Identification of multicultural learning experiences following an international cross campus medical student exchange programme between the UK and Malaysia: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: In an increasingly global society, there is a need to develop culturally competent doctors who can work effectively across diverse populations. International learning opportunities in undergraduate healthcare programmes show various benefits. In medical education, these occur predominantly towards the end of degree programmes as electives, with scant examples of programmes for preclinical students. This study set out to identify the multicultural learning experiences following an early year international medical student exchange programme between the UK and Malaysian campuses of one UK medical school. SETTING: Two cohorts of international exchange programme for second year medical students in the UK and Malaysia. DESIGN: Interpretivist qualitative design using semistructured interviews/focus groups with students and faculty. METHODS: Participants were asked about their learning experiences during and after the exchange. Data were recorded with consent and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: (1) overall benefits of the exchange programme, (2) personal growth and development, (3) understanding and observing a different educational environment and (4) experiencing different healthcare systems. CONCLUSION: The international exchange programme highlighted differences in learning approaches, students from both campuses gained valuable learning experiences which increased their personal growth, confidence, cultural competence, giving them an appreciation of a better work-life balance and effective time management skills. It is often a challenge to prepare healthcare professionals for work in a global multicultural workplace and we would suggest that exchange programmes early on in a medical curriculum would go some way to addressing this challenge.

Scaffolding dermatological learning with near-peer teaching for preclinical-year medical students.

BACKGROUND: To date, to our knowledge, there has not been a study on dermatological teaching in the preclinical years (usually the first 2 years of medical school), where the majority of learning takes place in the form of lectures and seminars. Near-peer teaching (NPT) involves students who are at least one academic year more senior imparting knowledge to junior students. The principles behind scaffolding are having a more experienced teacher to guide learning, breaking down learning into smaller tasks and helping to build interest in learning. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of NPT in scaffolding dermatological learning among preclinical-year medical students. METHODS: Near-peer teachers who are content experts in dermatology taught alongside conventional teaching with lecturers. We employed five quiz questions before and after the case launch lecture, where students were first exposed to dermatology. We also invited students to provide feedback using a questionnaire on NPT in dermatology at the end of the case 8 teaching week. RESULTS: In total, 74 students participated in the pre- and post-lecture quiz questions, and 47 completed feedback. There was overwhelmingly positive feedback towards NPT, and various learning theories can help explain the success of this project. CONCLUSIONS: Preclinical students enjoy dermatological teaching with the involvement of suitable near-peers. With the professional barrier removed, students can better relate to near-peers (and vice versa). Helping students understand the relevance of dermatology in the clinical setting at an early stage and adopting learning tools such as mnemonics, summary tables, comparison tables and mapping teaching with the learning curriculum clearly helped students learn about dermatology.

Falling back on technology mindfully during COVID-19 pandemic: NUMed campus experience.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. COVID-19 pandemic has forced technology to evolve as the most challenging means of delivering teaching in addressing the cordon sanitaire. Technology has already been transforming most operation in medical education and secured strong footage in medical schools. NUMed, like any other higher educational institution, has started planning and implementing various strategies to ensure teaching is not hampered during this crisis. ReCaps, online tutorials, discussion boards, online seminars, webinars and quizzes were utilized in reflecting on the current situation. The paper assesses and mitigates the immediate change that has breached the boundaries of students and staffs to be engaged with strategic planning and adoption during the COVID-19 situation. This paper illustrates the interrelatedness and navigates across borders to leverage the possible planning and implementing educational technology as the pedagogical means to ensure the quality of medical education is preserved in fact enhanced through these strategies.