Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
Optimizing the Educational Value of Bedside Rounds by Exploring Perceptions of Internal Medicine Residents.
Bedside rounds provide a valuable opportunity for residents to learn vital clinical skills, yet they are increasingly being replaced by card-flip rounds in conference rooms. Residents express mixed views about the educational value of bedside rounds; however, little is known about their perspectives regarding how the structure and content of bedside rounds can be optimized for their learning. We sought to explore residents' attitudes toward bedside rounds and perceptions regarding how to maximize their educational value. ⋯ Residents outlined institutional factors that should be addressed and three high-yield content areas for faculty development programs: rounding structures, faculty behaviors, and bedside educational content. These findings helped us develop guidelines and faculty development sessions for attendings engaging in bedside rounds.
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Thyroidectomies involve meticulous dissection of a highly vascularized organ and complications may develop, such as hematoma, hypocalcemia, and even hypoparathyroidism. Because some of these complications may be fatal, we sought to identify the differences in postthyroidectomy outcomes when the use of a vessel sealant device (VSD) such, as LigaSure or Harmonic scalpel, is compared with more traditional techniques, such as ligatures and clips. ⋯ Analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data indicates that VSDs are associated with a lower risk of complications, such as hypocalcemia, hematoma, and deep vein thrombosis, suggesting that VSDs may be a more effective method of hemostasis than traditional techniques.
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
Developing Awareness and Allies: Simulating Difficult Conversations about Microaggressions for Faculty and Students.
Discrimination and bias in clinical training often take the form of microaggressions, which, albeit unintentional, are detrimental to the learning environment and well-being of students. Although there are a few reports of medical schools training students to respond to microaggressions, none have included a complementery student-led faculty training module. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a case-based approach to improving student resilience and increasing faculty awareness of microaggressions in the clinical setting. ⋯ This approach had results similar to other studies, with the additional benefit of training faculty with the same scenarios. We believe that this method helped bridge the gap between students' notions of discrimination and faculty understanding of microaggressions.
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
Facilitating the Advance Care Planning Conversation with Patients: An Interactive Virtual 1.5-Hour Session.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education requires that the curriculum of medical schools includes end-of-life care. Most medical students feel reluctant to discuss end-of-life issues with their patients, but would like to learn more. ⋯ The brief didactic presented here on facilitating advance directives conversations constitutes an easily implemented and well-received session for medical students. Students reported high levels of confidence and comfort around having advance directive conversations after participating in this didactic session.
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
The Doctors in the House: Examining Physician Legislators in the US Congress from 2011 to 2020.
Legislation dictating federal healthcare policy is drafted largely by members of the US Senate and House of Representatives. As such, their personal and professional backgrounds play important roles in setting the national healthcare agenda. We examine the professional and legislative records of the 28 federal physician legislators with voting privileges between 2011 and 2020. ⋯ To engage in meaningful healthcare policy advocacy, professional organizations must support and encourage leadership training for physicians, increase the geographic and professional diversity of physician legislators, prioritize the election of physicians from both political parties, and inculcate deep and lasting professional relationships to physicians in Congress.