Please don't make us write an essay! Reflective writing as a tool for teaching health advocacy to medical students

Socioecological Analysis of a Nursing Advocacy Skills-Building Activity

BACKGROUND

Advocacy is an expectation of the nursing profession. Nursing curricula should include opportunities for advocacy skills building at multiple levels of potential effect. Analyses of student performances during these advocacy exercises provide insight into how well students understand the multifactorial nature of most public health issues.

METHOD

A socioecological model was used to evaluate nursing students' advocacy responses to food-insecurity scenarios during a guided online discussion activity aimed at advocacy skills building.

RESULTS

Student recommendations were categorized as individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy interventions, with subcategories at each socioecological level.

CONCLUSION

Recommendations are given for future educational research specific to advocacy skills building. Implications for nursing education at each socioecological level also are discussed. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(9):509-515.].

Perceptions of the CanMEDS Competencies of Faculty and Students in Different Curriculum Systems of a Medical School in China

INTRODUCTION

The Ottawa-Shanghai Joint School of Medicine (OSJSM) has adopted the uOttawa's undergraduate medical education (UGME) program vertically integrated (VI) curriculum.However, limited information is available regarding whether the VI and non-VI curricula foster different perspectives on necessary competencies.

METHODS

This study included 167 undergraduate medical students and 142 faculty members from different curricula at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Participants completed a questionnaire, rating the importance of competencies relating to the seven CanMEDS roles.

RESULTS

The cognitive level regarding the competencies required to be a successful clinician was significantly higher among participants from VI versus non-VI curricula. All participants gave the highest ratings to the Medical Expert and Professional roles, and rated the Health Advocate role as least important. Competency ratings did not significantly differ between students from VI versus non-VI curricula. Ratings between VI and non-VI faculty showed only one significant difference, namely the competence of"Constantly update clinical knowledge and professional skills" was ranked significantly higher by faculty of non-VI curricula. In the top rated 10 competencies, the Communicator role was considered more important by participants from VI versus non-VI curricula.

CONCLUSION

The cognitive level regarding the competencies was related to the curriculum system. The Communicator role seemed to be paid more attention in VI curricula, however, other competencies was not demonstrated to be related to the curriculum system.