BMC medical education
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BMC medical education · Jan 2014
A novel integration of online and flipped classroom instructional models in public health higher education.
In 2013, a cohort of public health students participated in a 'flipped' Environmental and Occupational Health course. Content for the course was delivered through NextGenU.org and active learning activities were carried out during in-class time. This paper reports on the design, implementation, and evaluation of this novel approach. ⋯ Our results show that integration of the flipped classroom model with online NextGenU courses can be an effective innovation in public health higher education: students achieved similar examination scores, but NextGenU/Flipped classroom students rated their course experience more highly and reported positive learning experiences and an increase in self-perceived knowledge. These results are promising and suggest that this approach warrants further consideration and research.
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BMC medical education · Jan 2014
Who would students ask for help in academic cheating? Cross-sectional study of medical students in Croatia.
Academic cheating does not happen as an isolated action of an individual but is most often a collaborative practice. As there are few studies that looked at who are collaborators in cheating, we investigated medical students' readiness to engage others in academic dishonest behaviours. ⋯ Our study indicates that medical students are willing to engage more than one person in either close or distant relationships in academic cheating. In order to develop effective preventive measures to deter cheating at medical academic institutions, factors surrounding students' preference towards academic cheating rather than routine favours should be further investigated.
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BMC medical education · Jan 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialAn assessment of student satisfaction with peer teaching of clinical communication skills.
Peer teaching is now used in medical education with its value increasingly being recognised. It is not yet established whether students differ in their satisfaction with teaching by peer-teachers compared to those taught by academic or clinical staff. This study aimed to establish satisfaction with communication skills teaching between these three teaching groups. ⋯ Satisfaction is as high when tutored by peer-teachers compared to clinicians or non-clinical staff. Constructive feedback is welcomed from a range of personnel. Final-year students could play an increasing role in the teaching of pre-clinical medical students.
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BMC medical education · Jan 2014
Comparative StudyMedical professionalism in the formal curriculum: 5th year medical students' experiences.
The standards and outcomes outlined in the General Medical Council's publication 'Tomorrow's Doctors' include proposals that medical professionalism be included in undergraduate curricula. Learning the values and attitudes necessary to become a 'doctor as a professional' has traditionally been left largely to the informal and hidden curricula. There remains no consensus or confirmed evidence upon which to base best practice for teaching in this area. In 2010, as part of a revision of the fifth year curriculum the University of Bristol Medical School introduced tutorials which focused on students' achievement of the learning objectives in 'Tomorrow's Doctors Outcomes 3: the doctor as a professional'. This study sought to explore the students' experiences of these tutorials in order to develop the evidence base further. ⋯ A curriculum innovation which placed the achievement of medical professionalism in the formal curriculum was not unanimously embraced by students or faculty. Further consideration of the students' aversion to 'ticking-boxes' is warranted. With continued demand for increased accountability and transparency in medical education, detailed check-lists of specific learning objectives will continue to feature as a means by which medical schools and learners demonstrate attainment. Students' experiences and acceptance of these check-lists deserves attention in order to inform teaching and learning in this area. Learner and faculty 'buy in' are imperative to the success of curriculum change and vital if the students are to attain the intended learning objectives. Effective faculty development and student induction programmes could be employed to facilitate engagement by both parties.
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BMC medical education · Jan 2014
Observational StudyHeart rate, anxiety and performance of residents during a simulated critical clinical encounter: a pilot study.
High-fidelity patient simulation has been praised for its ability to recreate lifelike training conditions. The degree to which high fidelity simulation elicits acute emotional and physiologic stress among participants - and the influence of acute stress on clinical performance in the simulation setting - remain areas of active exploration. We examined the relationship between residents' self-reported anxiety and a proxy of physiologic stress (heart rate) as well as their clinical performance in a simulation exam using a validated assessment of non-technical skills, the Ottawa Crisis Resource Management Global Rating Scale (Ottawa GRS). ⋯ Simulation is associated with physiologic stress, and heart rate elevation alone correlates poorly with both perceived stress and performance. Non-technical performance in the simulation setting may be more closely tied to one's level of clinical experience than to perceived or actual stress.