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Faculty modeling of desired behaviors has historically been a part of the apprenticeship model of clinical teaching, yet little is known about best practices for modeling. This study compared the educational impact of implicitly versus explicitly modeled communication skills among U.S. medical students.Fourth-year medical students from six U.S. academic medical centers were randomly assigned one simulated clinical encounter in which faculty provided either implicit or explicit modeling of important communication skills. Outcomes were assessed by electronic surveys immediately before and after the simulations. Students were blinded to the purpose of the study.Students in the explicit arm were more likely to correctly cite two of the three key specific communication elements modeled by faculty: deliberate body position (53.3% vs. 18.6%,In a multi-center randomized trial, explicit faculty role-modeling led to greater uptake of communication knowledge, greater recognition of skills, and a greater sense that faculty expected these skills to be adopted by students. These results must be considered in the context, however, of a simulated environment and a short timeframe for assessing learning with students who volunteered for a simulated experience.

The Harvard Medical School Pathways curriculum represents a major reform effort. Our goals were to enhance reasoning and clinical skills and improve the learning environment and students' approach to learning via use of collaborative, case-based pedagogy; early clinical exposure; and enhanced approaches to teaching and evaluating clinical skills. We evaluated the impact of Pathways on key outcomes related to these goals.In this prospective, mixed-methods study, we compared the last prior-curriculum cohort (2014 matriculation,Compared with prior-curriculum students, new-curriculum students reported higher mean preclerkship learning environment ratings (Educational Climate Inventory, 62.4 versus 51.9,The new curriculum outperformed or was equal to the prior one on most measures of learning environment and perceived quality of education, without a decline in medical knowledge or clinical skills. Robust longitudinal evaluation provided important feedback for ongoing curriculum improvement.

Much has been written about the learning benefits of peer teaching for medical trainees. What remains less certain is how practically to implement "Student-as-teacher" (SaT) programs combining teacher-skills training with hands-on teaching experiences for medical students to prepare them for their roles as teachers in residency and beyond. In this article, we address this gap by outlining twelve tips for the implementation of SaT programs based on review of the literature and our experience implementing SaT curricula at our institution. We have organized the tips into three domains (i.e. preimplementation, implementation and postimplementation) to encourage SaT coordinators to iteratively consider how to continually enhance SaT programs before, during and after their implementation.

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” Peter DruckerIn 1356 BCE, Aristotle uttered the importance of the three pillars of communication: ethos, pathos and logos. Et...

Background: Medical student education is challenging, and concept maps (CMs) can help students link new and existing knowledge, promote critical thinking and identify knowledge gaps. Aims: To study the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of CMs in problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials. Method: Students and tutors were randomized to tutorials that used or did not use CMs. A mixed-methods approach generated qualitative and quantitative results of participants’ perspectives on and the effects of CMs in PBL tutorials. Results: Student survey response rate was 71% (122/172). Most students (82.6%) planned to use CMs in the future at least occasionally, and students in CM tutorials endorsed increased likelihood of using CMs in the future ( p ¼ 0.02) versus students in non-CM tutorials. Qualitative analyses identified consistent associations between CMs and recurrent themes: integration of physiological mechanisms, challenging students’ knowledge of the material, and identification of knowledge gaps. Quantitative assessment of final exam scores revealed a statistically significant increase in the students’ scores in CM tutorials versus students in non-CM tutorials with an a priori of 50.10. Conclusions: CMs are well accepted by students and faculty, feasible to incorporate into PBL tutorials, and may result in improved exam performance and student learning of physiologic concepts.

Poorly designed healthcare systems increase costs and preventable medical errors. To address these issues, systems-based practice (SBP) education provides future physicians with the tools to identify systemic errors and implement quality improvement (QI) initiatives to enhance the delivery of cost-effective, safe and multi-disciplinary care. Although SBP education is being implemented in residency programs and is mandated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as one of its core competencies, it has largely not been integrated into undergraduate medical education. We propose that Medical Student-Faculty Collaborative Clinics (MSFCCs) may be the ideal environment in which to train medical students in SBPs and QI initiatives, as they allow students to play pivotal roles in project development, administration, and management. Here we describe a process of experiential learning that was developed within a newly established MSFCC, which challenged students to identify inefficiencies, implement interventions, and track the results. After identifying bottlenecks in clinic operations, our students designed a patient visit tracker tool to monitor clinic flow and implemented solutions to decrease patient visit times. Our model allowed students to drive their own active learning in a practical clinical setting, providing early and unique training in crucial QI skills.

The European Working Time Directive and the United States' duty hour restrictions have changed resident physicians' schedules, specifically increasing overnight shifts and decreasing overall time spent in the hospital. As residents' perception of night shifts is that they have little educational value, efforts to improve educational opportunities and night attending teaching are desirable. However, resources about and recommendations for best practices for overnight teaching by faculty are scarce.To provide 12 tips to highlight strategies intended to optimize attending physicians' overnight teaching skills and strategies.The tips provided are based on our experiences and reflections as in-house faculty supervising residents working overnight, by our experience and group discussions as medical educators, and the available literature.The 12 tips presented offer specific strategies to optimize attending physicians' overnight teaching for resident physicians, specifically highlighting the unique logistics, pedagogy and follow-up of overnight teaching.Preparation for teaching is important in any environment, but understanding the unique timing and circumstances associated with overnight teaching is vital to ensure that overnight teaching is effective. Acknowledging and addressing the physical and cognitive obstacles associated with overnight teaching and learning is necessary to maximize the educational value of overnight teaching.

The current, so-called "Millennial" generation of learners is frequently characterized as having deep understanding of, and appreciation for, technology and social connectedness. This generation of learners has also been molded by a unique set of cultural influences that are essential for medical educators to consider in all aspects of their teaching, including curriculum design, student assessment, and interactions between faculty and learners. The following tips outline an approach to facilitating learning of our current generation of medical trainees. The method is based on the available literature and the authors' experiences with Millennial Learners in medical training. The 12 tips provide detailed approaches and specific strategies for understanding and engaging Millennial Learners and enhancing their learning. With an increased understanding of the characteristics of the current generation of medical trainees, faculty will be better able to facilitate learning and optimize interactions with Millennial Learners.