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Values ​​predispose people to make the right and especially ethical decisions, and are important for good performance in medical sciences. Students’ lived experiences and the value-rich exposures during their education are some effective means of achieving professional values that help them build their own value frameworks. In this phenomenology of practice study, we aimed to explore and describe the lived experiences of a sample of medical students in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences regarding their value-rich exposures. In-depth interviews, students’ written stories, recorded video interviews related to past trips and photographs were used to collect data. The data was analyzed based on Van Manen’s thematic analysis method. Five themes emerged from the data: “in the shadow of a supportive mentor”, “a well-orchestrated, value-rich program”, “human interactions in a value system”, “acquiring values in a real-life environment”, “and seeking values in oneself”. Our study identified different dimensions of value-rich exposure based on the lived experiences of medical students and pointed out some issues that medical education planners can consider to improve the quality of value-based education for medical students.

Exposing medical students to real-world situations and clinical practice experiences during their education years can help them build their professional value frameworks. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most challenging conditions that medical students have experienced; however, this pandemic have provided value-rich opportunities assisting in development and enhancement of their professional identity. This commentary aimed to emphasize the importance of medical students’ exposure to clinical practice during the pandemic and the potential that such encounters provide for internalizing values.

Introduction: Along with the transition from the digital era to the era of cyber-technology, medical professionals have been forced to use different conceptual systems to meet their informational and communicational needs. These emerging scientific concepts each have specific meaning which should be redefined in their own context so that they could be utilized in the conceptual systems of specialized sciences including medical education. The aim of this study was to examine critically the conceptual system emerged from the changes of technology-based learning in the medical education system and to propose the concept of cyber medical education in the medical learning system. Methods: This semi-systematic review study was conducted in 2015 with a critical approach. The databases of PubMed Central and Google Scholar were searched for publications from 1980-2015 using the keywords “information and communication technology, medical education, educational technology, technology-based learning, cyber learning, medical informatics”. Results: Integration of the concepts and terms of informatics and learning sciences has introduced a wide range of terminology into the scientific cycle. The extent and diversity of concepts in field of technology-based medical education have made it difficult to manage scientific contents. This paper suggested the institutionalization of the concept “cyber” at different levels of the medical education system for the purpose of medical knowledge management in the contemporary era and development of a specialized conceptual system for the next generation of physicians and other health professionals. Conclusion: Critical thinking and adoption of smart approaches are essential for reviewing and even redefining some of the technology-based concepts in the field of medical education ranging from basic concepts to designing, shaping and developing future scientific centers such as virtual medical universities.

Introduction: Knowing and understanding the views of educational program stakeholders, especially faculty members about the concept of value-based curriculum are requirements of appropriate planning in this field. Given multiple conceptualizations of value-based curriculum in different contexts, this research developed the conceptual components model of the value-based curriculum with respect to indigenous values from the viewpoints of experts in education of ethics and values. Methods: This qualitative study with thematic content analysis approach was performed in 2014. Six experts in education of ethics and values in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were selected through purposive sampling method and then participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. MAXQDA 11 software was used for content analysis. Guba and Lincoln’s standards of rigor and trustworthiness were respected in this study. Results: The main theme “value-based curriculum features” was identified and associated categories were extracted including: general and targeted value needs assessment, value-based mission statement, classification of values expected from graduates, concrete achievable outcomes and objectives of value-based learning and education, value rich contents, organization of value content, proper teaching-learning methods for internalization of values, value-oriented evaluation methods, conducive educational environment for value transfer. Conclusion: Indigenous conceptual model of value-based curriculum suggests a process with a precise sequence for the concrete implementation of values education in accordance with the situation in Iran.