual learning that favored student independence and flexibility. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted existing shortcomings of the healthcare field in providing for marginalized and underserved communities. This perspective piece details the authors' opinions as medical students and medical educators on how to leverage the aspects of pandemic medical education to train physicians who can better address these needs.