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PubMed1999

Prevalence of myopia and refractive changes in students from 3 to 17 years of age.

We investigated changes in the prevalence of myopia and mean changes in refractive errors in Japanese students from 3 to 17 years old from 1984 to 1996. Mass ophthalmologic surveys were performed annually during the course of the study. The age-specific frequency distribution of refractive errors remained similar for 6-year-old students (defined in this study as students in the first grade of primary school) during the 13-year period, but the distribution became gradually skewed toward myopia for 12-year-old students (defined in this study as students in the first grade of junior high school). Comparisons between 1984 and 1996 examinations showed a considerable increase in the incidence of myopia among those 7 years of age or older, and changes in mean refractive errors also demonstrated a greater shift toward myopia, especially in students older than 10 years, for whom the changes were statistically significant. In this 13-year period, the prevalence of myopia increased from 49.3% to 65.6% in 17-year-old students. In addition to the annual mass ophthalmologic examinations, we also performed a longitudinal 6-year study of 346 students who entered junior high school in 1989, 1990, or 1991. Among these students, the prevalence of myopia increased from 43.5% at 12 years of age to 66.0% at 17 years of age. These 346 students were divided into the following eight groups according to their refractive error (spherical power [D]) at 12 years of age: +1 D, 0 D, -1 D, -2 D, -3 D, -4 D, -5 D, and -6 D. Mean progressions of myopia in these students were as follows: for the +1 D group, -0.14 D/year; for the 0 D group, -0.25 D/year; for the -1 D group, -0.37 D/year; for the -2 D group, -0.40 D/year; for the -3 D group, -0.29 D/year; for the -4 D group, -0.25 D/year; for the -5 D group, -0.14 D/year; and for the -6 D group, -0.22 D/year. Boys and girls demonstrated a statistically significant difference in mean changes in refractive errors at the 6-year follow-up examination: the mean change in refractive error was -1.41 +/- 1.25 D for boys as compared with -1.03 +/- 1.07 D for girls (unpaired Student's t-test, P < 0.0001). Our results demonstrated an early age at onset for myopia and a recent increase in the proportion of myopic students. Further studies are needed to shed light on the extent to which myopia is caused by environmental factors, because it is through these factors that the prevalence rate may be affected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Characteristics of medical students completing an honors program in pathology.

The Honors Program in pathology at Jefferson Medical College provides a voluntary enrichment opportunity for students who have demonstrated a superior ability to cope with the pathology curriculum and who rank in the upper fifth of their class. This study was performed to determine whether honor students possess cognitive and psychosocial attributes that distinguish them from their classmates. Students from five academic years (entering classes 1991 to 1995) were divided into 3 groups: (1) those who completed the Honors Program (n = 85), (2) those in the top 20% of the class who were offered the option but chose not to participate in the Honors Program (n = 128), and (3) students who did not qualify for the program (n = 953). Comparisons between these three groups were made on the basis of selected measures of academic achievement retrieved from the Jefferson Longitudinal Study database and psychosocial data obtained from a questionnaire completed during the first-year orientation. Students who completed the Honors Program in pathology had scored higher on the physical science section of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and had obtained higher first-year grade point averages than students in both of the other groups. Subsequently, they attained higher second-year grade point averages and scored higher on Step 1 and Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), compared with their peers in the other groups. There were no significant differences in psychosocial measures between honor students and the rest of the cohort (group 3). However, students in the top 20% of the class who declined the invitation to participate in the Honors Program (group 2) showed higher scores on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Eysenck Emotional Instability (Neuroticism) Scale than did their classmates. Despite these differences, students who completed the Honors Program (group 1) and eligible students who declined participation (group 2) selected similar pathways of postgraduate residency training: both groups preferred internal medicine to family practice, and both were more likely than the rest of the cohort to begin residency training at a top-ranked academic/research medical center. Voluntary participation in an Honors Program is a self-selection system that identifies students who are most likely to succeed academically at the highest levels. Residency selection committees may wish to pay dose attention to student involvement in similar programs, because this information may provide insights into student personality and general aptitude.

Anxiety↗
PubMed2001

Cigarette use by college students in smoke-free housing: results of a national study.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette-smoking rates have increased in recent years among college students. Smoke-free residences offer a possible means of reducing or preventing smoking. However, their use has as yet not been evaluated. This paper examines whether students residing in smoke-free residences are less likely to smoke cigarettes than students in other campus residences, and if such lower rates apply to all types of students and colleges. METHODS: The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study surveyed a nationally representative sample of college students at 128 U.S. 4-year colleges regarding tobacco use and related behaviors in the spring of 1999. The responses of students living in smoke-free and unrestricted residences at 101 campuses were compared. RESULTS: Current smoking prevalence was significantly lower among residents of smoke-free housing (21.0%) as compared with residents of unrestricted housing (30.6%, p<0.0001). The lower rate of current cigarette use was consistent with all types of student and college characteristics with few exceptions. Current cigarette use was significantly lower for those living in smoke-free housing than for residents of unrestricted housing among students who were not regular smokers before age 19 (10% vs 16.9%, p<0.0001), but not among students who smoked regularly before age 19. CONCLUSIONS: Smoke-free residences may help protect those students who were not regular smokers in high school from smoking in college. However, the difference in smoking rates may be due to self-selection of students into smoke-free residences. Since smoke-free options also protect students from second-hand smoke and dormitory fires, colleges should provide these types of residences for all students who request them, and should also encourage others to choose them.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

A third world international health elective for U.S. medical students: the 25-year experience of the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center.

The Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center instituted a 6-8 weeks third world international health elective for fourth year medical students in 1980. Since that time, some 217 students have participated in a score of third world countries. However, the most popular sites have been India, Kenya and Thailand. The purposes of this elective are to provide fourth year medical students with an opportunity to observe and study the structure and functions of a health care delivery system in a third world country, to provide medical service, and to have a cross-cultural experience. The emphasis in this elective is on public health, preventive medicine and primary care. There are high levels of student competition for this elective. However, interest in it has been affected by world events such as the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the recent outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia. Recent annual applications for this elective have been twenty-five and more out of a class of two hundred students. Annual acceptance rates vary considerably, ranging from as low as 27.2% in 1995-1996 to a high of 81.8% in 1987-1988. Careful screening, including an examination of academic records and personal interviews, has resulted in the selection of highly mature, adaptable, and dedicated students who overall have performed well at overseas sites. Student rated satisfaction levels with this elective are extremely high, with most rating it the best experience of their medical school years. Students undergo extensive preparation prior to going overseas. This includes individual health and safety issues, travel and lodging, and the nature of the host country culture, health care system, and assignment site. Our students are especially experienced in cross-cultural understanding because of the unusual diversity of the patients they treat in Brooklyn, and the ethnic diversity of local hospital staff and the medical school class. This Brooklyn experience in cross-cultural understanding has been cited by many participants as having been the best preparation for functioning in a foreign culture. In the late 1990s, we revised our procedures concerning health preparations so as to address the risk of HIV/AIDS and other blood borne diseases. In addition, we also adopted an Agreement and Release form containing 15 provisions requiring risk and responsibility assumption on the part of the student participants. The Alumni Fund of the College of Medicine has steadfastly supported this elective with both a philosophical commitment and financial grants to help defray travel costs. In 1998, Joshua H. Weiner of the class of 1941 created a sizeable endowment in the Alumni Fund of the College of Medicine to support students participating in this elective. In 2001, Sonja K. Binkhorst, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Downstate Medical Center, arranged for some financial support for women medical students through the LSK Foundation and the American Medical Women's Association. During the years that this elective has been offered, overseas preceptors have willingly given of their time and institutional resources to make these experiences available and meaningful for students.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed2002

Self-assessed clinical competence: a comparison between students in an advanced dental education elective and in the general clinic.

A six-month final-year elective, based on an advanced education in general dentistry (AEGD) model, was conducted in an AEGD Clinic to enable dental students to treat patients in a generalist comprehensive setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the elective with regard to students' self-assessed clinical skills, as self-assessment is recognized as a means to maintaining competency. Pre- and post-experience surveys were administered to 'AEGD elective students' (n=13) and a comparison group of 'control dental students' (n=18) under a discipline-based clinical curriculum. The survey instrument consisted of 75 self-rated statements on a wide range of clinical and patient management skills. Pre-experience means were not statistically different. The AEGD elective students' post-experience group mean was significantly higher than the control dental students' mean (P=0.02, ANOVA) which reflects significant (P<0.05) increases in 9 of 13 AEGD elective students' individual survey means compared to 4 of 18 control dental students' means. Both groups had pre-experience means of 2.9 or below on the same 9 statements, indicating poor self-rated skills. Four of 9 AEGD elective students' post-experience means significantly (P<0.05) increased, while only 1 of 9 control dental students' means increased. The data suggests that AEGD elective students were more confident in their clinical abilities and patient management skills than control dental students and they also reported greater improvement in low-rated skills. When adequate parameters were maintained that enhanced the accuracy of self-assessment, students appeared to rate their skill levels seriously. Independent self-assessment may be an important component of life-long learning.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2001

Effects of using videotaped vignettes on enhancing students' critical thinking ability in a baccalaureate nursing programme.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of using videotaped vignettes in promoting nursing students' critical thinking abilities in managing different clinical situations. BACKGROUND: The impetus for undertaking this study came from recognition of the need to develop the level of students' critical thinking within clinical nursing practice. Eight videotaped vignettes that simulated clinical situations were developed to promote baccalaureate nursing students' critical thinking abilities in managing clinical situations. Guidelines were also developed to stimulate students' discussion. DESIGN/METHODS: A pre-test/post-test design was employed to determine the effectiveness of videotaped vignettes in promoting critical thinking skills among these students. A final sample of 83 students completed all the pre-test and post-test questionnaires on critical thinking skills and nursing knowledge test specific to a vignette. RESULTS/FINDINGS: The findings indicate that students' post-test knowledge scores were significantly higher than the pre-test knowledge scores. While the post-test critical thinking skill test scores were slightly higher than those of the pre-test for the students, the difference was not significant. One reason for such findings may be the limited exposure students had to these new types of videotaped vignettes. After the course had been completed both students and teachers were asked to reflect and to indicate their level of satisfaction with the new approach. There was overall satisfaction with the new approach to teaching clinical skills as reflected in the interview data from both teachers and students. CONCLUSIONS: While there were positive outcomes in terms of helping students to relate nursing principles to clinical situations, more time for students to learn using videotaped vignette in tutorial hours remains a challenge for teachers in planning the lectures.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Medical students' essay-writing skills: criteria-based self- and tutor-evaluation and the role of language background.

OBJECTIVES: An exercise is described which aimed to make clear to first-year undergraduate medical students the expected writing skills required for an essay examination in one discipline. SUBJECTS: Many students were from a non-English speaking background and over one-third of students, regardless of language background, had limited experience in this type of essay writing. PROCEDURE: For this exercise, a practice essay was written by each student for formative assessment. The essay was rated by a tutor and by the student according to well-defined criteria. This allowed for comparisons to be made in a structured and objective way between the judgements of the student and the assessor. RESULTS: Students found the exercise to be very useful, although whether essay writing skills actually improved could not be established. Students from non-English speaking backgrounds tended to be most harsh in their self-evaluations, yet tutor-evaluations generally showed these students to have better writing skills than other students. Indeed, correlations between self- and tutor-evaluations were quite low. CONCLUSIONS: It is evident that students and their educators may be unclear about each others' expectations. By making explicit the requirements of an exercise, misunderstandings may be minimized and it is possible that student performance could improve, though further research is required to verify these hypotheses. It is suggested that students should be encouraged to evaluate their own work and should be instructed in writing skills throughout their medical degree education.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗
PubMed2002

Medical students as standardized patients to assess interviewing skills for pain evaluation.

PURPOSE: The use of medical students as standardized patients in a performance assessment of pain evaluation was studied. METHODS: Fifty-two pairs of second-year medical students participated. One student portrayed a patient presenting with cancer pain and was interviewed by the other medical student. The student-patient then rated the interview using a checklist of pain assessment and general interviewing skills. The interviews were audiotaped and also rated independently. RESULTS: Based on student-patient ratings, 36 (69%) students demonstrated 9 or more of the 11 pain-specific checklist items, compared to 34 (65%) students according to the trained rater. Highly specific pain-related items had higher agreement than broader interviewing skill items. There would be differences in the summary assessments of students depending on which rating data were used. DISCUSSION: Medical students represent a readily accessible resource as patients for clinical simulations. Students tended to overestimate the performance of fellow students, but acting as a standardized patient had educational value, and can be used to extend simulated patient encounters within the curriculum. Further investigation is needed to improve the reliability of the feedback provided by student-patients.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2002

Learning preferences, computer attitudes, and student evaluation of computerised instruction.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between learning preferences, attitudes towards computers, and student evaluation of a computer-assisted instructional (CAI) program. CONTEXT: A third year required clerkship in surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. METHODS: A mixed-methods design combining attitudinal measures and qualitative interviews was employed to assess student reactions to a CAI program on angiography completed during a required surgical clerkship. Between January 1998 and July 1999, 151 students completed the program. Prior to participating, students completed the Rezler Learning Preference Inventory (LPI) and a computer attitudes survey (CAS). The LPI characterizes learning preferences as being abstract or concrete, individual or interpersonal, and student-structured or teacher-structured. The CAS measures attitudes towards computers and their role in education. After using the CAI program, students evaluated the module by completing an 18 item questionnaire. Based on LPI and CAS scores, 31 students were invited to participate in an in-depth qualitative interview on their experiences and perceptions of the program. RESULTS: There was no relationship between learning preferences, computer attitudes, and evaluation of the CAI program. Students were very positive about the program's content, clarity, organization, and ease of use. They also rated it as efficient and effective. However, many still indicated a preference for lecture and text-based learning. Qualitative interviews suggest students worry computers will supplant student--teacher contact. CONCLUSIONS: Learning preferences and prior attitudes toward computers did not bias student reactions to the CAI program assessed in this study. However, students expressed concerns that CAI would interfere with the traditional student--teacher encounter and relationship.

Attitude to Computers↗
PubMed2002

Student perceptions of tutor skills in problem-based learning tutorials.

OBJECTIVE: The problem-based learning (PBL) tutor plays a role that is different from the role of a teacher in a conventional teaching format. In the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates, all students are Arab nationals and tutors are expatriates with different sociocultural backgrounds from the students. This study was designed to investigate how students evaluate tutors in PBL tutorials and whether student evaluations of tutors change with the progress of students in PBL tutorials. METHODS: Differences in tutor performance evaluation by male and female students were also analysed. The students evaluated 12 tutor skills in a scale of 1-3, 1 being 'below average' and 3, 'outstanding'. Student responses from a total of 314 (98.1%) completed forms collected over 2 academic years were analysed statistically. A total of 14 tutors participated in the PBL programme. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that tutors as a group were rated as having average to outstanding tutor skills in 10 items of the evaluation form. Students and faculty perceptions were different for the tutor skills of guiding students for information management. The students expected more support from tutors, whereas the tutors tried to emphasize self-learning in the PBL curriculum. Lower scores to the tutors in the 'problem' bringing sociocultural and religious issues for discussion showed that a gap in sociocultural/religious understanding between students and tutors might influence tutor skills. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in tutor evaluation by male and female students indicate necessity of adopting different strategies by tutors in a different sociocultural background. The results of the study have direct implications for faculty development.

Attitude↗
PubMed2002

Support for students with academic difficulties.

CONTEXT: The human and financial costs of academic failure amongst medical students are extremely high. Often, remedial support is infrequently available or is available only for students failing their final examinations. We describe the design, implementation and preliminary evaluation of a remedial programme (RP) for students who experience academic difficulties. METHODS: A total of 24 students were identified from Years 4 and 5 of the undergraduate medical course at our medical school. Students invited to participate were identified following failure in summative and/or continuous assessment processes. Students underwent an individual educational diagnosis by means of free discussion and a semi-structured interview. Each negotiated a problem list, action plan and learning contract with course tutors. Of the 24 students, 16 received academic support and tutorials. Tutorial content was determined by individual students and took place over a 6-12-month period, initially individually and subsequently in pairs. Regular feedback and appraisal occurred. Information was delivered to the medical school academic progress review system. Student satisfaction was investigated and subsequent examination scores reviewed. RESULTS: The causes of academic failure were widespread and ranged from deficient study skills to financial, domestic and emotional problems. In contrast, the subjects in which students had difficulty were remarkably similar, in that they all related to core clinical skills and frequently involved communication skills. Students enjoyed the programme, reported improved motivation both for study and for their chosen career and demonstrated a greatly improved pass rate in subsequent examinations. CONCLUSIONS: The causes of academic failure in undergraduate medical students are diverse and are often not academic in origin. Students can benefit from an individually tailored remedial programme and go on to success in subsequent parts of the curriculum. Provision of individually tailored remedial teaching is labour-intensive and requires full faculty support.

Curriculum↗
PubMed2004

The interactive examination: assessing students' self-assessment ability.

BACKGROUND: The ability to self-assess one's competence is a crucial skill for all health professionals. The interactive examination is an assessment model aiming to evaluate not only students' clinical skills and competence, but also their ability to self-assess their proficiency. METHODS: The methodology utilised students' own self-assessment, an answer to a written essay question and a group discussion. Students' self-assessment was matched to the judgement of their instructors. As a final task, students compared their own essay to one written by an "expert". The differences pointed by students in their comparison documents and the accompanying arguments were analysed and categorised. Students received individual feedback on their performance and learning needs. The model was tested on 1 cohort of undergraduate dental students (year 2001, n = 52) in their third semester of studies, replacing an older form of examination in the discipline of clinical periodontology. RESULTS: Students' acceptance of the methodology was very positive. Students tended to overestimate their competence in relation to the judgement of their instructors in diagnostic skills, but not in skills relevant to treatment. No gender differences were observed, although females performed better than males in the examination. Three categories of differences were observed in the students' comparison documents. The accompanying arguments may reveal students' understanding and methods of prioritising. CONCLUSIONS: Students tended to overestimate their competence in diagnostic rather than treatment skills. The interactive examination appeared to be a convenient tool for providing deeper insight into students' ability to prioritise, self-assess and steer their own learning.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2000

Rectal examination and urethral catheterization by medical students and house officers: taught but not used.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the acquisition of skills in digital rectal examination (DRE) and urethral catheterization by medical students and house officers associated with a UK medical school, and to determine their confidence in these techniques. Subjects and methods Questionnaires were sent to all final-year medical students at Oxford Medical School immediately before their final examinations. Similar questionnaires were sent to all pre-registration house officers who had graduated from Oxford in the previous year. RESULTS: Responses were received from 71% of the students and 84% of the graduates; 88% of the students and 94% of the graduates had been taught how to perform a DRE as a medical student, but 42% of medical students had performed fewer than five DREs before qualification. Their findings were rarely checked by a doctor. Of the students, 44% had never felt a clinically malignant prostate gland and 41% were 'not at all confident' in their ability to give an opinion based on their findings on a DRE. House officers performed DRE regularly (53% >/= 50 DREs) but rarely received additional instruction, and exposure to pathology remained limited. House officers' findings on DRE were rarely confirmed by a more senior doctor. Most respondents had been taught how to perform male urethral catheterization as a medical student (92% of students, 89% of house officers) but 48% of students had performed fewer than two catheterizations on qualification and 68% of house officers had received no additional instruction; however, 69% of house officers were 'very confident' in their ability to perform male urethral catheterization. CONCLUSIONS: The DRE is a critical skill in assessing the prostate; students conduct few DREs, lack confidence and are exposed to minimal pathology. Legitimate concerns over students carrying out intimate examinations may be mitigating against the acquisition of skills. Possible solutions are explored. House officers perform DREs regularly, but with no additional instruction they may continue to lack confidence. Students lack experience in male urethral catheterization and rarely receive postgraduate instruction. House officers' confidence in their ability to perform male urethral catheterization may be misplaced.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2006

Student diversity at Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam: does it make any difference?

In an ethnically diverse society cultural competence is indispensable for medical doctors. At present 10% of the Dutch population are first- or second-generation non-Western immigrants. With 8% Western and 18% non-Western immigrants, originating from 30 different countries, the 2001 Rotterdam first-year students highly out-rated the national average of immigrant medical students. Diverse student populations may enhance students' cultural competence but can also generate conflicts or even racism. This was the first Dutch study on expectations and experiences of medical students related to their ethnic and religious background. In December 2001 all first-year students were approached with an anonymous questionnaire, including statements on the expected influence of their culture and religion on their medical education (rated on a 1-5 Likert scale). In spring 2003 17 students from the same cohort, 8 immigrants and 9 ethnic Dutch, were interviewed extensively on their study experiences in a diverse student population. In 2001 the response rate was 90% (277/308), female-male ratio 63% (175/102). Non-Western immigrants expected for their medical education more benefits from their culture but also more obstacles than ethnic Dutch (p < or = 0.005). Protestants and Muslims expected more obstacles than the non-religious and Catholics (p < or = 0.05). In the interviews three main issues emerged: peer training in physical examination in mixed-gender groups, lack of attention to student diversity during education, and demand for education in cross-cultural medicine. Three incidents of perceived discrimination were reported. The ethnic Dutch students interviewed did not socialize much with immigrants, nor did students of both groups learn much from one another. Most students favoured mixed study groups. The diversity of the population does not seem to have caused serious problems, nor has it offered educational benefits. The challenge for educators is to provide systematic education in cultural competence and cross-cultural medicine, in which students and educators indeed practise communication across cultural borders.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1994

A survey of alcohol and other drug use behaviors and risk factors in health profession students.

This survey assessed the alcohol and other drug (AOD) use habits and risk factors of health profession students at a midwestern university health science center. The authors administered a 75-item survey to 1,707 students in selected classrooms: 984 students responded for a return rate of 57.6%. In 1990, they found, alcohol use among the health profession students in the past year was comparable to that of undergraduate college students nationally (86%), although significantly fewer health profession students drank heavily (27% had five or more drinks in the past 2 weeks, compared with 41% of college students). The percentage of health profession students who reported using tobacco or illicit drugs was lower than the percentage of undergraduate students who used these substances. At the time of the study, 16% of the respondents may have had a potential current alcohol problem and 3.5% a potential drug problem. Pharmacy students most often reported negative consequences from their AOD use. Peer pressure influenced the drinking decisions of 55% of the respondents; students in dentistry and pharmacy experienced the least support from peers for their decisions to abstain from drinking. Family histories of alcohol problems were reported by 38% of the respondents, and family histories of drug use by 14.8%. Male health profession students, when compared with the female professional students, drank more and experienced more consequences of their drinking or drug use and were also more influenced by peers.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Student generated learning objectives: extent of congruence with faculty set objectives and factors influencing their generation.

CONTEXT: A problem-based learning strategy is used for curriculum planning and implementation at the Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain. Problems are constructed in a way that faculty-set objectives are expected to be identified by students during tutorials. Students in small groups, along with a tutor functioning as a facilitator, identify learning issues and define their learning objectives. PURPOSE: We compared objectives identified by student groups with faculty-set objectives to determine extent of congruence, and identified factors that influenced students' ability at identifying faculty-set objectives. METHOD: Male and female students were segregated and randomly grouped. A faculty tutor was allocated for each group. This study was based on 13 problems given to entry-level medical students. Pooled objectives of these problems were classified into four categories: structural, functional, clinical and psychosocial. Univariate analysis of variance was used for comparison, and a p > 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The mean of overall objectives generated by the students was 54.2%, for each problem. Students identified psychosocial learning objectives more readily than structural ones. Female students identified more psychosocial objectives, whereas male students identified more of structural objectives. Tutor characteristics such as medical/non-medical background, and the years of teaching were correlated with categories of learning issues identified. CONCLUSION: Students identify part of the faculty-set learning objectives during tutorials with a faculty tutor acting as a facilitator. Students' gender influences types of learning issues identified. Content expertise of tutors does not influence identification of learning needs by students.

Bahrain↗
PubMed2005

Medical students' evaluation of a teaching session in occupational medicine: the value of a workplace visit.

BACKGROUND: Undergraduate teaching in occupational medicine in UK medical schools is in decline. We developed a teaching programme for the new curriculum at our medical school, and then used student evaluation to tailor it to students' perceived learning needs. AIMS: To examine medical students' perception of a teaching session in occupational medicine after changes made in the light of earlier student evaluation, and in particular their views on the inclusion of a workplace visit. METHODS: Questionnaire evaluation feedback completed immediately after teaching sessions, triangulated with a student focus group session conducted by an external facilitator to explore what students valued most and least and why. Comparison of student evaluations before and after changes introduced in the light of student evaluations. RESULTS: Students' perception of the usefulness and relevance of the session significantly improved after the changes. Students consistently identified the use of case scenarios as helpful but demonstrated a dichotomy of opinion about the value of a workplace visit. Overall, students valued the brevity of the session that resulted from removing the workplace visit. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to enhance students' perception of the value of a teaching session by modifying the session in the light of student-based evaluation.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1997

Covert bias in evaluation of physical therapist students' clinical performance.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Physical therapist education programs rely on physical therapy practitioners to evaluate the performance of students during clinical affiliations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether covert bias exists in the evaluative judgments of physical therapy practitioners. SUBJECTS: A convenience sample of 83 physical therapists attending the fall conference of the Florida Physical Therapy Association was selected. The subjects, 31 men and 52 women (73 white, 3 black, and 7 Hispanic), had a mean age of 41.5 years (SD = 8.2, range = 26-73). METHODS: Four female physical therapist students (1 white, 1 Hispanic, 1 Asian, and 1 black) were videotaped reciting identical scripts about a patient's status. Each subject was randomly assigned to one of four groups and read a case study about the patient, viewed one videotape, and rated the student's presentation on a form developed by the researchers. RESULTS: The white, Hispanic, and Asian students received higher ratings than the black student on two factors: clarity of presentation and overall rating. The white and Hispanic students received a higher rating than the black student on maintaining interest. The white and the Asian students received a higher rating than the black student on communication of appropriate information. The white student received a higher rating than the black student on organization of information. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: The black student consistently received low ratings, indicating that racial or ethnic bias may influence the opinions of physical therapy practitioners. These results justify further exploration of the effect of race and ethnicity on student evaluation in the clinic.

Adult↗