Moderated by Dave Harris

PRESENTATION 1 - Medical Student Research Engagement and Residency Match in the United States    
Khalil Eldeeb    
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine Lillington

PURPOSE Increasingly, research or scientific method knowledge and skills are relevant and essential requisites for physicians. However, while the inclusion of research related activities in the curriculum of U.S. medical schools is growing, the importance of research experience in obtaining medical residency positions is not fully examined.

METHODS This study reviewed the importance of student involvement in research among other factors, from residency program directors' perspectives in the selection of applicants for interview and subsequent ranking for residency match. This study reviewed and analyzed secondary database of the Program Director Surveys published by the National Resident Matching Program from 2018 to 2021.

RESULTS For all residency specialties, between 2018 and 2021, on average 39% of the program directors cited research involvement as a factor for selection for interview and 29% ranking the applicant for the match. In 2018, the mean ratings of importance for research involvement as a factor for interview invitation and ranking for residency match were similar. However, the mean importance ratings were higher for applicant rankings for residency match compared with those for interview invitation in 2020 and 2021. In 2018 and 2020 surveys, the percentage of program directors who reported involvement in research as a factor in selecting an applicant for interview varied widely among the specialties. The percentage of program directors who cited involvement in research as a factor for ranking the applicants was generally lower than those for invitation for interview among most of the specialties, but Internal Medicine Pediatric in 2018 as well as Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Radiology-Diagnostic in 2020 showed an opposite trend.

CONCLUSION In conclusion, while medical residency program directors recognize the importance of research involvement in selecting applicant for the match, there is a wide variation among specialties. Future studies should be directed at understanding the reasons and effects of these variations.

PRESENTATION 2 - Presence of Leadership Curricula in Undergraduate Medical Education: Facilitators and Barriers to Implementation of Leadership Programs    
Melanie Korndorffer    
Tulane University School of Medicine

PURPOSE As evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States (U.S.) healthcare system needs leadership from physicians. To be effective, leaders require organizational expertise, teamwork, interpersonal skills, and personal resilience. Leadership education can provide these essential components within undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. The present study aimed to determine the presence of leadership curricula in undergraduate medical education in the U.S and the facilitators and barriers to implementation.

METHODS A panel of medical leadership educators developed and piloted a web-based survey of all U.S licensed and accredited allopathic medical schools. Researches used descriptive statistics to determine the presence and perceptions of leadership programs in undergraduate medical education. Implementation barriers were identified qualitatively using free-text responses. The standardized qualitative methodology of emergent theme analysis was used to identify strategies for success and details of support required for implementation.

RESULTS A total of 41 out of 144 medical schools (28%) responded to the survey. Of those schools that responded, 57% reported a formal leadership curriculum. Primary competencies and goals addressed were similar among institutions. Structure and implementation varied among the responding schools. Primary impediments to implementation were time and financial constraints. Themes of improved communication and integration within the curriculum emerged as the primary facilitators promoting successful leadership curriculum within schools of medicine.

CONCLUSION The present study demonstrated that the leadership education curricula in UME have remained unchanged over the past 5 to 10 years. Researchers corroborated the need for adequate numbers of well-trained faculty to implement a leadership curriculum successfully. Conceptual frameworks providing a theoretical and practical basis for establishing a program may lead to more successful and desirable programming. Future efforts to provide consensus and best practices through the accrediting institutions should contribute to firmly the educational need for leadership skills training in UME.

PRESENTATION 3 - Biomedical Sciences and Ethics and Humanities, Building Connection for Deeper Learning in Undergraduate Medical Curriculum    
Yuan Zhao    
Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

PURPOSE Medical ethics education is crucial to cultivate medical student professionalism, and to prepare them to face ethical situations that arise in clinical practice. Medical schools continue to develop new ways of incorporating medical ethics into their curriculum. However, instances of ethics being integrated into biomedical sciences course, and utilizing pathophysiological processes to further student understanding is limited. We developed a novel ethics learning thread that is embedded in a biomedical science course.

METHODS Three ethics learning modules were designed and built into a six-week immune system course. Each module integrated ethics and humanity learning with immunology topic. The first module used a documentary about a well-known patient with severe combined immunodeficiency disease. The second module was delivered through a team-based learning case on HIV. The third module used small group discussion and debate on blood transfusion. Reflective writing was embedded in each module to assess student knowledge and attitude. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on survey responses to assess student perceptions.

RESULTS Likert scale rating (1-5, with 5 being most useful) of training modules revealed a significantly higher rating for debate module (4.7 average), seconded by the documentary module (4.4) and then the TBL module (4.0). Common and unique codes from survey were identified to suggest the strength and weakness of each module. Codes include the modules promoted critical thinking and raised awareness of ethical complexities. Overall, students' perception of the curriculum design was extremely positive.

CONCLUSION This curricular model highlights the benefits of integrating medical ethics into biomedical science courses during preclinical undergraduate medical education and provides insight on a novel approach that can be tailored to any institution. We believe that this curriculum can improve patient care by helping physicians in training to recognize, analyze and resolve ethical dilemmas early in their careers while learning foundational bioscience.

PRESENTATION 4 - Design Thinking Methods Identify Unique Themes and Patterns in Medical Student Experiences.    
Andrew Binks    
Virginia Tech 

PURPOSE: Medical education programs use a variety of mechanisms to evaluate effectiveness, but they may not give a complete account of the student experience. To improve our understanding of medical student experiences, we implemented design thinking methods to collect longitudinal student feedback to guide program improvement.

METHODS: A random sample of first through fourth year students at Virginia Tech Carilion SOM (VTCSOM) were interviewed to address medical school experiences and perceptions of learning. Following the interview, individual experience diagrams were thematically coded and sorted using a rose-thorn-bud approach and affinity clustering.  Coded information was organized across the 4-year curricular timeline and used to inform development of student personas. Generation of student personas utilized a composite of personal information, student quotes, and common experience themes. Themes gathered by the design thinking process were compared to those gathered by traditional programmatic evaluations.

RESULTS: Consistent themes across both data sets (affinity clustering vs. traditional programmatic evaluations) were those surrounding student experiences in problem-based learning and longitudinal clinical experiences. Themes unique to the design thinking process involved personal routine (e.g. wellness activities), learning behaviors (e.g. use of 3rd party resources), backgrounds (lack of diversity), student support (e.g. need for mental health resources) and cohesiveness (e.g. 'not competitive').  Differences in experiences and themes led to the generation of distinct persona designs for preclinical and clinical students and a student experience diagram.  Personas and experience diagram serve as visual communications for students, faculty and administration to respond to.

CONCLUSIONS: Coupling of research interviews with design thinking methods has identified several non-curricular themes experienced by students that could better inform curricular change, resource allocation and faculty development. The unified experience diagram provides a cohesive visual for students to continue to respond to and provide feedback that has the potential to effect meaningful curricular and programmatic change.