{"title":"Motivating Factors of and Perceived Barriers to Research at a Canadian Medical University with Regional Campuses: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study","authors":"J. Leigh, Maroof Khalid, J. Tsang","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3934","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3934","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction \u0000Research training programs are an integral part of a well-rounded medical education. These programs help students contribute to medical knowledge, develop skills in critical evaluation and research dissemination, and they facilitate the training of our future medical researchers. Existing literature suggests barriers including lack of available time and access to projects may hinder a medical student’s research training. These barriers likely differ based on the medical school curriculum, and there exists limited data looking at these attitudes in Canadian students, students outside large academic centers or those in condensed programs. Given this, our study aims to further explore medical students' perceptions, perceived barriers of research in a three-year Canadian undergraduate medical school with regional campuses. \u0000 \u0000Methods \u0000We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students (classes of 2019, 2020 and 2021) representing the main and regional campuses of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine in Ontario, Canada to explore their attitudes towards research. Descriptive statistics were used to describe participant demographics, research background and attitudes towards research. \u0000 \u0000Results \u0000Overall, 70.4% of students identified as being involved in a research project at some point during their medical school tenure. Motivating factors for research participation included the goal of obtaining a residency spot (63.0%), and interest in their research topic (74.7%). Barriers to research included perceived lack of available time (31.5%), and difficulty in finding a research project (44.5%). Perceived curriculum deficiencies included lack of education in research methodology and appraisal of scientific literature (93.2% and 89.0%, respectively). Lastly, regional campuses tended conduct their research outside of their home campus (43.6% vs 3.3%, p<0.0001). \u0000 \u0000Conclusion \u0000The findings from our study highlighted the students’ attitudes towards research in a Canadian medical school that has multiple campuses and a shortened medical curriculum (3-year). It identifies potential areas of improvement from a student perspective, which can hopefully be utilized by medical educators to continue the improvement of medical trainee research training.","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81787836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"COVID-19 Impact on Regional Medical Campus Education: Student Perspectives","authors":"Obed Barkus, Dorothy Hughes","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3903","url":null,"abstract":"Due to social distancing precautions and the desire to protect clinical learners, the COVID-19 pandemic forced medical schools everywhere to implement more distanced and virtualized learning in their educational curriculums. More specifically, at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Salina, a regional medical campus, the impact of some of these changes were also seen and felt. The purpose of this study was to investigate the downstream effects of these curriculum changes from the perspectives and opinions of medical students attending a regional medical campus. To explore the study purpose, a mixed-methods, cross-sectional study that used an online survey with closed and open-ended questions was used. Additionally, because of unique curriculum characteristics depending on the year of the student, 1st and 2nd year students (phase I) were asked slightly different questions than students in their 3rd and 4th years (phase II). Closed-ended questions asked students about lecture experience, clinical learning development and time, study time, exam performance, collaborative learning experiences, and socialization/interactions with colleagues. Students answered in range of -3 to +3, negative numbers meaning a detrimental impact (or decrease in study time), and positive numbers being beneficial impact (or increase in study time). Open-ended questions asked students about improvements that could be made, unique class circumstances during the pandemic and any other relevant impact not covered in closed-ended questions. For phase I students, lecture experience, study time and exam performance resulted in no impact. However, collaborative learning and socialization with colleagues did result in a detrimental impact that was significant. For phase II learners, clinical skills development, time spent in clinical skills development and socialization with colleagues were detrimentally impacted. However, the amount of time spent on studying increased and exam performance benefited. These findings suggest that pandemic-related curriculum changes impact learners differently depending on the phase of medical they are in. \u0000 There are no conflicts of interest by either of the authors. This study has been approved by the University of Kansas Medical Center Institutional Review Board.","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86629180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bennett J. Maki, Karen C. Riley, Raymond Christensen, Kirby Clark, Paula M. Termuhlen
{"title":"Do Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships Impact Choice of Residency Type and/or Permanent Community Practice in Surgery?","authors":"Bennett J. Maki, Karen C. Riley, Raymond Christensen, Kirby Clark, Paula M. Termuhlen","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3621","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3621","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: Rural general surgery experiences during medical school appear to have influenced the decision of prospective general surgery applicants to pursue residency programs that provide rural surgery opportunities. This is an analysis of a single cohort, rural-focused, longitudinal integrated clerkship to determine if there is an association between type of residency program and completion of a rural-focused longitudinal integrated clerkship. \u0000Methods: An institutional database of de-identified, self-reported data was reviewed to identify rural-focused longitudinal integrated clerkship alumni who matched into a surgical residency program. \u0000 Findings: Of the seventy-five alumni who chose a surgical residency program, 40 (53.3%) matched into a university-affiliated residency program, and 32 (42.6%) matched into an independent-academic program. There was no association between type of residency program and completion of a rural-focused longitudinal integrated clerkship. \u0000Conclusions: A rural-focused longitudinal integrated clerkship can help increase the rural physician workforce within both the state and region of the sponsoring institution. To facilitate heightened interest in rural general surgery, these types of programs should continue to be promoted.","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"79 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81349469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Vulnerable Patient Outreach Program (VPOP)","authors":"Thomas Kellner, B. Hereford, M. Stephens","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3627","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3627","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted many traditional patient care delivery models. To help meet patient needs, the Penn State Health Department of Family and Community Medicine started a medical student-run Vulnerable Patient Outreach Program (VPOP). This program pairs medical students with providers to address healthcare needs for the most vulnerable patients. At the program outset, a total of 125 patients were identified and 64 agreed to participate. All patients were over the age of 65 and had multiple medical comorbidities. This study reviews the impact of VPOP on the care of 34 participants. Each participant completed pre-structured satisfaction surveys over the phone. The results indicate a high degree (94%) of patient satisfaction. Patients were particularly comfortable communicating their health needs to medical students and specifically highlighted medical student professionalism. Medical students also found this program to be beneficial, citing an ability to help during pandemic times in a clinically meaningful way. The highly positive reactions from both patients and medical students suggest that outreach programs, like this one, are one way to meet the needs of vulnerable patients. These findings also suggest that, as a longitudinal experience beyond COVID-19, medical students may benefit from participation in vulnerable patient outreach programs.","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78084108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reflecting on the Advantages of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships and COVID-19","authors":"Kyle Geiger, Jamie Bowman, D. DeWitt","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v4i2.3492","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v4i2.3492","url":null,"abstract":"The emergence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically changed the landscape of medical education. The global pandemic highlighted advantages of specific curricular frameworks. Longitudinal, integrated approaches may avoid some of the educational consequences seen in traditional models. This viewpoint highlights the advantages of a longitudinal integrated clerkship during the COVID-19 outbreak. These advantages include a relatively even exposure to multiple specialties, discipline specific assessment information despite an early truncation of clinical activity, and a seamless transition to ongoing integrated online learning, as a single integrated virtual clerkship model for an entire class. Notably, the longitudinal integrated clerkship avoided consequences seen in traditional clerkships such as missing entire rotations positioned in March-June 2020 and therefore, clerkship grades. The longitudinal clerkship allowed for students to receive discipline specific grades in all core specialties based on assessment of individual skills (direct observation and assessment of skills such as physical exam and history) versus discipline specific knowledge (subject exams). In addition, there are advantages of pre-existing relationships with preceptors and patients that could facilitate engagement in ongoing contact during virtual clerkships and opportunistic clinical experiences when it is safe for students to re-engage in clinical activities.","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79120078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ramey Moore, R. Purvis, C. Bogulski, T. Maddox, Lauren Haggard-Duff, Thomas K. Schulz, Scott Warmack, Pearl A McElfish
{"title":"Learning During COVID-19: Rapid E-Learning Transition at a Regional Medical School Campus","authors":"Ramey Moore, R. Purvis, C. Bogulski, T. Maddox, Lauren Haggard-Duff, Thomas K. Schulz, Scott Warmack, Pearl A McElfish","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v4i2.3645","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v4i2.3645","url":null,"abstract":"COVID-19 has changed the day-to-day landscape of education for students, faculty, and staff worldwide, and this is especially true for students in health sciences and medical education programs. This paper explores the effects of the rapid shift to e-learning modalities for students at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest, a regional medical campus located in Northwest Arkansas. A survey and open-ended written interview questions was conducted with a total of 144 student respondents and in-depth follow up interviews were conducted with 29 of those students. Utilizing descriptive statistics and qualitative descriptive analysis, the survey and interviews explored the effects of COVID-19 on the lived experiences of students as part of the transition to e-learning. We found that 64.5% students reported satisfaction with the transition to e-learning as good or very good and the primary themes that influenced e-learning success for students were: Communication, technology, pedagogy, and community.","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79270283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katelyn Edel, Michael Flanagan, Juan Qiu, J. Gardner
{"title":"Development of a Wellness Curriculum at a New Regional Campus: A Pilot Study","authors":"Katelyn Edel, Michael Flanagan, Juan Qiu, J. Gardner","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v4i2.3620","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v4i2.3620","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Burnout is a critical issue that is increasingly prevalent among healthcare professionals. Several studies suggest that the decline in mental health and wellness begins in medical school. As such, medical schools across the United States have started to develop proactive approaches to medical student wellness, often in the form of an organized curriculum focused on resilience, mindfulness, and stress-reduction. There is little research describing the implementation and refinement of a wellness curriculum at a small regional campus of an academic medical center. A regional campus represents a unique opportunity to develop a comprehensive wellness program, because of the flexibility of the curriculum and the small number of students. The Penn State College of Medicine University Park Campus sought to develop a wellness program specific to first year medical students (MS1s) and to create a companion program of inter-professional wellness exercises open to all teaching faculty and learners at our regional campus. Methods: The study was reviewed by the Penn State College of Medicine Institutional Review Board (STUDY00011390) and was granted “Exempt” status. Three components of the wellness curriculum were developed: a mandatory, semester-long curriculum for MS1s focused on professional development, a 10-session Tai Chi class accessible to faculty, staff and students, and a series of watercolor painting workshops accessible to faculty and students. Participants completed pre- and post-surveys to assess these interventions. Results: The participation rate for the optional Tai Chi and watercolor workshops was relatively low, with 20% of students attending. Most participants felt that medical schools should be responsible for offering wellness programs for students. The majority of students wanted optional wellness activities to be available, rather than mandatory sessions. Discussion: The information gathered from this pilot study will be used to develop a formal curriculum that is accessible, helpful, and convenient for all members of the regional campus community. In the future, it will be helpful to conduct a needs assessment to ascertain what kind of wellness offerings will be most successful among students, faculty, and staff of a regional medical campus. Conflicts of Interest: None.","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"283 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76332220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Stratton, C. Elam, Paul Arnett, Anthony D. Weaver
{"title":"Applicant Selection to a Regional Medical Training Program: A Structural Analysis of Interviewer Assessments","authors":"T. Stratton, C. Elam, Paul Arnett, Anthony D. Weaver","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v3i1.2240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v3i1.2240","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: For regional campuses with specific program foci, assessing applicant fit necessarily extends beyond academic and professional factors. Based on assessments of applicants to a regional Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP), this study explores the relationship of academic and socio-demographic factors with interviewers’ ratings of: (1) likelihood of eventually practicing in a rural area of the state; and (2) overall acceptability to medical school. \u0000Methods: The study population consisted of 163 first-time RPLP applicants interviewed independently from 2009-2016 by two faculty members at both main and regional medical campuses. Path analysis was used to calculate direct, indirect, and total effects of applicants’ socio-demographic and academic characteristics on interviewers’ composite ratings. This study protocol (#17-0198-X3B) was approved as exempt by the governing Institutional Review Board; the authors report no conflicts of interest. \u0000Results: The combined influence of being an in-state resident with rural Appalachian origins, combined with undergraduate GPA, explained 40.7% of the variance in applicants’ predicted likelihood of practicing in rural Kentucky. In terms of applicant acceptability, the strongest direct effects were exerted by academic factors, GPA and total MCAT score, and the sole preceding endogenous variable: likelihood of rural in-state practice. However, two other background factors were modestly but significantly directly associated with overall acceptability: (1) age; and (2) residence. Specifying likelihood of rural practice as an intervening variable explained 42.5% of the variance in applicant acceptability and provided a good fit to the sample data (X2 = 3.19, df = 4 , p = .526, CFI = 1.000, RLI = 1.018, RMSEA = .000). \u0000Conclusions: Interviewers appear to be assessing programmatic, mission-specific “fit” within the broader context of applicants’ abilities to navigate a demanding professional training curriculum. Future research should examine graduates’ eventual practice locations and intermediate academic performance as empirical validity of faculty interviewers’ assessments. Similarly, pre-professional pipeline efforts should better coordinate with training programs to provide consistent opportunities to nurture interest in mission-specific outcomes.","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75281321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Message from the Editor","authors":"Paula Termuhlen","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v3i1.3256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v3i1.3256","url":null,"abstract":"Message from the Editor-in-Chief: \u0000It is with great excitement that I share with you that we have added an Associate Editor to our journal, Dr. Peter Nalin, Chair and Professor of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus and Associate Dean for Rural Medicine for the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Nalin has published in our journal and is well positioned to assist with our ongoing growth and development. Many thanks to Dr. Alan Johns who served in this role and helped to launch the journal. We will continue to honor his contributions by naming him as our Associate Editor Emeritus. Many thanks to our Editorial Board and their ongoing oversight and contributions to our journal. \u0000We invite you to consider submissions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on your campus. We have one perspective to share in this issue and would like to have an upcoming issue focused on COVID-19 impact. \u0000Be safe. \u0000Regards,Paula M. Termuhlen, MD \u0000Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Regional Medical Campuses","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89559109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New Regional Medical Campus: A Practical Guide","authors":"R. Akins","doi":"10.24926/jrmc.v2i4.1769","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v2i4.1769","url":null,"abstract":"There is a paucity of publications about new regional medical campuses. The authors, members of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and its Group on Regional Medical Campuses (GRMC), offer a historical perspective about the role of Regional Medical Campuses (RMCs), and provide a roadmap to establishing a new RMC, including logistics, resources, curriculum, student services, faculty, affiliations and networking within the community. A checklist designed to support leadership decision-making is also included. The RMC is an efficient model for increasing opportunities for clinical training, accommodating expansion of graduate medical education, and offering a cost-effective solution to train future physicians. \u0000Conflicts of Interest: None","PeriodicalId":92811,"journal":{"name":"Journal of regional medical campuses","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79928011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}