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Walsh KL, Yadav A, Cradeur M, Huang H, Lee D, Owusu-Dapaah H, Ji C, Kendall MC, Asher S. Impact of a Preclinical Medical Student Anesthesiology Elective on the Attitudes and Perceptions of Medical Students Regarding Anesthesiology. ADVANCES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION AND PRACTICE 2023; 14:1347-1355. [PMID: 38050578 PMCID: PMC10693776 DOI: 10.2147/amep.s427974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Purpose First- and second-year medical students typically have limited exposure to the field of anesthesiology, yet recent match data shows growing interest in the specialty. Early, structured exposure to anesthesiology in the form of a preclinical elective may allow medical students to make more informed decisions on their specialty of choice. Methods The anesthesiology preclinical elective, BIOL 6704: "Anesthesia: Much More than Putting you to Sleep", is a one-credit course taught at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A survey consisting of fifteen questions assessing changes in attitudes, perceptions, and interest in anesthesiology was distributed to first- and second-year medical students before and after course participation. The results were analyzed using the Wilcoxon's signed-rank test for paired samples. Results The biggest impact of the preclinical elective was observed in the students' subjective understanding of key aspects of the practice of anesthesiology. Statistically significant improvement was seen in the understanding of airway management, anesthetic pharmacology, basics of ultrasound, vascular access, anesthesiology subspecialties, and an understanding of anesthesiology residency. Overall, results were limited by our small sample size. Conclusion Our elective allows medical students to explore anesthesiology early in their medical school career. After taking this course, students noted more familiarity with various topics in anesthesiology. Peer institutions lacking a similar course may consider using our experience to increase interest about the specialty of anesthesiology for future students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra L Walsh
- The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
- Pharmacy Services, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Abhishek Yadav
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Michael Cradeur
- The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Henry Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Daniel Lee
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Harry Owusu-Dapaah
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Chao Ji
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Mark C Kendall
- The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Shyamal Asher
- The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
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Helms J, Frankart L, Bradner M, Ebersole J, Regan B, Crouch T. Interprofessional Active Learning for Chronic Pain: Transforming Student Learning From Recall to Application. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL EDUCATION AND CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT 2023; 10:23821205231221950. [PMID: 38152832 PMCID: PMC10752086 DOI: 10.1177/23821205231221950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Chronic pain (CP) affects over 50 million Americans daily and represents a unique challenge for healthcare professionals due to its complexity. Across all health professions, only a small percentage of the curriculum is devoted to treating patients with CP. Unfortunately, much of the content is delivered passively via lecture without giving students an opportunity to practice the communication skills to effectively treat patients in the clinic. An interprofessional team of health educators identified 5 essential messages that students frequently struggle to convey to patients with CP. Those messages were based on interprofessional and profession-specific competencies to treat patients with CP from the International Association for the Study of Pain. The 5 messages highlighted the importance of (1) therapeutic alliance, (2) consistent interdisciplinary language, (3) patient prognosis, (4) evidence for pain medicine, surgery, and imaging, and (5) early referral to the interprofessional team. For each message, the team summarized relevant research supporting the importance of each individual message that could serve as a foundation for didactic content. The team then developed active learning educational activities that educators could use to have students practice the skills tied to each message. Each learning activity was designed to be delivered in an interprofessional manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeb Helms
- Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USA
| | - Laura Frankart
- Department of Pharmacotherapy & Outcomes Science, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA
| | - Melissa Bradner
- Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA
| | | | - Beck Regan
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA
| | - Taylor Crouch
- Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, USA
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