When Did the Empathy Die?: Examining the Correlation Between Length of Medical Training and Level of Empathy.

Purpose: Empathy is an important skill for physicians as it can lead to improved patient outcomes and satisfaction. This study assessed self-reported empathy by medical students across all four years of medical school and potential differences in empathy across students interested in different subspecialties.

Method: All medical students enrolled at New York Medical College in August 2020 were invited to participate in this study.

A peer-led kinesthetic forearm and wrist anatomy workshop: A multiple cohort study.

An understanding of forearm and wrist anatomy is necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of various injuries. Evidence supports the use of peer-assisted learning (PAL) as an effective resource for teaching basic science courses. First-year medical students across three class years participated in an optional PAL kinesthetic workshop wherein participants created anatomically accurate paper models of forearm and wrist muscles.

Increasing medical student confidence in gender and sexual health through a student-initiated lecture series.

Introduction: Medical students self-report insufficient training in topics of gender and sexuality in medicine, which may ultimately lead to negative health outcomes in patients for whom they will provide care. This study aims to identify whether a student-initiated lecture series on topics related to gender and sexual health leads to greater student comfort with discussing topics related to diverse sexual content.

Methods: Medical students matriculated during two consecutive academic years were invited to participate in the lecture series.

Pediatric Resident-as-Teacher Curricula: A National Survey of Existing Programs and Future Needs.

Background: We conducted a national survey of US pediatric program directors to explore the current status, content, and teaching methods of Resident-as-Teacher (RAT) curricula. The purposes of the survey were to (1) determine the level and method of evaluation of such curricula, and (2) assess the need for a national curricular resource in this area.

Methods: A survey was sent to US pediatric program directors that asked questions regarding demographics, support, design, development, content, and evaluation of RAT curricula, as well as existing needs and desires for RAT curricular resources.

Easing the transition: medical students' perceptions of critical skills required for the clerkships.

Objectives: The preclinical years of undergraduate medical education provide educational content in a structured learning environment whereas clerkships provide clinical training in a more experiential manner. Although early clinical skills training is emphasized in many medical schools, students still feel unprepared and anxious about starting their clerkships. This study identifies the skills medical students perceive as essential and those skill areas students are most anxious about prior to starting clerkship rotations.

Resident as teacher: educating the educators.

Background: Medical students receive their clinical training from various sources: from residents during informal teaching sessions and from attending physicians during more formalized rounds. As a result of the increasing pressures of clinical medicine, efforts need to be focused on the identification and training of the next generation of clinical educators.

Description: We have created a pilot medical education elective for residents which pairs training in teaching skills with formal teaching opportunities during protected blocks of elective time, an opportunity which is rare in most residency programs and may provide for more effective teaching skill acquisition.

360 degrees: planning a new pediatric clerkship.

Objective: Mount Sinai School of Medicine is midway through a major curriculum revision. The immediate goal for the core third-year clerkships was to create a modular schedule with varied and integrated clinical experiences. Some clerkships were lengthened; others, blended.