Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
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Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) can be used to operationalize competency-based medical education. Mobile apps can efficiently capture feedback based on direct observation. To leverage the benefits of both, the authors developed an assessment tool that combines EPAs with mobile technology. ⋯ The authors' EPA mobile app was efficient, generated high-quality feedback, and produced entrustment scores that improved as the residents gained experience. Challenges included uneven adoption. Looking forward, the authors plan to examine the enablers and barriers to adoption from an implementation science perspective.
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The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has hit Singapore hard. As of February 25, 2020, Singapore had the fourth highest number of confirmed COVID-19 infections outside of China, only trailing behind South Korea, Italy, and Japan. This has had reverberating effects on Singapore's health care system, and has, consequently, also affected medical education all the way from the undergraduate to the postgraduate level. ⋯ Medical training is as important a mandate as patient care and service. The authors believe that even in trying times like this, rich and precious lessons can be sought and taught, which will immensely benefit medical students and residents-the health care leaders of tomorrow. In this Perspective, the authors discuss the various ways in which the COVID-19 crisis has affected medical instruction in Singapore and explore pertinent practical and creative solutions for the continuity of medical training in these trying times, drawing on their previous experience with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in 2003 as well as the current ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges to the delivery of undergraduate medical education, particularly for current third-year medical students who are preparing to apply to residency. In mid-March, medical schools suspended all clinical rotations for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. As such, third-year medical students may not be able to complete sufficient clinical experiences to make important career choices before they have to submit their residency applications. ⋯ Third, they suggest that program directors from each specialty agree on a maximum number of applications per applicant (based on historical data) to curb an upsurge in applications that may stem from the unique circumstances created by COVID-19 without causing applicants undue stress. Lastly, the authors advocate that residency programs develop infrastructure to conduct video-based interviews and engage students through virtual networking events. Amidst the unique environment created by COVID-19, the authors urge governing bodies, specialty organizations, and residency programs to consider these recommendations to improve the efficiency and reduce the stress surrounding the 2021 Match.
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Medical Student Mobilization During a Crisis: Lessons From a COVID-19 Medical Student Response Team.
On March 17, 2020, the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended the suspension of all direct patient contact responsibilities for medical students because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given this change, medical students nationwide had to grapple with how and where they could fill the evolving needs of their schools' affiliated clinical sites, physicians, patients, and the community. ⋯ The COVID-19 Medical Student Response Team helped to quickly mobilize hundreds of students and has been integrated into HMS's daily workflow. It may serve as a useful model for other schools and hospitals seeking medical student assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next steps include expanding the initiative further, working with the leaders of response teams at other medical schools to coordinate efforts, and identifying new areas of need at local hospitals and within nearby communities that might benefit from medical student involvement as the pandemic evolves.
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To identify which internal medicine clerkship characteristics may relate to NBME Medicine Subject Examination scores, given the growing trend toward earlier clerkship start dates. ⋯ In this sample, the authors found no association between many clerkship variables and medicine exam performance. Instead, Step 1 performance was the most powerful predictor of medicine exam performance. These findings suggest that medicine exam performance reflects the overall medical knowledge students accrue during their education rather than any specific internal medicine clerkship characteristics.