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SUMMARY: Background: Adapting existing training resources for clinical teachers is more efficient than creating resources de novo. There is limited evidence on how to effectively use and ensure the relevance of training materials originally developed for different contexts and audiences. We tested in Sri Lanka and Malaysia the transferability of scenario‐based training videos and session plans developed for Australian medical schools, to identify those aspects which need adaptation, and make recommendations to enhance transferability. Methods: Staff involved in student support from three medical schools were invited to participate in five workshops facilitated by an Australian educator. Video discussion triggers of students presenting with concerns were used in workshop activities, including written exercises, group discussions and reflection. The quantitative and qualitative data collected included categorical and free‐text participant responses to questionnaires and structured field notes from local faculty developers using peer observation. Findings: Academic and clinician‐teacher participants predominated in the workshops. Of 66 participant questionnaires (92% response rate), over 90% agreed that the workshop was relevant, and over 95% agreed that the videos facilitated discussion and the sharing of experiences. Field notes confirmed that participants were engaged by the videos, but identified that one student scenario and the approaches for seeking support in others were not immediately transferable to local contexts. The adaptation of facilitation techniques used in Australian workshops was needed to address audience responses. Discussion: Our findings confirm faculty development principles of content relevancy and incorporation of reflection. To enhance transferability, we recommend co‐facilitation with local faculty members, the explicit signposting of topics and re‐contextualising key concepts through reflective discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context For academic staff, responding to student concerns is an important responsibility. Professional staff, or non-academic staff who do administrative work in medical schools, are often the first to be approached by students, yet there is little research on how they manage student issues. Informed by the conceptual framework of emotional labour, we examined the experiences of professional staff, aiming to identify theoretical and practical insights for improving the provision of student support. We examined the scope of support provided, the impact of providing this support on staff and how these impacts can be managed. Methods Professional staff at two medical schools were invited to participate in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Interviews were transcribed and independently analysed for emergent themes. Data analysis continued with purposive sampling for maximum variation until thematic saturation was reached. Findings were returned to participants in writing and via oral presentations for member checking and refinement. Results Twenty-two female staff from clinical, teaching and commercial backgrounds at nine urban and rural teaching sites were interviewed. Participants described providing support for diverse concerns, from routine requests to life-threatening emergencies. Four major themes emerged: firstly, all described roles consistent with emotional labour. Secondly, student support was regarded as informal work, and not well recognised or defined. Consequently, many drew upon their personal orientation to provide support. Finally, we identified both positive and negative personal impacts, including ongoing distress after critical events. Conclusions Professional staff perform a range of student support work, leading to emotional, personal and work impacts. In turn, they need support, recognition and training in this essential but under-recognised role. Emotional labour offers a conceptual framework for understanding the gendered nature and impact of this work and how it may be managed. We suggest practical strategies for promoting positive and preventing negative effects on staff from supporting medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Communication in emergency departments ( EDs), often between several health professionals and patients and relatives, is a major cause of patient complaint and error; however, communication-skills teaching for medical students largely focuses on individual clinician-patient interactions. Context We developed and implemented an evidence-informed online resource, Communication for Health in Emergency Contexts ( CHEC; ) to raise medical students' awareness of the challenges of communication in the ED, and to provide students with communication strategies for addressing these challenges. The foundation of the CHEC resource was the findings and data from a large research project conducted at five emergency departments in Australia over the period 2006-2009. From this, we developed ED scenarios and teaching vignettes using authentic communication data. The project included a nationwide medical curriculum scoping phase, involving interviews with medical students and educators, on ED communication curriculum needs in order to inform the educational activities. Innovation The CHEC resource provides students with the opportunity to follow real-life scenarios through all stages of the ED journey, whereas insights from ED medical and nursing staff provide learning opportunities about interprofessional communication for medical students. Evaluation suggests that students find the resource useful, and that the resource has been successfully embedded in medical and junior doctor training on communication and quality and safety. Implications The CHEC resource enhances the capacity of busy clinical educators to raise students' awareness of the communication needs of emergency health care by focusing on communication in high-stress, time-pressured settings using a web format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Front-line administrative, academic and clinical teaching staff often find themselves providing pastoral and learning support to students, but they are often not trained for this role, and this aspect of their work is under-acknowledged. Context Staff participating in an action research study at two medical schools identified common concerns about the personal impact of providing student support, and of the need for professional development to carry out this responsibility. This need is magnified in clinical placement settings that are remote from on-campus services. Innovation Informed by participatory action research, brief interactive workshops with multimedia training resources were developed, conducted and evaluated at eight health professional student training sites. These workshops were designed to: (1) be delivered in busy clinical placement and university settings; (2) provide a safe and inclusive environment for administrative, academic and clinical teaching staff to share experiences and learn from each other; (3) be publicly accessible; and (4) promote continued development and roll-out of staff training, adapted to each workplace (see ). The workshops were positively evaluated by 97 participants, with both teaching and administrative staff welcoming the opportunity to discuss and share experiences. Implications Staff supporting health professional students have shared, often unmet, needs for support themselves. Participatory action research can be a means for producing and maintaining effective training resources as well as the conditions for change in practice. In our workshops, staff particularly valued opportunities for guided discussion using videos of authentic cases to trigger reflection, and to collaboratively formulate student support guidelines, customised to each site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physically ill elderly patients (N = 236) in a geriatric and a general hospital were interviewed with the Geriatric Mental State (GMS) schedule, Psychiatric diagnoses made by the computer programme 'AGECAT' were compared with those made by a psychiatrist who applied DSM-lIl-R diagnostic criteria to the GMS data. Overall kappa for all diagnostic groups was 0.78. Agreement was excellent for organic diagnoses and good for depression GMS- AGECAT can be used with confidence to detect common psychiatric disorders in physically ill elderly general and geriatric hospital patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to the article "They liked it if you said you cried; how medical students perceive the teaching of professionalism," by T. Usherwood and H. H. Birden that was published in the 2013 issue.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Only the best: medical student selection in Australia," by I. G. Wilson, C. Roberts, and E. M. Flynn in issue 196: 357.

The article examines the medical student selection system in Australia. The authors report that there has been a dramatic change in Australian medical school selection procedures, with the matriculation score of a school leaver now just one of a range of criteria. The authors note that most Australian medical schools use interviews to assess non-academic skills and attributes.

The article presents a peer-reviewed report about the concept of medical intern orientation. This report is an innovative approach to medical education in the U.S. In this context, an overview of the importance of orientation programs is highlighted. It has been believed that through the 2005 interns and their educators, the authors developed the survey list to construct a set of systems-based tasks that interns should perform competently.