PJplus - a project improving practical training during the final year of medical education

[Controversies in promoting young talent in orthopedics and trauma surgery]

BACKGROUND

The field of orthopedics and trauma surgery is facing a serious shortage of new talent due to the increasing average age of active surgeons and a growing need for staff. The appeal of these specialties is declining among medical students.

SOLUTIONS

This trend could be reversed by introducing practice-oriented curricula, mentoring programs, and early integration into professional societies. The quality of surgical education, especially bedside teaching, needs to be improved, as it is often compromised by a lack of time and insufficient pedagogical training of the educators. The practical year (PY) is crucial to attract students to these specialties, but data indicate that the quality of training in orthopedics and trauma surgery is inferior compared to other fields. Professional societies could enhance junior development through targeted programs. Moreover, the problem of recruitment is compounded by imbalanced gender ratios and working conditions that do not align with modern family models or efficient surgical training. There needs to be a rethinking of work scheduling and task distribution in surgery to make the profession more attractive and to ensure the quality of training.

Exploring the current state of clinical and practical teaching in obstetrics and gynecology in the era of competency-based education: a nationwide survey among German teaching coordinators

BACKGROUND

Obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) is an essential medical field that focuses on women's health. Universities aim to provide high-quality healthcare services to women through comprehensive education of medical students. In Germany, medical education is undergoing a phase of restructuring towards the implementation of competency-based learning. The objective of the current survey was to gain insights into the teaching methods, resources, and challenges at German medical universities in the field OB/GYN. This aims to document the current state of medical education and derive potential suggestions for improvements in the era of competency-based learning. The survey was conducted with teaching coordinators from the majority of OB/GYN departments at German universities.

METHODS

A questionnaire was sent to the teaching coordinators in all 41 OB/GYN departments at German university hospitals. The survey was delivered via email with a link to an online survey platform.

RESULTS

The study received 30 responses from 41 universities. Differences were observed in the work environment of teaching coordinators concerning release from clinical duties for teaching purposes and specialized academic training. Overall, medical education and student motivation were perceived positively, with noticeable gaps, particularly in practical gynecological training. Deficiencies in supervision and feedback mechanisms were also evident. Subfields such as urogynecology and reproductive medicine appear to be underrepresented in the curriculum, correlating with poorer student performance. E-learning was widely utilized and considered advantageous.

CONCLUSION

The present study provides valuable insights into the current state of medical education in OB/GYN at German universities from the perspective of teaching experts. We highlight current deficits, discuss approaches to overcome present obstacles, and provide suggestions for improvement.

Parallel endodontic education via social media: An exploratory survey study

There is insufficient research to evaluate social media's influence on endodontic education. Therefore, this study assessed the percentage of students utilising Facebook in their education and the factors influencing their engagement. A survey was conducted on dental students, interns and dentists undertaking specialist programmes. Categorical data were analysed using Fisher's Exact test and multiple pairwise comparisons. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Responses were received from 801 participants, with 98.4% using Facebook for endodontic knowledge. Although most students knew that scientific evidence is not always provided, they still deemed such information valuable as it was a practical demonstration of clinical cases. Most students turn to Facebook for endodontic education to compensate for the gap between their academic education and clinical practice. The utilisation of social media for education can be a concerning phenomenon and should not be ignored by academic institutes.