CAEP 2016 Academic Symposium: A Writer's Guide to Key Steps in Producing Quality Medical Education Scholarship

Workplace-based Assessment Data in Emergency Medicine: A Scoping Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVE

In the era of competency-based medical education (CBME), the collection of more and more trainee data is being mandated by accrediting bodies such as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. However, few efforts have been made to synthesize the literature around the current issues surrounding workplace-based assessment (WBA) data. This scoping review seeks to synthesize the landscape of literature on the topic of data collection and utilization for trainees' WBAs in emergency medicine (EM).

METHODS

The authors conducted a scoping review in the style of Arksey and O'Malley, seeking to synthesize and map literature on collecting, aggregating, and reporting WBA data. The authors extracted, mapped, and synthesized literature that describes, supports, and substantiates effective data collection and utilization in the context of the CBME movement within EM.

RESULTS

Our literature search retrieved 189 potentially relevant references (after removing duplicates) that were screened to 29 abstracts and papers relevant to collecting, aggregating, and reporting WBAs. Our analysis shows that there is an increasing temporal trend toward contributions in these topics, with the majority of the papers (16/29) being published in the past 3 years alone.

CONCLUSION

There is increasing interest in the areas around data collection and utilization in the age of CBME. The field, however, is only beginning to emerge, leaving more work that can and should be done in this area.

Enhancing Educational Scholarship Through Conceptual Frameworks: A Challenge and Roadmap for Medical Educators

Historically, health sciences education has been guided by tradition and teacher preferences rather than by the application of practices supported by rigorous evidence of effectiveness. Although often underutilized, conceptual frameworks-theories that describe the complexities of educational and social phenomenon-are essential foundations for scholarly work in education. Conceptual frameworks provide a lens through which educators can develop research questions, design research studies and educational interventions, assess outcomes, and evaluate the impact of their work. Given this vital role, conceptual frameworks should be considered at the onset of an educational initiative. Use of different conceptual frameworks to address the same topic in medical education may provide distinctive approaches. Exploration of educational issues by employing differing, theory-based approaches advances the field through the identification of the most effective educational methods. Dissemination of sound educational research based on theory is similarly essential to spark future innovation. Ultimately, this rigorous approach to medical education scholarship is necessary to allow us to establish how our educational interventions impact the health and well-being of our patients.

An environmental scan of academic pediatric emergency medicine at Canadian medical schools: Identifying variability across Canada

OBJECTIVE

To complement our environmental scan of academic emergency medicine departments, we conducted a similar environmental scan of the academic pediatric emergency medicine programs offered by the Canadian medical schools.

METHODS

We developed an 88-question form, which was distributed to pediatric academic leaders at each medical school. The responses were validated via email to ensure that the questions were answered completely and consistently.

RESULTS

Fourteen of the 17 Canadian medical schools have some type of pediatric emergency medicine academic program. None of the pediatric emergency medicine units have full departmental status, while nine are divisions, two are sections, and three have no status. Canadian academic pediatric emergency medicine is practised at 13 major teaching hospitals and one specialized pediatric emergency department. There are 394 pediatric emergency medicine faculty members, including 13 full professors and 64 associate professors. Eight sites regularly take pediatric undergraduate clinical clerks, and all 14 provide resident education. Fellowship training is offered at 10 sites, with five offering advanced pediatric emergency medicine fellowship training. Half of the sites have at least one physician with a Master's degree in education, totalling 18 faculty members across Canada. There are 31 clinical researchers with salary support at nine universities. Eleven sites have published peer-reviewed papers (n=423) in the past five years, ranging from two to 102 per site. Annual academic budgets range from $10,000 to $2,607,515.

CONCLUSIONS

This comprehensive review of academic activities in pediatric emergency medicine across Canada identifies the variability across the country, including the recognition of sites above and below the national average, which may prompt change at individual sites. Sharing these academic practices may inspire sites to provide more support to teachers, educators, and researchers.

A Structured Framework and Resources to Use to Get Your Medical Education Work Published

INTRODUCTION

Medical educators often have great ideas for medical education scholarship but have difficulty converting their educational abstract or project into a published manuscript.

METHODS

During this workshop, participants addressed common challenges in developing an educational manuscript. In small-group case scenarios, participants discovered the importance of the "So what?" in making the case for their project. Incorporating conceptual frameworks, participants chose appropriate outcome metrics, discussed how to frame the discussion section, and ensured appropriate journal fit. After each small-group exercise, large-group discussions allowed the small groups to report back so that facilitators could highlight and reinforce key learning points. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants left with a checklist for creating an educational manuscript and an additional resources document to assist them in avoiding common pitfalls when turning their educational abstract/project into a publishable manuscript.

RESULTS

This workshop was presented in 2016 and 2017. Presenter evaluations were completed by 33 participants; 11 completed conference evaluations. The mean overall rating on presenter evaluations was 4.55 out of 5, while the conference evaluations mean was 3.73 out of 4. Comments provided on both evaluation tools highlighted the perceived effectiveness of the delivery and content. More than 50% of respondents stated that they planned to incorporate the use of conceptual frameworks in future work.

DISCUSSION

This workshop helped participants address common challenges by providing opportunities for hands-on practice as well as tips and resources for use when submitting a medical education manuscript for publication.