Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2021
Prevalence of, Qualities, and Barriers Associated with Mentoring Relationships from Medical Students' Perspective: A Multi-Institutional Cross-Sectional Study.
Reports of medical student mentorship prevalence range between 26% and 77%. This broad range likely reflects the tendencies of studies to focus on specific populations of medical students. There is little consensus about the characteristics of mentoring relationships among medical students. The primary goal of this study was to determine the reported prevalence of mentorship among medical students in the United States. The secondary goals were to assess the desired qualities of and barriers to successful mentoring from a medical student perspective. ⋯ This study may serve as a guide to fostering more supportive mentoring relationships. Each mentoring relationship should be tailored to the needs of the mentee, however.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2021
Lower Intent to Comply with COVID-19 Public Health Recommendations Correlates to Higher Disease Burden in Following 30 Days.
We sought to determine whether self-reported intent to comply with public health recommendations correlates with future coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease burden. ⋯ Self-reported intent to comply with public health recommendations may be used to predict COVID-19 disease burden. Measuring compliance intention offers an inexpensive, readily available method of predicting disease burden that can also identify populations most in need of public health education aimed at behavior change.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2021
Factors Associated with Acceptance of Repeat MCAT Test Takers into a West Virginian Allopathic Medical School.
A paucity of information exists to advise medical school applicants who have had to retake the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to achieve a competitive score. To better advise repeat test takers from West Virginia and other Appalachian and southern areas, MCAT data from West Virginia applicants were analyzed and compared with national data. ⋯ Although the study was limited to West Virginia medical school applicants, this information could prove useful in advising premedical applicants from other Appalachian and southern US areas.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2021
A Virtual Wellness and Learning Communities Program for Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the high risk for burnout and mental illness in medical students. Because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, our medical school transitioned to an all-virtual learning environment from March to June 2020, which raised concerns among student leaders and administrators, as reduced interpersonal attachments have known associations with decreased mental health. In an effort to facilitate student well-being during the pandemic, the Virtual Wellness and Learning Communities (VWLC) program was established. VWLC consisted of hour-long events that offered students the opportunity to engage with their peers online. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened medical student well-being and sense of community. VWLC programming may be an effective strategy for promoting medical student wellness and community while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. To our knowledge, this is the first virtual wellness program for promotion of medical student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic to be described in the literature.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2021
Observational StudyPrevalence of Planned Abdominal Binder Use after Vaginal Delivery.
Pregnancy and vaginal delivery are risk factors for pelvic floor dysfunction. Abdominal binder use may increase intraabdominal pressure, affecting pelvic floor healing or function in recently traumatized postpartum pelvic floor muscle. This study assesses the prevalence of postpartum abdominal binder use, timing, and reasons for use. ⋯ Among women delivering at our institution, planned abdominal binder use postvaginal delivery is common. The reasons cited include health and desire to return to prior body shape. The effects of using an abdominal binder in the postpartum period are unknown. More research is needed to better elucidate how increased postpartum intraabdominal pressure affects healing in traumatized pelvic floor muscles.