Presented By: Gloria Conover, Texas A&M University
Co-Authors: Steven Maxwell, Texas A&M University

Purpose
We developed an innovative advanced elective course to intentionally train clerkship medical students to integrate clinical practice with scientific literature when addressing challenging cases unresponsive to routine standard care.

Methods
Third-year medical students underwent a two-semester longitudinal selective wherein they constructed detailed clinical concept maps for patients encountered during clerkships. Following a targeted search of pertinent primary literature related to their chosen patient case, students integrated key mechanistic concepts from scientific literature, elucidating cellular or molecular explanations for patient symptom presentation and complications during care. Students received personalized actionable feedback twice monthly on their assignments, culminating in composing a well-documented mechanistic case study manuscript. 

Results
From 2020, seven medical students enrolled in the pilot course through competitive selection. Project themes spanned pediatric neurological disorders (such as Dravet Syndrome and Rauch-Steindl syndrome), stroke, hepatic encephalopathy, and complications like necrotizing fasciitis due to Serratia marcescens. Four out of six students completed an end-of-course Likert-styled survey, and six presented poster papers. One student has a manuscript under review. Respondent students (n=4) agreed that the course significantly enhanced their self-directed learning (rating: 3.75; 1=strongly disagree, 4=strongly agree), critical thinking (4.00), scientific communication skills (4.00), and ability to translate scientific findings into clinical practice (4.00). 

Conclusion 
This selective effectively instructed MS3 students to distill biological mechanisms underlying real-world disease complications using information derived from published preclinical literature. Students gained confidence in devising detailed therapeutic plans by critically analyzing the clinical application of translational literature, aiming to offer improved treatments to future patients. Additionally, this course fostered collaboration between faculty mentors, consultants, and students, nurturing relationships that deepen their knowledge.