Must Reads

What is a ‘Must Read’ for those interested in medical education?

Each month, we identify 3-4 noteworthy articles from the health professions education literature and label them as “must reads.” Selection is based on several criteria including originality and methodological rigor. Our process includes a formal search of the peer-reviewed literature, screening titles and abstracts, full text review, and an editorial meeting to achieve consensus.

Who are we and why are we doing this?

Our reviewers include individuals with expertise in teaching, educational oversight, and research as well as those who are beginning their careers as educational scholars.

The volume of health professions education articles has become overwhelming. In curating some of the best new published papers, we hope to make it easier for all of us to keep abreast of cutting edge educational scholarship and practices.

We’d welcome involvement in the selection process. Reviewers can earn CME credit and contribute to Must Reads research. If you are interested in supporting this work or have perspectives to share, please email Sean Tackett: stacket1@jhmi.edu.

You can also follow @MedEdMustReads on X (aka Twitter) to be notified when new must read articles are selected and sign up to receive an email each month.

(Current Reviewers: Mohammad Aldalou, Syed Muhammad Ali, Paul Bain, Suni Ebby, Vyasa Hari, Scott Kinkade, Anisha Kshetrapal, Viviane Liao, Liju Mathew, Amin Nakhostin-Ansari, Ashley Paul, Julianne Perretta, Katherine Senko, Grace Suh, Sean Tackett, Scott Wright, Tony Zhu)

Featured This Month

The Gist

• Commentary on productive struggle as a way to develop adaptive expertise.
• Describes relevant concepts and provides examples contrasting productive with unproductive struggle in clinical learning.

Why This is a Must Read

Desirable difficulties make learning efficient. This article highlights how productive struggle – and failure – can better prepare learners for uncertain and complex clinical environments.

The Gist

• Analysis of 81 written narratives about personally challenging feedback encounters.
• Encounters were emotionally charged, and learners repeatedly reflected on feedback as they processed it.

Why This is a Must Read

Feedback often targets short term adjustments, but some feedback lingers with learners. This article illustrates that the impact of especially powerful feedback may not be known until years later.

The Gist

• Surveys and focus groups to evaluate an online, art museum-based continuing medical education program.
• Physicians enjoyed spending time with art and found it relevant to their clinical and educational skills.

Why This is a Must Read

Art is meant to change how people think and feel. This article adds to the growing evidence that art may be useful for medical learners at all levels.

Featured

The Gist

• Guide to improving education for “transfer” of learning to future real-world scenarios.
• Describes 4 key elements of transfer – (1) developing a mental model, (2) having motivation to apply learning, (3) being in a new and relevant situation, and (4) metacognition – and provides tips for educational design and questioning strategies.

Why This is a Must Read

The goal of education is for learning to be applied in practice. This article provides frameworks and specific tips to help learners bridge the gap from formal teaching settings to performing behaviors that improve care.

The Gist

• Realist review of 32 studies of initiatives to increase diversity in medical education.
• Summarizes 5 types of interventions at individual and systems levels and describes mechanisms for how interventions worked.

Why This is a Must Read

Physicians provide better care when they have more in common with patients. This article offers an evidence-informed theory for designing and evaluating programs that bring more diversity to the medical profession.

The Gist

• Scoping review of 61 empirical studies of emotions and clinical reasoning.
• Emotions affected – and were affected by – clinical reasoning; both positive and negative emotions could improve reasoning.

Why This is a Must Read

Emotions influence how we think. This article summarizes the current understanding of emotions in clinical learning and suggests that greater emotional awareness can improve clinical decision-making.

The Gist

• Commentary describing narrative candor – a combination of narrative medicine and intellectual candor - to overcome the myth of the doctor-hero.
• Suggests that “little stories” of everyday struggles, collaborations, and successes should be incorporated throughout medical education.

Why This is a Must Read

Medicine is amazing most often in small ways. Sharing stories of daily experiences can recognize the significance in the ordinary and help see imperfections as opportunities for learning.

The Gist

• Analysis of U.S. residency match data from 2009 to 2024 to quantify changes in research experiences and publications.
• Research activity increased during the period, with the greatest increases for the most competitive specialties.

Why This is a Must Read

Most practicing physicians do not do research. This article shows that medical students are spending more time and effort in research activities without a clear benefit to their clinical skills.

The Gist

• Analysis of 872 student descriptions of exceptional teaching.
• Reported 3 themes: (1) challenging and supporting learners, (2) valuing learners as part of the team, and (3) showing enthusiasm for teaching and patient care.

Why This is a Must Read

Much has been written about great teaching, but it remains easier said than done. This article provides concrete examples and recommendations rooted in student experiences that can guide improvement.