Transition from in library use of resources to outside library use: the impact of the Internet on information seeking behavior of medical students and faculty.
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Advances in information technology have introduced both new capabilities and interesting challenges in accessing medical literature. More and more information resources exist in electronic format, such as online databases, journals, books, etc. instead of the traditional print format. In late 1998, there were thirty-five journal titles available online; in 2001, the number rose to over 4,000.1 Desk-top access to online resources is changing library use patterns, which challenges libraries to adjust to this transformed information access environment. Studies of the impact of the internet on information seeking behavior of users in medical environments could provide very valuable information for medical libraries seeking to adapt to this rapid and great evolution. This study aims to explore the impact of the Internet on information seeking behavior of medical students and faculty and their medical library use, to address the possible reasons for this change of information seeking behavior, and to identify the measures essential to the transition from traditional in-library use of resources to remote access. This study is conducted in two phases. (+info)
An email alert system for internal medicine physicians.
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This study evaluated the effectiveness of an email-based alerting system for internal medicine house staff and faculty in geographically dispersed locales. Responses to a test alert email message were used to quantify the rapidity by which physicians read the message, and to define subgroups in which this communication modality proved most successful. The results of this study are being used to improve our preparedness for emergencies. (+info)
Hospitalists as teachers.
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OBJECTIVE: To compare evaluations of teaching effectiveness among hospitalist, general medicine, and subspecialist attendings on general medicine wards. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: A large, inner-city, public teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 423 medical students and house staff evaluating 63 attending physicians. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We measured teaching effectiveness with the McGill Clinical Tutor Evaluation (CTE), a validated 25-item survey, and reviewed additional written comments. The response rate was 81%. On a 150-point composite measure, hospitalists' mean score (134.5 [95% confidence interval (CI), 130.2 to 138.8]) exceeded that of subspecialists (126.3 [95% CI, 120.4 to 132.1]), P =.03. General medicine attendings (135.0 [95% CI, 131.2 to 138.8]) were also rated higher than subspecialists, P =.01. Physicians who graduated from medical school in the 1990s received higher scores (136.0 [95% CI, 133.0 to 139.1]) than did more distant graduates (129.1 [95% CI, 125.1 to 133.1]), P =.006. These trends persisted after adjusting for covariates, but only year of graduation remained statistically significant, P =.05. Qualitative analysis of written remarks revealed that trainees valued faculty who were enthusiastic teachers, practiced evidence-based medicine, were involved in patient care, and developed a good rapport with patients and other team members. These characteristics were most often noted for hospitalist and general medicine attendings. CONCLUSIONS: On general medicine wards, medical students and residents considered hospitalists and general medicine attendings to be more effective teachers than subspecialists. This effect may be related to the preferred faculty members exhibiting specific characteristics and behaviors highly valued by trainees, such as enthusiasm for teaching and use of evidence-based medicine. (+info)
Facilitating scholarly writing in academic medicine.
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Scholarly writing is a critical skill for faculty in academic medicine; however, few faculty receive instruction in the process. We describe the experience of 18 assistant professors who participated in a writing and faculty development program which consisted of 7 monthly 75-minute sessions embedded in a Collaborative Mentoring Program (CMP). Participants identified barriers to writing, developed personal writing strategies, had time to write, and completed monthly writing contracts. Participants provided written responses to open-ended questions about the learning experience, and at the end of the program, participants identified manuscripts submitted for publication, and completed an audiotaped interview. Analysis of qualitative data using data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification showed that this writing program facilitated the knowledge, skills, and support needed to foster writing productivity. All participants completed at least 1 scholarly manuscript by the end of the CMP. The impact on participants' future academic productivity requires long-term follow-up. (+info)
A weekend program model for faculty development with primary care physicians.
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BACKGROUND: Medical teachers are expected to be proficient at teaching students and residents about the changing health care system. The University of Wisconsin established a faculty development fellowship program to better prepare clinical teachers in family medicine, general pediatrics, and general internal medicine. This paper describes our fellowship program, presents data on program accomplishments, and discusses what we have learned. METHODS: We developed a year-long series of five weekend workshops. A core group of faculty provided 2- to 4- hour sessions on topics including evidence-based medicine, physician leadership, advocacy, doctor-patient communication, quality, technology tools, and teaching skills. Evaluation data were used to shape the program, make improvements, and assess impact. Fellows self-assessed their ability to perform skills at the beginning and ending of the year; paired t tests were used to compare these changes. RESULTS: Attendance and program completion rates were more than 94% for the 84 fellows taught over 6 years. Individual sessions and the overall program were well-rated by fellows. Participants reported improvements in targeted skills; statistical analyses confirmed many significant pre-post improvements. LESSONS LEARNED: To obtain high ratings, faculty must apply adult learning and active learning principles; lectures were not well tolerated. Initial technology skills were often low; computer labs needed many helpers. Participants needed extensive faculty support on their projects. It facilitated coordination and learning to have a core group of fellowship faculty who did most of the teaching. Graduates have become enthusiastic recruiters for new fellows. Our 5-weekend program has proven to be an effective faculty development model. (+info)
Preparing faculty to teach managing care competencies: lessons learned from a national faculty development program.
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BACKGROUND: Although competencies for managing care are often described in the medical literature, educators have been slow to integrate these competencies into clinical curricula. Backlash against managed care has created a skeptical educational environment. Many faculty feel unprepared to teach the competencies in clinical settings. METHODS: From 1999 to 2001, we designed, implemented, and evaluated a faculty development program, funded by the Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Medicine. The goal of the program was to increase Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century (UME-21) and Partnerships for Quality Education (PQE) faculty skills in teaching quality improvement and costeffectiveness in the clinical setting and to prepare them to teach these topics to other faculty. RESULTS: Thirty-nine faculty attended the 4-month faculty development program. The program, in a train-the-trainer model, consisted of two 2-day workshops as well as pre-, mid-, and end-program activities and teaching experiences. Readings, brief lectures followed by focused discussion, and active learning experiences were used to teach content, provide experience and feedback with teaching skills, and model a variety of teaching approaches. CONCLUSIONS: By the end of the program, participants believed that they had learned content (knowledge) and gained practical teaching skills. To be successful in effecting curriculum change around new topics, such as the managing care competencies, faculty need to not only master new content and methods but also learn how to be change agents in their schools. Because this work can be lonely, faculty need support within the school and connections with others, locally and nationally, who have similar ideas. (+info)
Collaborating to integrate curriculum in primary care medical education: successes and challenges from three US medical schools.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Traditional medical school department-based clerkship structures can lead to redundancy and/or gaps in curriculum, inefficient administrative systems, and academic isolation for clerkship directors. This paper describes the approaches, successes, and challenges three institutions experienced when implementing an interdepartmental collaboration to create an integrated primary care clerkship experience. METHODS: Each school combined family medicine, ambulatory pediatrics, and ambulatory medicine into contiguous clerkship blocks. In all institutions, each clerkship maintained certain distinct features while the integrated aspects contained longitudinal curriculum of certain primary care topics. RESULTS: Evaluations by students demonstrated favorable responses to the new content and integrated methods of teaching, as did results of the Association of American Medical Colleges graduation survey. Faculty at each institution reported that their multidisciplinary approach has stimulated important educational collaborations, many of which require an economy of scale not often achievable within a single clerkship. These included innovative evaluation/documentation efforts; centralization of administrative tasks; enhanced recruitment, retention, and development of community-based faculty; an increase in the active core group of local and national primary care leaders; and an increase in scholarly activities. The collaborations have not occurred without challenges, primarily in the need for identifying sustainable resources for these and future collaborative educational endeavors. CONCLUSIONS: The benefits involved in developing an integrated primary care experience include expansion of curriculum content and methods, as well as enhancement of collegial support and resources to community-based and academic faculty. These integrations do, however, bring added challenges, time, and costs to traditional independent clerkships. (+info)
Were today's professors good students? Case study of the Zagreb University School of Medicine.
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AIM: To determine whether the medical school grades of today's professors at the Zagreb University School of Medicine could serve as the predictors of their subsequent academic success. METHODS: We performed a retrospective descriptive study of medical school grades of professors and/or assistant professors at the Zagreb University School of Medicine from 1990 to 2003. The professors were divided into four groups according to the course they taught: Basic Science, Clinical Non-Surgery, Clinical Surgery, and Public Health. In total, data for 297 professors were analyzed. RESULTS: Today's professors were above-average students. The analysis of grades of professors teaching different disciplines revealed that Basic Science professors were the best students, followed by Non-Surgery and Surgery professors, whereas Public Health professors were the worst. Grades that professors earned in Public Health courses were the highest, followed by grades in Non-Surgical and Surgical courses. The grades in Basic Science courses were the lowest. CONCLUSION: Professors at the Zagreb University School of Medicine were above-average students and their grades seem to be important predictors of future success in academic career. Among today's professors, Basic Science professors were the best students. (+info)