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: Kara Alcegueire, Paul Bain, Suni Ebby, Vyasa Hari, Scott Kinkade, Pranav Kotamraju, Viviane Liao, Liju Mathew, Milad Memari, Amin Nakhostin-Ansari, Ashley Paul, Julianne Perretta, Katherine Senko, Julia Shalen, Sean Tackett, Scott Wright, Tony Zhu)

Featured This Month

The Gist

• Guide on how to write cases for problem-based learning (PBL).
• Describes eight steps, including formulating learning objectives, developing cases with student input, and revising cases based on evaluation data.

Why This is a Must Read

PBL is a common educational method, but developing cases is not straightforward. The systematic approach and concrete tips in this article can help educators develop and revise PBL cases.

The Gist

• Qualitative analysis of 369 memes from a Facebook residency well-being page to describe how memes reflect professional identity formation.
• Identified 18 codes across individual, relational, organizational, and societal levels that showed challenges when incorporating individual identities with group norms.

Why This is a Must Read

Social media is a unique outlet for self-expression and connection with others. This article highlights how social media memes can give insight into resident experiences and be useful for research and teaching purposes.

The Gist

• Surveys of 1667 medical students over 6 years evaluating 5 measures of empathy.
• Empathy increased in pre-clinical years and was maintained during clinical rotations.

Why This is a Must Read

The conventional wisdom is that empathy decreases during medical school. This study adds to a growing literature showing that medical student empathy can increase and educational interventions can help.

Featured

The Gist

• Overview of strategies and tactics to admit more individuals from under-represented groups into medical school.
• Summarizes initiatives that have been effective internationally and proposes meaningful evaluation measures.

Why This is a Must Read

Health systems are stronger when physicians resemble their communities. This article provides a global perspective and concrete ways to increase diversity in medical school admissions.

The Gist

• Commentary on feedback for enhancing performance and lifelong learning.
• Discusses feedback literacy, links with adult learning theory, and overcoming common challenges.

Why This is a Must Read

Feedback is essential for learning but is not simple or easy to do. This article is a useful primer for effective feedback in clinical settings.

The Gist

• Interviews of 9 graduate medical trainees using photo-elicitation to explore shame and professional identity formation.
• Shame, while uncomfortable, could lead to evolution in self-image and professional identity.

Why This is a Must Read

Shame is common, maybe unavoidable, and often perceived negatively. This study suggests that feelings of shame might indicate an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

The Gist

• Interviews of 28 medical students, graduates, and teachers in Indonesia describing experiences with orientation into a national student organization.
• The organization offered rules and community, but was also oppressive, forcing students to conform or become outsiders.

Why This is a Must Read

Student groups can significantly impact student experiences. This study sheds light on the unintended consequences of powerful hierarchies in one student organization and the need to ensure students feel belonging among their peers.

The Gist

• Scoping review summarizing 116 articles on gaps in preparedness for transition to independent practice in the U.S.
• Described 192 different gaps, spanning patient care, personal and professional development, communication skills, and the business of medicine.

Why This is a Must Read

Physicians often receive little educational support after formal training, but still have much to learn. This well-organized review documents common areas where more teaching, assessment, and feedback could help early career physicians.

The Gist

• Interviews of 12 medical students after a cardiac arrest simulation, analyzed against the Transformative Agency by Double Stimulation framework.
• A challenging authentic experience, teamwork opportunities, and debriefing promoted agentic learning.

Why This is a Must Read

Physicians must make difficult decisions and need a strong sense of agency. This study shows how simulating difficult real-life clinical scenarios can motivate and empower learners.