The clinical teacher
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The clinical teacher · Jun 2010
Facebook and the professional behaviours of undergraduate medical students.
The rapid growth and accessibility of social networking websites has fundamentally changed the way people manage information about their personal and professional lives. In particular, it has been suggested that interaction in virtual communities erodes elements of responsibility, accountability and social trust that build traditionally meaningful communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate how undergraduate medical students use the social network website Facebook, and to identify any unprofessional behaviour displayed online. ⋯ This research highlights the issue of social networking websites and professionalism amongst medical students. Further guidance from the GMC and medical schools should remind students that images and information placed on social networking sites is in the public domain, and could impact upon their professional reputation and identity.
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The clinical teacher · Jun 2010
Faculty-development activity to promote effective communication between instructors and students.
Educators claim that conflicts and teacher-student miscommunications interfere in achieving optimal learning outcomes. ⋯ The positive feedback is very encouraging. We believe that our workshops amplify the desired effective instructor-student communication, and suggest that the success of this intervention is partly achieved by selecting problematic issues of communication, and adjusting them to the current needs of our faculty members. In order to reproduce our approach, we suggest that other institutions should define their own values and communication code. We recommend them to use the same technique of intervention among a small group in an empowering atmosphere of discussion, using their own situations.
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The clinical teacher · Jun 2010
Undergraduate interprofessional education using high-fidelity paediatric simulation.
High-fidelity simulation is becoming increasingly important in the delivery of teaching and learning to health care professionals within a safe environment. Its use in an interprofessional context and at undergraduate level has the potential to facilitate the learning of good communication and teamworking, in addition to clinical knowledge and skills. ⋯ High-fidelity paediatric simulation, used in an interprofessional context, has the potential to meet the requirements of undergraduate medical and nursing curricula. Further research is needed into the long-term benefits for patient care, and its generalisability to other areas within health care teaching and learning.
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It has become commonplace for undergraduate medical students to attend lectures alongside 300 or more of their colleagues in large amphitheatres. The Audience Response System (ARS) is a technology that aims to address what has, as a consequence, become an inherently one-way learning environment, where audience participation is greatly impeded. ⋯ The ARS confers benefits to lecturers and students alike. For the lecturers these benefits centre on an immediate awareness of the audience's comprehension of the material, as well as of the progress of individual students. For the students, using clickers to answer questions during lectures appears to enhance their enjoyment, as well as to improve concentration and knowledge retention. Among the drawbacks that we discuss are the monetary cost of the technology, in addition to the training hours required for its implementation.
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The clinical teacher · Jun 2010
Are graduate doctors adequately prepared to manage acutely unwell patients?
Medical schools face the challenge of equipping medical graduates with the skills and knowledge required in the early detection and management of acutely unwell patients. Studies reveal that junior doctors are inadequately prepared to manage acute illness, and lack the ability to resuscitate patients in cardiac arrest. A modified programme of learning, focusing on recognition and management of the acutely ill patient and cardiac arrest, was introduced for final-year medical students at the James Cook University Hospital. Evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching was vital, as junior doctors are often the first responders to deteriorating patients who require prompt life-saving interventions. ⋯ In essence, clinical tutors are indirectly responsible for saving patients lives. Evaluating the effectiveness of acute illness teaching is essential, as this ultimately will impact on patient outcome and survival.