Dissemination of Quality Improvement Project Results After Local Presentation.

Among quality improvement (QI) projects submitted for local presentation, the authors sought to understand how often project results were eventually disseminated through national/international presentation or peer-reviewed journal publication. Projects submitted for local presentation from 2016 to 2019 were linked to resulting publications or national/international conference presentations. Submitting authors were surveyed about their intentions, experience, and satisfaction with the process of disseminating their project results. Of 83 projects, 5 were published and another 10 were presented nationally/internationally. External dissemination was more likely with fewer project cycles and cost-focused outcomes. Survey responses indicated that most project leaders wanted to see their results published but held mixed opinions about resources and encouragement available to reach this goal. Few QI projects submitted for local presentation resulted in wider dissemination of project results. Sharing results and lessons learned beyond the local institution requires long-term planning, education, and support beginning early in the QI process.

A Required, Combined Neurology-Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clerkship Addresses Clinical and Health Systems Knowledge Gaps for Fourth-Year Medical Students.

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the impact of a 4-wk mandatory neurology-physical medicine and rehabilitation advanced-core clerkship for fourth-year medical students. The combined clerkship encouraged an interdisciplinary and function-based approach to the management of common neurologic, musculoskeletal, and pain complaints. Seventy-three fourth-year medical students participated in the rotation over 1 yr. A survey assessing knowledge and skill set topics was conducted before and after the clerkship. Qualitative feedback regarding the rotation was provided by the students and analyzed. Significant gaps in knowledge and skill sets were identified before the clerkship and successfully addressed by combined teaching modalities. These data demonstrate that an integrated neurology-physical medicine and rehabilitation clerkship can improve students' confidence in multiple domains. Integrating physical medicine and rehabilitation into core clerkships at other medical schools may provide an avenue to address curriculum gaps.

What Do Program Directors Look for in an Applicant?

Program directors (PDs) are faced with an increasing number of applicants to emergency medicine (EM) and a limited number of positions. This article will provide candidates with insight to what PDs look for in an applicant. We will elaborate on the performance in the emergency medicine clerkship, interview, clinical rotations (apart from EM), board scores, Alpha Omega Alpha membership, letters of recommendation, Medical Student Performance Evaluation or dean's letter, extracurricular activities, Gold Humanism Society membership, medical school attended, research and scholarly projects, personal statement, and commitment to EM. We stress the National Resident Matching Program process and how, ultimately, selection of a residency is equally dependent on an applicant's selection process.

Impact of a Revised Curriculum Focusing on Clinical Neurology and Musculoskeletal Care on a Required Fourth-Year Medical Student Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clerkship.

Background. A Required Fourth-Year Medical Student Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Clerkship was found to increase students' knowledge of PM&R; however the students' overall rotation evaluations were consistently lower than the other 8 required clerkships at the medical school. Objective. To describe the impact of a revised curriculum based upon Entrustable Professional Activities and focusing on basic pain management, musculoskeletal care, and neurology. Setting. Academic Medical Center. Participants. 73 fourth-year medical students. Methods. The curriculum changes included a shift in the required readings from rehabilitation specific topics toward more general content in the areas of clinical neurology and musculoskeletal care. Hands-on workshops on neurological and musculoskeletal physical examination techniques, small group case-based learning, an anatomy clinical correlation lecture, and a lecture on pain management were integrated into the curriculum. Main Outcome Measurements. Student evaluations of the clerkship. Results. Statistically significant improvements were found in the students' evaluations of usefulness of lecturers, development of patient interviewing skills, and diagnostic and patient management skills (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions. This study suggests that students have a greater satisfaction with a required PM&R clerkship when lecturers utilize a variety of pedagogic methods to teach basic pain, neurology and musculoskeletal care skills in the rehabilitation setting rather than rehabilitation specific content.

Correlation of the National Emergency Medicine M4 Clerkship Examination with USMLE Examination Performance.

INTRODUCTION: Assessment of medical students' knowledge in clinical settings is complex yet essential to the learning process. Clinical clerkships use various types of written examinations to objectively test medical knowledge within a given discipline. Within emergency medicine (EM), a new national standardized exam was developed to test medical knowledge in this specialty. Evaluation of the psychometric properties of a new examination is an important issue to address during test development and use. Studies have shown that student performance on selected standardized exams will reveal students' strengths and/or weaknesses, so that effective remedial efforts can be implemented. Our study sought to address these issues by examining the association of scores on the new EM national exam with other standardized exam scores. METHODS: From August 2011 to April 2013, average National EM M4 examination scores of fourth-year medical students taken at the end of a required EM clerkship were compiled. We examined the correlation of the National EM M4 examination with the scores of initial attempts of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) examinations. Correlation coefficients and 95% confidence intervals of correlation coefficients are reported. We also examined the association between the national EM M4 examination score, final grades for the EM rotation, and USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores. RESULTS: 133 students were included in the study and achieved a mean score of 79.5 SD 8.0 on the National EM M4 exam compared to a national mean of 79.7 SD 3.89. The mean USMLE Step 1 score was 226.8 SD 19.3. The mean USMLE Step 2 CK score was 238.5 SD 18.9. National EM M4 examination scores showed moderate correlation with both USMLE Step 1 (mean score=226.8; correlation coefficient=0.50; 95% CI [0.28-0.67]) and USMLE Step 2 CK (mean score=238.5; correlation coefficient=0.47; 95% CI [0.25-0.65]). Students scoring below the median on the national EM M4 exam also scored well below their colleagues on USMLE exams. CONCLUSION: The moderate correlation of the national EM M4 examination and USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores provides support for the utilization of the CDEM National EM M4 examination as an effective means of assessing medical knowledge for fourth-year medical students. Identification of students scoring lower on standardized exams allows for effective remedial efforts to be undertaken throughout the medical education process.