Teaching and learning in medicine
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Guidelines for the design of multiple-choice item (MCQ) tests of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and clinical decision making (CDM) have not been published. ⋯ Our strategy for developing an EBM/CDM MCQ database was successful and tests derived from it can be flexibly sampled to assess different EBM/CDM knowledge domains and three levels of EBM/CDM learners. Assuming the availability of similar resources to support its application, this strategy should be replicable at other settings.
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Completion of electives abroad is not a new phenomenon for physicians in training. Benefits to the physician and the host country's population have been sufficiently described in the literature; however, many academic residency programs lack an international health curriculum that incorporates both the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's core and specialty-specific competencies. ⋯ The resulting article describes the curriculum development process and provides a curriculum template for medical specialties to utilize when sending residents abroad.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Does the authenticity of preclinical teaching format affect subsequent clinical clerkship outcomes? A prospective randomized crossover trial.
Educational theories predict conflicting results for the effect of increasing the authenticity of the teaching format of complex information on educational outcomes. We sought to determine the effect of increasingly authentic small-group, preclerkship teaching format on clerkship outcomes to further enlighten this debate. ⋯ Second-year teaching format did not directly influence subsequent clerkship performance. Our study adds to the literature by demonstrating that the authenticity of preclinical teaching format does not appear to matter for clerkship performance; however, the number of actual patients seen does appear to influence related clerkship outcomes.
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Comparative Study
The impact of two clinical shift allocation models on student experiences in an emergency medicine clerkship.
Medical students on Emergency Medicine (EM) clerkships are traditionally assigned work shifts in a manner that provides a mix of daytime, evening, overnight, and weekend shifts. Whether or not this shift allocation model provides the optimal educational experience remains unclear. ⋯ Changes in shift allocation affects student experience in an EM clerkship. A shift allocation model that maximizes the continuity between teacher and learner is perceived by students to improve feedback and the teacher-learner relationship.
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The electronic health record (EHR) is an important advancement in health care. It facilitates improvement of health care delivery and coordination of care, but it creates special challenges for student education. This article represents a collaborative effort of the Alliance for Clinical Education (ACE), a multidisciplinary group formed in 1992. ACE recognizes the importance of medical student participation in patient care including the ability of documentation. This article proposes guidelines that can be used by educators to establish expectations on medical student documentation in EHRs. ⋯ ACE recommends that medical schools develop a clear set of competencies related to student in the EHR which medical students must achieve prior to graduation in order to ensure they are ready for clinical practice.