Empathy and the Medical Student House Call: The Effect of Clinical Settings on Empathy in Third Year Medical Students

Objective

This study measured the effect the experience of house calls might have on third-year medical students.

Methods

Students were surveyed via an anonymous online survey at the start of their geriatrics clerkship, again at the end of their clerkship, and once more three months later. Empathy was measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy - Student version (JSE) and student attitudes towards the geriatrics population was measured using the UCLA Geriatrics Attitudes Scale (GAS). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27.0.

Results

No changes in empathy were found when comparing students who completed house calls versus those who did not. However, students who trained in office settings were noted to have higher JSE scores at the three-month follow-up survey, students who worked in hospital settings had higher JSE scores at the completion of the clerkship, and student who worked in assisted living facilities had higher GAS scores at the completion of the clerkship.

Conclusions

Teaching students ways to improve empathy can be challenging. The setting in which a student trains may be an area of focus for improving empathy among trainees and should be researched further.

A scoping review of undergraduate ambulatory care education

BACKGROUND

Since a disproportionate amount of medical education still occurs in hospitals, there are concerns that medical school graduates are not fully prepared to deliver efficient and effective care in ambulatory settings to increasingly complex patients.

AIMS

To understand the current extent of scholarship in this area.

METHOD

A scoping review was conducted by searching electronic databases and grey literature sources for articles published between 2001 and 2011 that identified key challenges and models of practice for undergraduate teaching of ambulatory care. Relevant articles were charted and assigned key descriptors, which were mapped onto Canadian recommendations for the future of undergraduate medical education.

RESULTS

Most of the relevant articles originated in the United States, Australia, or the United Kingdom. Recommendations related to faculty development, learning contexts and addressing community needs had numerous areas of scholarly activity while scholarly activity was lacking for recommendations related to inter-professional practice, the use of technology, preventive medicine, and medical leadership.

CONCLUSIONS

Systems should be established to support education and research collaboration between medical schools to develop best practices and build capacity for change. This method of scoping the field can be applied using best practices and recommendations in other countries.

Promoting interprofessional learning with medical students in home care settings

BACKGROUND

The home care setting is ideal for medical students to learn about the importance of interprofessional collaboration in the community.

AIMS

This project examined the impact of a unique program designed to facilitate medical students' knowledge and awareness of the challenges of interprofessional care in the home.

METHODS

In pairs, medical students participated in two community visits with preceptors from different professions. Students completed a structured personal reflection after their first visit. Students and preceptors participated in focus groups or interviews to identify strengths and challenges of the experiences. The structured reflections and the focus group and interview transcripts were analyzed qualitatively.

RESULTS

164 medical students and 36 preceptors participated in 326 visits. There were high ratings of satisfaction from students and preceptors. Students developed unexpected insights into peoples' lives, developed a greater understanding of the patient's perspective and determinants of health, learned about others' scope of practice, and developed an appreciation of the limitations of their own scope of practice. Preceptors had high expectations for student performance and engagement and enjoyed the opportunity to impart their knowledge to future physicians.

CONCLUSION

Although organizationally complex, the program evaluation suggestions that students and preceptors benefit from interprofessional experiences in the home.