Perceptions of pre-clerkship students about workplace learning in the clinical learning environment at Gulf Medical University, UAE: An exploratory study (original) (raw)

Starting learning in medical practice: an evaluation of a new Introductory clerkship

Medical Teacher, 2005

The transition from undergraduate medical education to learning in clinical clerkships can be difficult for students. Learning in clinical practice requires awareness of learning opportunities and goals, active elaboration and reflection. Staff should provide students with guidance to learn from their experiences. A new Introductory Clerkship was designed to facilitate the start of goal-oriented, active and reflective workbased learning. This four-week clerkship is a result of the cooperation of six major specialties in the university hospital. The innovations included explicitly formulated goals, a description of the student's activities in daily practice and of the staff's role, group meetings, a logbook, a halfway formative interview and a final summative interview. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent the innovations of the new Introductory Clerkship were implemented and how students and residents valued them. Two questionnaires were constructed: one was administered to students (n ¼ 54) and the other to residents (n ¼ 27). Students considered participation in daily practice very instructive, although more observations of history taking and physical examination are wanted. The interviews and group meetings promote students' learning. Use of the logbook needs improvement. Residents perceived a shortage of time and would appreciate more participation of staff members, as well as a better preparation for supervising tasks. Overall, the study demonstrates that it is possible to introduce innovations in clinical clerkships to improve the learning environment of work-based learning.

The experience of physician supervisors with clerkship students: a qualitative study

International Journal of Medical Education, 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe fulltime physicians' conceptions of being clinical supervisors when introducing students to professional practice and having dedicated time with their students without the distraction of other clinical duties. Methods: The study was conducted during 2009 at Danderyd University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden where 61 physicians have had the role of full-time supervisors. Nineteen of these physicians, both male (n = 9) and female (n = 10) varying in age and experience, were interviewed regarding their experience following supervision of firstyear clerkship students which were undertaking five weeks of introductory course in clinical skills. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematised using inductive content analysis according to theoretical assumptions of communication theory. Results: Being present in the moment and not having to worry about other clinical duties was identified as the most fundamental theme for supervision. Participants stressed the importance of dedicated time to fulfil their role. Three other themes: being a catalyst for learning; being an expert; and supporting students' sense of coherence, revealed how supervisors support student learning in different ways. Conclusions: Full-time supervision allowed physicians to pay close attention to the student's learning process as well as their interaction with patients or PBL group members. They were able to use their experience and expertise to engage students in their own learning and to give skilful feedback. Furthermore, they were able to create a coherent learning environment for students to realise the true meaning of being a doctor. These factors may become important in design of clinical courses.

Optimizing student learning at the Regional Medical Campus

Journal of Regional Medical Campuses, 2018

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Both benefits and challenges are associated with training medical students in a community-based setting at a Regional Medical Campus (RMC). At the RMC, close relationships between learner and teaching faculty can truly be fostered. However, those volunteer teaching faculty are frequently conflicted due to time-constraints and practice productivity requirements that may run counter to maximizing learner involvement. Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) have been studied and promoted as clinical clerkship structures that, through taking full advantage of the on-going relationship between learner, teacher, patients, and practices, optimize the learning environment for medical students on clinical rotations. In our resource-limited environment, we wished to create longitudinal educational relationships for all UPRC students with preceptors, practices and patients that would achieve the educational benefits of a true LIC yet not overwhelm the limit...

Identification of Specific Educational Targets to Improve the Student Surgical Clerkship Experience

Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2019

Background: This study describes the relationship between medical student perception of surgery, frequency of positive surgery clerkship activities, and overall surgical clerkship experience. Methods: Medical students at four academic hospitals completed pre-and post-clerkship surveys assessing 1) surgery clerkship activities/experiences and 2) perceptions of surgery during the 2017-2018 academic year. Results: Ninety-one percent of students completed both a pre-and post-clerkship survey (n ¼ 162 of 179). Student perception of surgery significantly improved across the clerkship overall (P < 0.0001) and for 7 of 21 specific items. Eighty-six percent of students agreed that the clerkship was a meaningful experience. Sixty-six percent agreed that the operating room was a positive learning environment. Multivariable logistic regression identified oneon-one mentoring from a resident (OR [95% CI] ¼ 2.12 [1.11-4.04], P ¼ 0.02) and establishing a meaningful relationship with a surgical patient (OR ¼ 2.21 [1.12-4.37], P ¼ 0.02) as activities predictive of student agreement that the surgical clerkship was meaningful. Making an incision (OR ¼ 2.92 [1.54-5.56], P ¼ 0.001) and assisting in dissection (OR ¼ 1.67 [1.03-2.69], P ¼ 0.035) were predictive of student agreement that the operating room was a positive learning environment. Positive student perception of surgery before the clerkship was associated with increased frequency of positive clerkship activities including operative involvement (r ¼ 0.26, P ¼ 0.001) and relationships with surgical attendings (r ¼ 0.20, P ¼ 0.01), residents (r ¼ 0.41, P < 0.0001), and patients (r ¼ 0.24, P ¼ 0.003).

The clinical learning environments in medicine, paediatrics and surgery clerkships

Med Educ, 1985

Using questionnaires, the students of the 1981 graduating class from McGill's Faculty of Medicine were investigated for their perceptions of the nature of the clinical instruction and of the roles of the consultant, resident and intern staffs during clerkships in medicine, paediatrics and surgery. Personal student diaries were used to assess time spent on various clinical activities.