CJEM Articles: medical education
Displaying 1-10 of 15 results
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May
2011
13
3
David Lendrum, Glen Bandiera
Objectives: Controversy exists regarding the applicability of competency-based education during clinical rotations in emergency medicine (EM). Little has been written about the perceptions of front-line teachers regarding one such competency-based education paradigm, the CanMEDS framework. We undertook to determine 1) what perceptions exist among front-line teachers at two academic health science emergency departments (EDs) regarding the use of the CanMEDS roles to frame what residents should learn on ED rotations and 2) how those same teachers envision practically incorporating the CanMEDS roles into feedback provided to residents.
Methods: Teachers at two sites volunteered for a semistructured focus group study. Focus groups were moderated by an experienced qualitative researcher, and verbatim transcriptions were coded by two independent reviewers. The codes were merged into final themes. The final focus group was used to further explore issues raised and test assumptions made in the preceding groups.
Results: In five focus groups involving 21 participants, the Medical Expert and Professional roles were seen as most relevant to an EM rotation, whereas the Health Advocate, Manager, Scholar, and Collaborator roles were least relevant. On further exploration, however, faculty identified highly relevant components of each role that they could envision teaching in an ED. Participants also felt that the framework helped highlight the breadth of physician competencies and provided structure for teaching and feedback.
Conclusions: EM faculty find the CanMEDS framework helpful for structuring teaching and learning and that many elements of the roles, when defined, are feasible to integrate into a clinical rotation.
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March
2011
13
2
The Core Curriculum and Education Committee for the International Federation for Emergency Medicine
To meet a critical and growing need for emergency physicians and emergency medicine resources worldwide, physicians must be trained to deliver time-sensitive interventions and lifesaving emergency care. Currently, there is no globally recognized, standard curriculum that defines the basic minimum standards for specialist trainees in emergency medicine. To address this deficit, the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) convened a committee of international physicians, health professionals, and other experts in emergency medicine and international emergency medicine development to outline a curriculum for training of specialists in emergency medicine. This curriculum document represents the consensus of recommendations by this committee. The curriculum is designed to provide a framework for educational programs in emergency medicine. The focus is on the basic minimum emergency medicine educational content that any emergency medicine physician specialist should be prepared to deliver on completion of a training program. It is designed not to be prescriptive but to assist educators and emergency medicine leadership to advance physician education in basic emergency medicine no matter the training venue. The content of this curriculum is relevant not just for communities with mature emergency medicine systems but in particular for developing nations or for nations seeking to expand emergency medicine within the current educational structure. We anticipate that there will be wide variability in how this curriculum is implemented and taught. This variability will reflect the existing educational milieu, the resources available, and the goals of the institutions' educational leadership with regard to the training of emergency medicine specialists.
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November
2010
12
6
Constance LeBlanc, Jonathan Sherbino
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September
2010
12
5
Christopher R. Carpenter, Jonathan Sherbino
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July
2010
12
4
Eric S. Nadel, James K. Takayesu, Kriti Bhatia, Ron M. Walls
The integration of simulation into a medical postgraduate curriculum requires informed implementation in ways that take advantage of simulation’s unique ability to facilitate guided application of new knowledge. It requires review of all objectives of the training program to ensure that each of these is mapped to the best possible learning method. To take maximum advantage of the training enhancements made possible by medical simulation, it must be integrated into the learning environment, not simply added on. This requires extensive reorganization of the resident didactic schedule.
Simulation planning is supported by clear learning objectives that define the goals of the session, promote learner investment in active participation and allow for structured feedback for individual growth. Teaching to specific objectives using simulation requires an increased time commitment from teaching faculty and careful logistical planning to facilitate flow of learners through a series of simulations in ways that maximize learning. When applied appropriately, simulation offers a unique opportunity for learners to acquire and apply new knowledge under direct supervision in ways that complement the rest of the educational curriculum. In addition, simulation can improve the learning environment and morale of residents, provide additional methods of resident evaluation, and facilitate the introduction of new technologies and procedures into the clinical environment.
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July
2009
11
4
Andrew Singer, Cherri Hobgood, Darren Kilroy, Glen Bandiera, James Holliman, Nicholas Jouriles, Peter Cameron, Pinchas Halperin, Terrence Mulligan, Venkataraman Anantharaman
There is a critical and growing need for emergency physicians and emergency medicine resources worldwide. To meet this need, physicians must be trained to deliver time-sensitive interventions and life-saving emergency care. Currently, there is no internationally recognized standard curriculum that defines the basic minimum standards for emergency medicine education. To address this deficiency, the International Federation for Emergency Medicine convened a committee of international physicians, health professionals and other experts in emergency medicine and international emergency medicine development, to outline a curriculum for foundation training of medical students in emergency medicine. This curriculum document represents the consensus of recommendations by this committee.
The curriculum is designed with a focus on the basic minimum emergency medicine educational content that any medical school should be delivering to its students during undergraduate training. It is designed not to be prescriptive, but to assist educators and emergency medicine leadership in advancing physician education in basic emergency medicine content. The content would be relevant not just for communities with mature emergency medicine systems, but also for developing nations or for nations seeking to expand emergency medicine within current educational structures. We anticipate that there will be wide variability in how this curriculum is implemented and taught, reflecting the existing educational milieu, the resources available and the goals of the institutions’ educational leadership.
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May
2009
11
3
Rick Penciner
Objective: Medical students are expected to make residency and career decisions early in their undergraduate medical education. In medical school curricula, there is limited exposure to emergency medicine (EM) in the preclerkship years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a structured EM observership program for preclerks by surveying the students' perceptions and attitudes about the program following their participation.
Methods: A structured observership program was developed and implemented at the University of Toronto Medical School in February 2007. All first- and second-year students were eligible to participate on a voluntary basis. Nine emergency department (ED) teaching sites were enlisted, with each site recruiting interested preceptors. The observership consisted of two 4-hour shifts with 1 preceptor at 1 site. Specific expectations were provided to the students at the start of the observership. A convenience sample was used for the period between Feb. 26 and Nov. 4, 2007, to conduct an anonymous online survey about the students' experience after the observership.
Results: During the study period, 82 students completed 99 observerships at 9 sites with 54 different preceptors. Of the 82 students who completed the observerships, 70 students completed the survey. Overall, all the students (70/70) found the experience to be worthwhile. Most students (68/70) viewed the preceptors as good role models. As a result of the observership, 47 of 70 students reported that their attitudes about and interest in EM had changed and most (59/70) planned on exploring other opportunities in EM (e.g., electives).
Conclusion: Structured EM observerships are viewed by medical students to be worthwhile. These observerships can change attitudes about and interest in EM and allow students to make more informed career choices.
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May
2009
11
3
Sam Sabbah
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September
2008
10
5
Trevor S. Langhan
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July
2008
10
4
Glen Bandiera, Jason R. Frank, Jonathan Sherbino
How do we define competence in emergency medicine (EM), and how do we know when a resident has achieved it? In recent years, the idea of physician competence has become widely recognized as being multidimensional. This has resulted in an emphasis on competency-based education and assessment. We describe an up-to-date model to assess competence in EM. An overview of appropriate EM assessment tools is provided, along with their significant strengths and limitations. Sample behaviours representative of core competencies commonly assessed in EM training are matched to appropriate assessment tools. This review may serve as an introductory resource for EM clinicians, teachers and educators involved in EM trainee assessment.
