Research and Development in Medical Education
Volume:10 Issue: 1, 2021

Rural health workers (Behvarz) are considered health- care pioneers standing at the forefront of providing services for rural areas. Those health providers need to be optimally educated throughout the country. What can serve this purpose is an integrated high quality “education”.

The current descriptive research compared two situations of education quality. To this end 300, rural health workers completed researcher-made questionnaires, including 2 dimensions,7 components and, 80 questions obtained from the analysis of the qualitative process through the fuzzy Delphi method.

The results indicated a gap between the current status and desirable situations of qualitative improvement components of rural health workers’ education. The findings also showed that the highest standardized coefficient in the area of education was related to the variable of learning and transfer of education with a coefficient of 0.971. In the area of optimization, the highest standard coefficient for the desirable situation belonged to the interpersonal and functional relationship variable, with the value of 0.978, while the lowest standardized coefficient was related to the variable of information and communication technology (ICT) development as 0.956.

In brief, optimal education for the health- care providers is considered an integral part of the health system; therefore, the impact of education on the general health of the people should be taken into consideration. Therefore, there is a need for theoretical and practical exploration of qualitative education towards health system improvement and promotion.

Education plays an essential role in all aspects of life. It is particularly important in religious affairs. History shows that religious leaders utilized different methods to teach. In Islam, the Holy Prophet and the infallible Imams, especially Imam Baqir (AS) and Imam Sadiq (As), considered spiritual guidance as part of education and always accentuated and attempted to teach practically through their behavior and speech. Islamic teachings have to a large extent reported religious leaders teaching methods. One of the hadiths that focuses on adult education is Hadith of Unwan al-Basri. In this hadith, Unwan al-Basri, aged 94, reports Imam Sadiq’s (As) teaching method. The current study aimed to investigate the adult education method in Imam Sadiq (A.S) School.

The Hadith of Unwan al-Basri was investigated through thematic analysis. The basic concepts were first obtained using the data coding process. The basic concepts were then reduced and categorized into sub-themes and themes.

The findings showed that the analysis resulted in seventy basic concepts which were reduced into nineteen sub-themes categorized into four themes: characteristics of the teacher, characteristics of the learner, characteristics of the educational environment, and the educational content.

One of the most important elements in Imam Sadiq’s (AS) teaching method was his emphasis on teaching both practically and theoretically

The “hidden” curriculum, alongside official education, can transfer ethical and professional values and principles to medical students and show them the importance of medical ethics. Ethical issues are essential factors influenced by the hidden curriculum in the medical educational system; these issues are also instruments for medical students as they develop their professionalism and idealism. The current study aims to provide an empirical study model of this hidden curriculum and its role in transferring knowledge of medical ethics.

The current research is qualitative in the phenomenological type. The statistical population consisted of professors along with students in their fourth and upper years of various medical disciplines at the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences during 2019-2020. The sample group, according to the qualitative nature of the research, was compiled to a theoretical saturation to be 36 professors and students. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Analysis was done using thematic coding and Smith`s method. To maintain quality and accuracy, interview content was analyzed by two authors to reconstruct the reality. The data and their interpretation were then provided to the professors to confirm their accuracy. To ensure stability of the data, the interviews were conducted in a suitable atmosphere and in compliance with the interview conditions and isolated from bias and personal opinion.

A total of 67 concepts were extracted that were consequently categorized into five main themes: 1. Objectives and Curriculum; 2. Physical Space; 3. Backgrounds and Perspectives; 4. Laws and regulations; and, 5. Relationships. A model for studying students’ experiences of the hidden curriculum and medical ethics was presented.

Since medical professors and senior students are dealing with patient health, it is essential to acknowledge the concept of medical ethics as a “hidden” curriculum alongside scientific and professional issues in designing medical curriculum.

Journal club is an essential teaching-learning activity that provides a forum for developing skills in critical appraisal. It helps in keeping abreast of new knowledge, facilitating the application of new research in improving patient care, and aiding medical students to be competent clinicians. The current study aimed to elucidate whether students are aware of the concept of a journal club and their willingness to implement a journal club in their undergraduate medical curriculum.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate medical students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, The National University of Science and Technology, in February 2019. A structured questionnaire of 8 items was administered that assessed the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions towards implementation of a journal club (JC) in an undergraduate curriculum among medical students. A total of 161 undergraduate medical students participated in the study.

Of the 161 students, 112 (69.4%) were in their preclinical years, and 49 (30.6%) were in their clinical years. In all, 145 students were female and 16 were male. Majority of students in their preclinical years (70.5%) were not aware of the journal club. Among the five reasons given for journal clubs to be included in the curriculum, the largest number of students (30.8%) wanted a journal club because it would help them to gain confidence to present cases in clinics and exams. The most common reason students did not want a journal club was that it requires a great deal of time to prepare (64.3%).

The introduction of a journal club would enhance the proficiency of undergraduate students to be lifelong learners. It is a robust educational tool to equip them with knowledge of research practices that would aid in better patient care.

Gardner’s multiple intelligences (MI) theory offers great opportunities to improve the diverse abilities potential in disabled learners. The current study investigated the effect of the MI teaching approach on physically disabled learners’ MI and ego resiliency.

The purposive sample included male and female participants aged 14 to 30 years at the Arseye-Talash Institute in Urmia, West Azerbaijan for students with disabilities. To gain a complete picture of the phenomenon, the study used self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The study utilized an experimental design that included 30 participants overall, with 10 participants in a control group and 20 participants in two experimental groups according to the multiple intelligences-based instructions (MIBI) they received: first language (Persian)-oriented MIBIs & second language (English)-oriented MIBIs. For both experimental groups (n = 20), active and passive intelligences of the students were identified using a MI test. Then, the instruction was tailored to designing tasks to activate the passive intelligence for both groups. The control group (n = 10) received no training. The data were analyzed in SPSS software using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc HSD test.

Findings indicated that the use of the MI-based teaching approach contributed to a significant improvement in the learners’ MI (P<0.01) and ego resiliency (P<0.01). Furthermore, findings showed a positive impact of L2-oriented (English) MIBIs compared with L1-oriented (Persian) MIBI on physically disabled learners’ ego resiliency (P<0.01); however, no significant difference was found between the two languages’ MIBIs (P>0.01).

The more diverse a learner’s experience, the more effective their learning will be, and accordingly, the more successful they will be in a world of challenges. This holds especially true for physically disabled learners who have diverse experiences and hence diverse learning needs.

Clinical teaching is a vital component of medical education. However, evidence indicates that clinical teaching still confronts numerous challenges, as its quantity and quality are not always desirable. The need for improvement has been emphasized in the planning, teaching, and evaluation of clinical education. Therefore, this study aims to design a customized model of effective clinical teaching for the undergraduate medical program.

A mixed-method study will be conducted in three consecutive phases. The first phase, using a grounded theory approach, explores the lived experiences of clinical teachers and undergraduate medical students concerning effective clinical education in an undergraduate medical program. In the second phase, a systematized review will be conducted on secondary data sources to fill theoretical categories and to extend the theory emerging from the qualitative phase. Finally, in the third phase, a model of clinical teaching will be developed for an undergraduate medical program.

The findings of this study will offer new insights into the clinical teaching paradigm in developing curriculum, setting policies, designing suitable undergraduate medical-clinical education programs, and developing effective teaching methods. These results will contribute to understanding the challenges of clinical education in an undergraduate medical program.

Little evidence exists regarding Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) milestone discriminatory ability. This short report describes variability in milestone scores by category to determine their utility in discerning high and low performers in a single Obstetrics and Gynecology residency.

A Clinical Competency Committee (CCC) design was implemented with four subcommittees, each responsible for a predetermined milestones subset: Obstetrics, Gynecology, Ambulatory Practice, and Professional Activities. Milestone scores for 44 residents per year over four biannual evaluation cycles (2014-2016) were evaluated, for a total of 176 independent evaluations.

Findings indicate that discriminatory ability, assessed by variability between resident scores, differed by subcommittee. Subcommittees that were primarily tasked with evaluating clinical- and procedural-based milestones demonstrated lower discriminatory ability among trainees.

Greater Professional Activity milestone variability indicates better differentiation; future research should determine correlation of these findings with other professionalism performance metrics and novel intervention strategies.

The acquisition of competencies in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among medical students requires specific and up-to-date training. In this study, a near-peer workshop group was used to assess the effects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training on students’ satisfaction, acquisition, and retention of CPR knowledge.

This quasi-experimental study using repeated measure analysis design was conducted with 120 medical students at the Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The educational content was presented in six workshop sessions under the supervision of a near-peer group. A questionnaire was used to assess demographics, knowledge, and satisfaction. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 14.

The mean knowledge scores of participants 6.8±2.7, 16.1± 2.6, and 13.5±4.0 before, immediately, and two months after the workshop, respectively. These results showed that the mean knowledge score significantly increased immediately after the training. Although the mean scores fell slightly by two months after the intervention, they remained significantly higher than before the workshop. The satisfaction level of all the students of this method was reported as good.

In accordance with the positive effects of collaborative learning methods in the teaching-learning process, we used a novel and efficient collaborative method to improve the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. CPR training with a near-peer group had a positive impact on student knowledge acquisition, knowledge retention, and learning satisfaction. Therefore, this method may be a useful way to conduct such training workshops.

Medical education has been reliant on didactic lectures, which are predominantly teacher-centered learning. Competency-based education was introduced in North America and with this came a paradigm shift in how schools conceptualize curricula and measure learning outcomes. This modern approach started a change away from traditional lecture-based and teacher-centered curricula to a more student-centric approach using various tools. Competencybased education is widely regarded as an outcome-based approach to design, implement and evaluate the curriculum using widely accepted competencies. Authorities recommend seven core competencies which have various indicators to address student performance. The main purpose of this research is to utilize active learning tools to enhance this approach and then assess competencies in the first year of medical school to improve academic outcomes as well as exposing students to competency domains on which they will be assessed and to ultimately create a complete physician.

The study was conducted at a medical school during the first semester of medical school and included 145 students. Various active learning tools, such as modified case-based learning, quizzes, and case discussions, were used to assess competency in a biochemistry and genetics course, and these were compared to questions based on concepts delivered by the traditional lecture method.

Student performance on high-stakes examinations after active learning sessions on content and concepts had statistically higher average percentages on the second, third and fourth examinations. The average Diff (p) for the second, third, and fourth examination to the questions being considered for the study were (Diff p= 0.84, 0.83, and 0.92) with a positive moderate correlation for the second examination (r= 0.535) and strong positive correlation for the third and fourth examination (r=0.745 and r=0.856) for their final biochemistry grades.

The study shows some positive and significant results that active learning methods are a useful and meaningful way to deliver a curriculum for a competency-based education system, and may be better suited than traditional lectures for providing content and assessing competencies which are necessary to become a complete physician.

According to the National Medical Council (NMC) recommendation, the foundation course was carried out in our institution for I MBBS 2019 and 2020 students. The current study was done to solicit the viewpoints of the students and faculty members about the connection of the topics included in the foundation course.

This cross-sectional study was carried out to seek the perspectives of students who took the foundation course and the faculties involving in teaching the topics allotted for the 2019 and 2020 MBBS students. Google Forms was used to collect the data, which was analyzed by Excel.

The general experience of the students and faculty was uniformly positive for 100% for both students and faculty in the 2019 group, and 94.1% and 97.8% for students and faculty, respectively, in the 2020 group. In the 2019 group, the skills module was recognized as the most appropriate module in the foundation course with (77.8%), followed by sports and extracurricular activities module (both at 64.6%). In the 2020 group, the professional development and ethics module was recognized as most appropriate by 89.3% of students, followed by the orientation module (83.3%) and language & computer skills module (80.9%)

This Foundation Course for MBBS students provided before the start of the medical curriculum is a novel and useful step. Feedback from various colleges across India can help make this course still more useful.

The quality of teaching and learning in health education determines the competency of doctors produced and ultimately the patient care. Realizing the necessity of active learning at the undergraduate level, curricular reforms are crucial to ensure that students play an active role in their learning process and absorb the prerequisite qualities of a competent health professional. The current study aimed to implement and evaluate case-based learning in a physiology curriculum.

The study included 150 first-year MBBS students using a mixed methods research design. A short lecture on anemia was followed by two sessions of case-based learning with a gap of one week. A structured questionnaire usinga 5-point Likert scale was used to collect students’ perceptions. The internal consistency of the questionnaire had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.8. Faculty feedback was collected using a Focus Group Discussion.

Of 145 participants, 117 provided feedback. Students perceived that the case-based learning method promoted meaningful learning (83%); helped in the future application of knowledge (81%);helped to understand physiology concepts better (72%); improved studentteacher relationships (72%); was effective in understanding the anemia topic (71%); led to the development of problem-solving abilities (70%); encouraged teamwork (69%); motivated selfdirected learning (66%); and improved communication skills (65%). Faculty members suggested developing an assessment plan for future case-based learning sessions.

According to student and faculty feedback, case-based learning is an effective, active teaching-learning tool that improves students’ understanding of basic concepts, clinical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, teamwork, communication skills, student-teacher relationship, and self-directed learning.

Workplace-based assessments (WPBA) have been recommended in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. WPBA tools assess the “does” level in Miller’s framework for assessing clinical competence. In this perspective, we focus on the rationale for and effective use of WPBA tools as part of formative assessment and feedback for learners. WPBA tools are an effective approach to facilitate learning because they ensure that the content of the training program, the intended competencies, and the assessment align with each other.

The learning during the use of WPBA occurs via feedback offered to students; it predominantly informs the students about their progress and the areas in which more focus is required. Moreover, the feedback plays an important role in motivating students to continue learning and advises them on how their learning can be expedited, including the use of appropriate resources. In conclusion, workplace-based assessment tools in medical training should be used not only to conduct an authentic assessment but to also facilitate learning among students. The process of learning is facilitated by giving timely feedback in alignment with the students’ needs, and all faculty members should be encouraged to use the opportunity of assessment for the benefit of students.

Students are considered part of the capital of each country. Several factors can affect their educational status and, as a result, contribute to their academic failure. The current study seeks to investigate the relationship between students’ academic failure and the affecting factors with the Iranian Educational Ranking of Universities.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The required sample size was calculated using Cochran’s formula. A researcher-made questionnaire with 5 parts was used to collect data. Kruskal Wallis and Spearman’s analysis of variance was used for analysis. The significance level was considered as 0.05.

A total of 1215 people participated; 13.7% of students had had an academic failure and 2.0% of them were on academic probation. There was a correlation between university RAD rank and academic failure (r = -0.098 and P = 0.0001) as well as student satisfaction (r = 0.264 – P = 0.0001). There was a significant difference between an academic drop and academic grade in three ranks of university (Pv= 0.0001), and, interestingly, having moved from Rank 1 to 3, having academic grade increases, and having academic failure decreases.

According to the findings of this study, the higher ranked the college campus is on the RAD scale, the higher the academic failure rate. For annual assessment of universities, it is proposed that assessment of academic failure and grades be used as a benchmark.

According to Emile Durkheim’s theory, we can consider societies as having a collective consciousness. To predict the behavior of societies, it is wise to consider the most involved conflicts in their collective consciousness.

We can use online behavior such as Google searches to find an approach to what goes on inside the souls of societies, because when many people search for a term, it means that there is a conflict about that term in the collective consciousness of that society. In this article, during the unprecedented situation that all countries around the globe are confronting due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we sought to track the online behavior of nine countries that were seriously involved.

As human conflicts are well categorized in Cloninger’s proposed planes of being, we selected search terms according to this category through conflict tables. Patterns of denial, recalling the Black Death, anxiousness, greed, competition, and tendencies of violence were also seen around the world. In most countries, the major findings/issues at the Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, Material and Sexual planes were those concerning “Compassion (Conciliation)”, “Lack of Prudence”, “Lack of Calmness and the Lack of Benevolence”, and “Lack of Charity and Lack of Discretion or Forethought”, respectively.

Awakening each conflict can result in behaviors that concern both societies and government. Predicting these behaviors can help societies take necessary measures and interventions. This especially lends new insights for educational systems in setting policies.

Academic burnout is a serious threat that can affect any student’s academic life, especially nursing students. Sleep quality and a healthy lifestyle are variables are related to academic burnout. This study aimed to predict undergraduate nursing students’ academic burnout based on sleep quality and lifestyle.

The study was descriptive and correlational in design. The statistical population included all undergraduate nursing students of the Razi School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Kerman University of Medical Sciences (Kerman, Iran; 2016-2017 academic year). Of 270 students,143 students were selected using a random cluster sampling method. The Academic Burnout Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the LifeStyle Inventory were used to collect data. A linear regression analysis using the enter method was employed for data analysis.

There was a significantly positive correlation between students’ academic burnout and total PSQI score (P = 0.000, r = 0.547) and some of its sub-scales, including subjective sleep quality (P = 0.000, r = 0.607), sleep latency (P = 0.019, r = 0.196), sleep duration (P = 0.014, r = 0.206), sleep disturbance (P = 0.000, r = 0.346), and daytime dysfunction due to sleepiness (P = 0.000, r = 0.654). Conversely, the relationship between students’ academic burnout and healthy lifestyle was negatively significant (P = 0.000, r = -0.507). Thus, the potential for undergraduate nursing students’ academic burnout can be predicted by sleep quality and lifestyle (P = 0.000, F = 23.480).

By improving sleep quality and living a healthier lifestyle, students may be less likely to experience academic burnout.

A recent trend in second language acquisition and learning has been oriented towards brain-based studies and its association with brain development and plasticity. There are currently unprecedented opportunities for contemporary understanding of the neurological basis of second language (L2) learning owing to recent advances in cognitive neuroscience. Brain functional and structural investigations have contributed remarkably to biological explanations of language acquisition in addition to behavioral explorations.

This study used a meta-analysis of previous findings of functional neuroimaging studies to elucidate the neuroanatomy of language learning from a functional perspective. By synthesizing existing literature, brain activation areas associated with different language learning skills and their convergence and overlap with other areas of activation for other cognitive and motor skills are extracted to reveal consistent functional areas of the brain. The current study attempts to link psycholinguistic research and cognitive neuroscience in the mediation of L2 learning and teaching. This review paper begins with a theoretical view of brain structure and function and concludes with a practical model of brain-based language instruction, resulting in a deeper understanding of the field.

Organized, conjoining cognitive neuroscience findings and L2 acquisition and learning approaches provide an opportunity for collaboration in cross-disciplinary studies. They provide new insights into how our brain represents languages. This article reviews recent advancements in our understanding of the brain; structural and functional organization of the brain; the role the brain plays in emotion, cognition, and development; and its consequent implication in language instruction. In effect, taking neurocognitive findings into account may have potential in developing brain-based tasks for the benefit of second language instruction in educational settings. Based on the revealed structural and functional areas of the brain and their networks of connection and interaction, manipulating areas of demanded activity may be as efficient as doing physical exercise to strengthen muscles.

Developing a systematic model of second language instruction compatible with brain functions and patterns can benefit the rate and proficiency of language learners, thus improving language teaching and learning outcomes. This paper will aid the quest for utilizing general information of brain functions and related methods in developing practical, efficient language instruction as well as enhancing interdisciplinary research studies in both language and cognitive neuroscience.

Community medicine and public health are the core subjects in medical education. One of the main competencies of general physicians in the national curriculum is having knowledge and skills in health promotion and disease prevention in the health system. Any curriculum revision in community medicine departments needs to incorporate the evidence and use pioneer countries’ experiences in this issue. This study aims to compare community medicine and public health courses in medical schools between Iran and selected universities in North America.

The elements of a community medicine curriculum for medical students were compared in a descriptive-comparative study using the Bereday model. These elements included objectives and competencies, educational strategies, teaching and learning methods, assessment, and educational fields in a community medicine curriculum in Iran and in selected universities in North America. A literature search was conducted in CINAHL, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Web of Science, EBSCO, and on university websites.

Essential aspects of community-based strategies among community medicine and public health curriculum of general medicine in universities in Canada and the United States included a longitudinal approach, training in urban and rural primary care centers, teaching by family physicians and health center staff, a spiral curriculum, focus on social determinants of health, taking of social and cultural histories and social prescriptions, learning teamwork, and using LIC (Longitudinal Integrated Curriculum).

The objective of community medicine and public health curriculum in selected North American universities was to prepare general practitioners who work in Level 2 and 3 hospitals and to improve their skills to provide high-quality services to the community. Some of the successful points in the selected universities that could be replicated in Iranian faculties of medicine included using integration strategy, a spiral curriculum, and an LIC approach.

Subclinical personality difficulties are the source of many interpersonal problems, and it is necessary for psychiatry residents to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the concepts of personality and personality disorders, including subclinical disorders. Clinical education is one of the most important aspects of medical students’ training. Improving the quality of this course is of particular importance. The services provided at the Personality Modulation Clinic of Razi Educational and Medical Center in Tabriz have been designed based on available scientific evidence and experiences for individuals with personality difficulties. The current research evaluates the effects of a new treatment known as the “Personality Biopsychological Approach” for individuals with personality difficulty for the first time given the absence of such an integrated and coherent program in clinical education. There are five main phases of study design: assessing patients’ needs, assessing psychiatric residents’ needs, formulating educational goals, the design of treatment model, and implementation. The current study found that society’s mental health is a top priority for national growth and development. Therefore, training psychiatrists in this field plays a crucial role in ensuring both individuals’ and society’s health and well-being. This study indicates that psychiatry residents’ acquaintance with this issue can increase their ability in the correct diagnosis and intervention in preventing the exacerbation of psychiatric disorders.

Empathy, quality of life, and occupational burnout are essential factors in medical sciences that affect the physicians’ and patients’ communication. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association of these three factors among medical students.

This descriptive correlational study was conducted among medical internship students. Participants were selected by using simple random sampling. The Jefferson Empathy Questionnaire, the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Maslach Burnout Questionnaire were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using t test, Kruskal-Wallis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

A total of 167 students completed the questionnaires. The association of empathy and occupational burnout (P = 0.005, r = -0.414) and between the quality of life and occupational burnout (P = 0.005, r = -0.446) were both significantly negative. Independent t test showed the mean score of occupational burnout was significantly higher in male students than females. It was also significantly higher in married students than single (P < 0.05). The results of the Kruskal- Wallis test showed no statistically significant difference among the quality of life of different ethnic groups (P > 0.05). One-way ANOVA showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the ethnic groups in terms of occupational burnout (P < 0.05)

The association of empathy and quality of life with occupational burnout was negative. The highest quality of life was related to older students. Among all of the studied variables, married status, ethnicity, and sex were most associated with occupational burnout where married and male students had the highest burnout.

One of the most interesting parts of medical science is using clinical reasoning to solve clinical problems. In today’s world of medicine, with increasing amounts of scientific information and new diagnostic and treatment facilities, physicians’ responsibility in managing the condition of patients becomes weightier. Making the correct decision is an important goal that can be achieved by having adequate information and using it appropriately. At this stage, we should follow the thought process of successful doctors and use information from books and articles to solve clinical problems. The purpose of this article is to improve the skills of physicians in the effective use of knowledge and experience to solve clinical problems to increase our success in fulfilling our responsibility to patients.

Clinical reasoning enhances the quality of learning and increases the ability of medical students in clinical problem-solving. In this article, a patient with rheumatoid arthritis in the COVID-19 pandemic developed respiratory distress, is identified by the clinical reasoning method and is treated, with his treatment then discussed. This article includes the following: prepare a list of differential diagnoses based on the list of signs and symptoms of the patient; modify the initial list to reflect findings from history and examinations; specify additional information to make a correct diagnosis; and, finally, decide when the information is obtained is sufficient to make the proper diagnosis.

In recent years, clinical reasoning has received more attention in student Olympiad competitions. Professors in medical sciences should pay special attention to teaching this skill to students. It is necessary to plan for teaching this type of training and to design tests for evaluating students’ clinical reasoning. This article can thus be a useful guide for those who enjoy working on a problem to get an answer.

This article shows how insidious and life-threatening a coronavirus infection can be, and how useful clinical reasoning can be when present in all stages of dealing with the patient, from the initial stages of taking the patient history to the end of treatment.

Considering components of the hidden curriculum in medicine in the higher education system is a useful adjunct to the formal curriculum since the learning and function of medical students are strongly affected by these components. The current study compares the hidden medical curriculum of Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences from the students’ perspectives.

In the current descriptive-comparative study, the statistical population included the total students of Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences. The statistical sample of the given study consisted of 400 students from senior and higher academic levels at the Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences based on Morgan’s table. Two hundred students from each university were selected using stratified random sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-created valid questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the given questionnaire in respect to its components were 0.94 and 0.76, respectively. In the analysis of data, an independent inferential T_test was utilized.

The results of the analysis found that from the students’ perspectives, the mean scores of the hidden curriculum in medicine in the Tabriz state university of medical sciences ranked the following components higher than the Tabriz non-state university of Medical Sciences: (1) Education, including curriculum and goal-setting, clinical education and content, (2) Socialphysical environment, (3) Regulations and rules, including reward and punishment system, organizational structure, respect for rights and value system and (4) Relations, including moral behavior, approach, participation, and responsibility. However, in the fifth component of contexts and perspectives, including personal-environment/family context and professionalfinancial perspectives, there was no significant difference between the hidden curriculum of Tabriz state and non-state Universities of Medical Sciences

The components of the hidden curriculum in medicine affect the learning richness and function of students and should be taken into consideration by universities of medical sciences, particularly non-state universities.

Dental students need to learn effectively to promote their professional services as a part of their daily activities. This study is conducted to determine dentistry students’ experiences of factors that influence their learning.

This qualitative study was conducted using the critical incident technique and content analysis approach to examine dental students’ experiences with factors that influence an effective learning process. Data were collected by individual in-depth semi-structured interviews with dental students at the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences.

In all, 104 primary codes were obtained from the interviews and group discussions, classified into two major themes. The factors facilitating effective learning encompassed three categories: teacher-related perceived experiences (8 subcategories), learning-related perceived experiences (5 subcategories), and compelling student-related perceived experiences (3 subcategories). Two factors inhibited learning: practical teacher-related perceived experiences (3 subcategories) and learning-related perceived experiences (3 subcategories).

The results showed that several instructor characteristics, such as being experienced in teaching methods, having the required clinical skills, and “interacting with students and patients” lead to effective learning. Several other factors involved in the learning process, such as student characteristics, a comprehensive curriculum fitting the theoretical and clinical needs of this field, interacting with peers, and keeping calm and being focused are the some of the most critical factors involved in effective learning.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and depression are specific mental disorders that can negatively affect college students’ social, occupational, and academic performance, especially medical students. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of CFS and depressive symptoms and their relationship with medical students.

This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with 175 medical students at the Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2020 in Guilan in the north of Iran. Three levels of medical students, including basic sciences and physiopathology, externship, and internship students, participated. A demographic information questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ) were used to collect data. SPSS 22 was used to analyze the data, including Mann-Whitney, Kruskal- Wallis, and Spearman tests.

The mean age of the participants was 23.92 ± 2.04 years. Of 175 participants, 50.9% were males. In all, 11.4% of subjects reported levels of CFS, and 38.8 % of them showed levels of depression. The rates of CFS and depressions were not associated with age, gender, marital status, educational level, geographic area, or student habitation (P > 0.05). The use of cigarettes (P = 0.002), alcohol, and substances (P < 0.0001) showed a significant relationship with higher levels of CFS and depression scores. The relationship between the CFS score and depression was significant (r = 0.523, P < 0.0001).

The prevalence of CFS and depression among medical students were 11.4% and 38.8%, respectively. There was a positive association between CFS and depression. Implementing screening policies is recommended, along with programs to help promote mental and physical health among students.

Vice Chairs for Education play an increasingly important role in academic medicine. They often serve in supportive roles overseeing educational initiatives and faculty development, ensuring that education remains prioritized. Literature in this area is limited, especially in obstetrics and gynecology. Prior literature has not been sufficiently directive in identifying best practices in role, mission, and scope for Vice Chairs for Education.

We developed and facilitated a workshop at the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics - Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (APGO-CREOG) annual meeting in February 2020. We brought together a national group of medical education faculty to elucidate the role of Vice Chairs and offer recommendations. After utilizing a previously described technique for gathering and reporting group recommendations, notes from small- and large-group discussions were collated, coded, and collapsed.

Four broad recommendations resulted. First, role clarity must be ensured, ideally with co-developed guidelines for responsibility. Second, the Vice Chair for Education should be charged with identifying departmental educational initiatives, including faculty development, utilizing best educational practices. Third, Vice Chairs for Education should implement and evaluate educational initiatives to enhance faculty well-being and promote a robust clinical learning environment. Finally, they should integrate with other Vice Chairs for Education within their institution and as part of national organizations to collaborate and develop best practices.

These serve as guidelines to establish success and increase impact and suggest the potential for a national body of Vice Chairs for Education leaders to improve local and national educational outcomes.

Professional ethics is of great importance in health-related fields, and observation of professional ethics by the treatment staff will lead to increased patient satisfaction. Legislators have attempted to improve adherence to professional ethics by compiling codes of ethics and holding professional ethics classes in universities. Despite these efforts to develop such codes of ethics, treatment staff do not always fully comply with professional ethics, leading to decreases in patient satisfaction.

Based on the authors’ experiences and related studies, we present several suggestions for improving the observation of professional ethics among treatment staff.

Strategies that can help improve ethical-behavioral patterns among treatment staff are as follows: Changing university entrance examinations, increasing professional ethics credits, teaching ethics regardless of religion, teaching the history of medicine, logotherapy of students during their university years, training in psychology as the core of medical education programs, and reformulating the incentive and punishment system.

It is required to make specific changes in the selection method and training of treatment staff to enhance client satisfaction. These recommendations are given according to the health system of Iran, but they can also be used in other countries

Studies on the efficacy of adaptive e-learning in dentistry are limited. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of linear and adaptive electronic continuing medical education (CME) courses about dental bleaching.

This quasi-experimental study using a post-test control group design evaluated the efficacy of an electronic CME course on dental bleaching offered to 60 dentists who were non-randomly allocated in two linear and adaptive groups (n = 30). One training session was held for participants of both the intervention and the control groups. At the end of the course, the learners participated in a post-test and completed a satisfaction questionnaire. SPSS 23 was used to analyze the results. An independent t test was used to assess the effect of type of intervention on the outcome of education, and Pearson’s chi-square test was applied to assess the effect of the intervention on participants’ satisfaction.

The mean post-test scores of participants were 6.33 ± 1.47 for the linear group and 6.40 ± 2.31 for the adaptive group. The mean satisfaction scores of participants were 4.02 ± 0.53 for the linear group and 4.15 ± 0.42 for the adaptive group. According to an independent t-test, the two groups were not significantly different in terms of post-test score (P = 0.7) or level of satisfaction (P = 0.2).

The adaptive approach has considerable advantages and comparable efficacy to the linear method in terms of post-test score and self-reported knowledge and satisfaction of participants. Thus, this method of education may be as effective as the linear method for instruction in dental bleaching. The use of an adaptive approach is therefore recommended in educational curricula.

The use of electronic exams (E-exams) has benefits in educational systems. The views of critical stakeholders, including faculty members, around E-exams should be taken into consideration in order to derive the most benefits. Due to the recent expansion of the use of E-exams at the Birjand University of Medical Sciences (BUMS), this study was conducted to assess faculty members ‘ attitude towards and satisfaction with E-exams.

This cross-sectional study included all faculty members at the university using a census sampling method. A researcher-created questionnaire with demographic, attitude, and satisfaction sections was used to collect the data. The content validity index and the content validity ratio were used to assess validity, and Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess reliability. Scoring was based on a 5-point Likert scale. SPSS was used to analyze the data using t-test and ANOVA at a significance level of 0.05.

Of the 126 faculty members who participated, 56.3% were women and 43.7% were men. The mean score of faculty members’ attitude was 69.19 ± 9.51 and their satisfaction score was 33.27 ± 5.00. A significant difference was found in the mean score of attitude by faculty (P = 0.038). A positive correlation was found between attitude and satisfaction (r = 0.537), and attitude and satisfaction with work experience (r = 0.002 and r = 0.233, respectively) which indicates that the correlation between attitude and satisfaction was significant (P <0.001)

Overall, there was a moderately positive attitude toward and a high level of satisfaction with e-exams among medical sciences faculty members. Given the correlation between attitude and satisfaction, these two categories should be taken into consideration together.