Journal of Medical Education
Volume:14 Issue: 2, May 2015

Background and Residents across the world spend several hours every week teaching medical students and junior residents. Workshops developed with the aim of improving resident teaching skills are becoming increasingly common in the various fields of medicine. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of a resident-as-teacher educational intervention on the resident’s knowledge of medical education. The study was performed in SUMS, Iran, in 2010-2011 on all the junior residents from the different fields, including 104 men and 66 women. For data collection, a questionnaire (pre-test, post-test) was used with 40 questions on medical education. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, tables and t test employing the SPSS software. In total, 120 participants completed the questionnaires. According to the pre-test and post-test results, residents received extremely low scores in different subjects before the course implementation, whereas after it was implemented their scores had significantly increased fairly well. The comparison between the participants, average scores before and after the program indicates that the «resident-as-a-teacher, researcher and role model» course has been meaningful and significantly effective in improving their knowledge in this area. A few residency programs had instituted the resident teacher training curricula. A resident teacher training workshop was perceived as beneficial by the residents, and they reported improvement in their teaching skills.

Background and Emergency physicians play an important role in the immediate diagnosis of bioterrorism activities. The present study was conducted with the purpose of comparing the effectiveness of virtual learning and classroom learning in approach to bioterrorism and chemical terrorism for emergency physicians. This was a semi-empirical study, which was conducted via testing knowledge before and after the educational intervention in the field of bioterrorism and chemical terrorism on the emergency physicians in Tehran. The external validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by two academic experts in order to determine the ability to detect bioterrorist and chemical terrorist diseases. In this study, education was done in both virtual and classroom forms. The education regarded 6 bioterrorist diseases in group A (anthrax, plague, viral hemorrhagic fever, tularemia, smallpox), and 5 chemical terrorist diseases (nerve gas, mustard, lewisite, phosgene, chlorine). 160 doctors participated in this study. 96 people (60%) were men and 64 people (40%) were women. The average age of the participants was 36.2 ± 5.5 years. In virtual learning method, the pre-test scores average was (30.6%), while the post-test scores average was (81.6%) (P=0.001). In classroom learning method, the pre-test scores average was (41.9%), while the post-test scores average was (72.9%), which the pre-test and post-test scores average differences in both cases are significant (P<0.001). In virtual learning method, the difference was (51%), and in the classroom method it was (31%), which these two represent a 20% difference between methods. From statistical point of view, this difference indicates that the virtual learning method being more effective (P=0.02). Based on the study results, it seems that in comparison to the classroom learning, virtual learning method is more effective in helping emergency physicians to diagnose bioterrorism or chemical terrorism factors.

Background and Basic medical sciences, not only in its traditional form as basic sciences, but also in its modern forms like Biotechnology and Genetics has indicated a highly applicable potential in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of illnesses. Therefore it is essential to improve basic sciences education quality, and because clinical students are in direct contact with medical issues, their judgment towards the clinical application of these lessons is crucial. This study was to analyze the clinical students’ attitude towards the basic sciences and their general questions in Birjand University of Medical Sciences.This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2006. All the medical students at the levels of Trainee I and II, and interns in Birjand University of Medical Sciences took part in this study. Data collection tool was a self-administered questionnaire. In this study, the questions from three periods of comprehensive exam from September 1380-1382(2001-2003) were used, then 60 questions were chosen via the random sampling and given to all clinical students and for each scientific question, one attitude assessment question was given so that the responder could represent his attitude on the Likert scale. The basic sciences courses and the necessity of specific courses in the basic level were analyzed in the further questionnaires.Then the SPSS software and the Chi-Square exam were used in order to analyze the data, and a P value of <0.05 was considered significant.The number of participants in this study was 95 students, from which 27 (28.4%) were men and 68 (71.6%) were women. According to most students (75.8%) there was no significant relationship between the questions of comprehensive exam of basic sciences and the studied courses in the basic sciences'' period, and the questions were not so applicable. There was no significant difference between the male and female ideas and students at various levels on the matter (P>0.05).From the viewpoint of the questions being applicable, the physiology (74.8%) and microbiology (74.8%) had the highest percentage of responses, and Biochemistry (69.5%) had the lowest.The necessity of specific courses was analyzed; anatomy (88.4%) and ESP (77.9%) were on top, and the Histology lab (14.7%) and Biochemistry lab (9.5%) were placed last. Among all the students, 61.1% had an opposing attitude towards the relation of basic sciences’ courses with the clinical application (clinical application in practice). 49.5% of the students did not even remember the basic sciences’ material. 60% evaluated the basic sciences'' period to be weak, and 73.7% believed that the courses'' duration to be inappropriate. Interns had a more positive feedback towards the application of the basic sciences exams than the trainees, and 61.1% had an opposing attitude towards the relation of basic sciences and their clinical application, and 71.6% of them were agree to the simultaneous study on the basic and clinical courses. There was no significant difference between the male and female students, or the students from various levels on the matter (P > 0.05).The innovation of new teaching methods in basic sciences, along with its applicable examples could partially change the students'' attitude. The questions of the exam should be as applicable as possible, and therefore reduce the gap between clinical and basic sciences.

Background and Hand contamination is an important factor of infection transmission from dental staff to patients and vice versa. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hand washing training on dental students’ knowledge, attitude, and clinical practice at the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Dental School in 2010. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 100 volunteers studying in the 6th,7th, 8th, and 11th semesters in the Shahid Beheshti Dental School. A standardized questionnaire was used after confirmation of its content validity and reliability as the study tool. All students were assessed twice: once before (pretest) and once after the training (post-test) of hand washing techniques. The scores of pretest and post-test were compared and analyzed by paired T test and by repeated measured analysis of variance test (RMA) by means of SPSS-15 program. A total of 100 students (38 boys and 62 girls) participated in this study. The difference between the mean scores of dental students’ knowledge before (13.73 ± 2.76) and after training (19.64 ± 2.53) was found to be significant (P < 0.001). With regard to their attitudes, the mean scores related to before (25.21 ± 2.31) and after training (26.63 ± 2.08) were significantly different (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the participants showed significantly improved hand washing technique after training (P < 0.001). RMA scores showed no significant difference between the male and female students in terms of their knowledge and attitudes, although the clinical practice of boys was better than that of girls (P = 0.017). However, the academic grades of the students (semesters) had no effect on their attitude, knowledge, and hand washing techniques. Training about hand washing techniques can improve the knowledge, attitude, and clinical practices of dental students, regardless of their grade.

Background & The purpose of this research was to evaluate the quantity and quality of continuing medical education programs from the viewpoint of general medical practitioners in Ilam province. The research method was descriptive survey and the statistic sample was a group of 61 general medical practitioners who have been working in Ilam during 2010-2011 and were chosen by simple random sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire with 50 items and reliability coefficient obtained using Cronbach''s alpha which was 88%. The findings showed that there is a meaningful/significant relationship between CME (Continuing Medical Education)/retraining programs and improving GPs (General Practitioner) clinical skills with reliability of 99% and this relationship is direct and positive (r=0.502). It means that increasing the quality and quantity of these programs has positive effect on improving general practitioners’ clinical skills. There was no meaningful/significant relationship between the method of teaching and GPs satisfaction (r=0.160). It means most of these practitioners were not satisfied with using training equipment, teaching methods, teachers'' knowledge and manners. Also, there was no meaningful/significant relationship between teaching times and educational materials and GPs satisfaction (r=.73). It shows that the rate of GPs satisfaction from teaching times and educational materials is very low and there is little coherence between them. But there was a meaningful/significant relationship between GPs job requirements and educational materials with reliability of 95% (r=.326). It means presenting suitable teaching materials and content related to GPs jobs requirements led to increase GPs desire to attend educational classes. There was no meaningful/significant relationship between time dedicated to each topic and improving GPs skills (r=0.096). So, findings indicate that there is no coincidence between GPs topics priorities and the time allocated to each CME program. There is a meaningful/significant relationship between up-to-date programs and improving GPs clinical skills (r=0.409) If quantity and quality of presented content be higher, it has positive effect on improving clinical skills and vice versa. All in all practitioners were not satisfied with the way of presenting topics including training equipment, teaching methods, teachers'' knowledge and manners. Suitable way of presenting content related to practitioners'' jobs requirements led to increase their desire to attend educational classes. The results of this study showed that there was no coherence between practitioners'' priorities and allocated time to continuing medical education program. There was no significant difference.

To improve the quality of the MCQs, a supervising feedback strategy between the examination constructors and the Educational Development Office of the School of Traditional Medicine was performed to evaluate the content validity and designation of the course items of the phytotherapy exam for PhD students of Traditional Pharmacy. The efforts resulted in a well-constructed examination.

Morning report sessions had long-standing history in medical education. Morning report management is an important aspect of professional medical education.To evaluate the contents of the morning report sessions, including management, staff training, deep learning, attention to learners at different level of education, record keeping, feedback, and final summarizing, direct observation of 73 sessions was conducted in five teaching hospitals in a medical university in Tehran.The following scores were obtained: morning report management (91%), training faculty members (9%), residents'' training (4%), direct learning by patient management instead of memorizing study material (88%), paying attention to the different educational levels of learners (28%), record keeping (36%), systematic feedback (48%), and a final summarizing session (26%). Out of eight, five dimensions related to teaching in the morning report sessions need improvisation, specifically on the training of faculty members and residents, paying attention to different educational levels of learners, brief summary of all sessions, and record keeping.