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 team is composed of 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 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. 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 Twitter to be notified when new must reads are selected.

(Reviewers: Kavita Chapla, Alaina Chodoff, Kara-Grace Leventhal, Gigi Liu, Emily Ma, Thiago Mendes, Susan Mirabal, Hannah Oswalt, Stasia Reynolds, Ben Roberts, Elizabeth Ryznar, Carolina Saldanha, Dan Sartori, Sean Tackett, Scott Wright)

Featured This Month

Accelerated 3-year MD pathway programs: Graduates’ perspectives on education quality, the learning environment, residency readiness, debt, burnout, and career plans
Academic Medicine: S. Leong, C. Gillespie, B. Jones, T. Fancher, C. L. Coe, L. Dodson, M. Hunsaker, B. M. Thompson, A. Dempsey, R. Pallay, W. Crump, and J. Cangiarella
The Gist
• Data analysis from the 2017 and 2018 Association of American Medical Colleges Medical School Graduation Questionnaires comparing graduates from 3-year programs to a national sample.
• Graduates from 3-year programs reported more favorable learning environment ratings, lower debt, and greater likelihood to practice in underserved areas.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Educating physicians is time-consuming and expensive. This study suggests that effective medical student education can occur in shorter time and at less cost, and it may compel medical education to become more efficient.

Unobserved observers: Nurse’s perspectives about sharing feedback on the performance of resident physicians
Academic Medicine: C. Bhat, K. LaDonna, S. Dewhirst, S. Halman, K. Scowcroft, S. Bhat, and W. J. Cheung
The Gist
• Interviews of nurses from emergency medicine and internal medicine exploring their perspectives on providing feedback about residents.
• Nurses felt they had unique perspectives on resident behaviors and were motivated to share, but they felt their feedback may not be welcome.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

All members of the healthcare team need to work together to improve education and practice. This article highlights that we need to intentionally break down hierarchies and that simply asking for feedback is one step we can take.

Dismantling structural stigma related to mental health and substance use: An educational framework
Academic Medicine: J. Sukhera, S. Knaak, T. Ungar, and M. Rehman
The Gist
• Commentary describing the need for structural competency and humility to overcome prejudice against individuals with mental health and substance use.
• Proposes a 4 “R” framework: (1) Recognize stigma, (2) Reflect on assumptions, (3) Reframe to person-centered language, and (4) Respond to address structural problems.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Longstanding structures can go unnoticed and yet lead to unfair and negative treatment of individuals. The framework and examples offered in this article can guide educational practices that reduce stigma.

Featured

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Medical Teacher: A. Makrides and P. Yeates
Memory, credibility and insight: How video-based feedback promotes deeper reflection and learning in objective structured clinical exams
The Gist
• Interviews of medical students after watching a video of their performance during an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) and reviewing feedback from an examiner.
• Students felt that videos helped them recall the OSCE more clearly, become more receptive to feedback, and realize new insights into how others perceive them.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Video recording clinical skills performance is easier than ever before. That videos can make learners more open to feedback and facilitate reflection suggests we should use them more often.

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JAMA Network Open: L. L. Forrest, B. P. Leitner, C. E. Vasquez Guzman, E. Brodt, and C. A. Odonkor
Representation of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals in academic medical training
The Gist
• Cross-sectional study describing the representation of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals at different stages of medical training.
• Under-representation was most pronounced in the numbers applying to medical school and working as full-time faculty.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Diverse populations of patients require a diverse physician workforce. This article can increase awareness of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals’ participation in medical education and ways to increase their representation.

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Medical Education: S. Haney, P. Rowland, and S. Ginsburg
Patients’ perspectives on medical students’ professionalism: Blind spots and opportunities
The Gist
• Interviews of patients who watched videos of medical students in professionally challenging clinical scenarios.
• Patients affirmed previously described principles of professionalism and identified new principles, including helping patients advocate for themselves.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

We should always try to incorporate patients’ perspectives in medical education. This study reveals how patients understand dynamics on a clinical teaching team and preferences for how medical students should handle difficult professional situations.

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Academic Medicine: J. M. Kelly, A. Perseghin, A. Dow, S. P. Trivedi, A. Rodman, and J. Berk
Learning through listening: A scoping review of podcast use in medical education
The Gist
• Scoping review of the literature on podcasts for physicians or physicians-in-training through 2020.
• Describes trends, current practices, barriers, and outcomes reported in podcast scholarship.
Why This is a Must Read

The quantity and quality of podcasts for medical education is growing. This article’s synthesis could be useful for those seeking to implement and evaluate podcasts in teaching and learning settings.

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Chest: B. T. Garibaldi and S. W. Russell
Strategies to improve bedside clinical teaching
The Gist
• Commentary on bedside clinical skills teaching and assessment.
• Describes strategies for bedside teaching with an emphasis on incorporation of new technologies.
Why This is a Must Read

There’s no substitute for learning from patients at the bedside, but this practice has become more challenging, most recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article brings us back to basics by providing strategies and resources that can help us improve our bedside skills.

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Academic Medicine: M. Hansen, T. Harrod, N. Bahr, A. Schoonover, K. Adams, J. Kornegay, A. Stenson, V. Ng, J. Plitt, D. Cooper, N. Scott, S. Chinai, J. Johnson, L. Weinberger Conlon, C. Salva, H. Caretta-Weyer, T.Huynh, D. Jones, K. Jorda, J. Lo, R. Mayersak, E. Paré, K. Hughes, R. Ahmed, S. Patel, S. Tsao, E. Wang, T. Ogburn, and J. M. Guise
The effects of leadership curricula with and without implicit bias training on graduate medical education: A multicenter randomized trial
The Gist
• Randomized controlled trial including ob-gyn and emergency medicine residents from 5 institutions that compared outcomes from 3 arms: a control and 2 receiving different leadership curricula.
• Leadership skills improved among those receiving each leadership curriculum and were retained after 6 months.
Why This is a Must Read

Healthcare providers must assume leadership roles but may not have received leadership training. This study demonstrated - with an exceptional level of rigor - that a short self-paced online curriculum and practice opportunity can lead to lasting improvements in leadership performance.