Diversity in interventional radiology: Survey of medical student interest with focus on women and members of underrepresented in medicine racial and ethnic groups.

PURPOSE: To assess: 1) the percentage of female and underrepresented in medicine (URiM) medical students interested in interventional radiology (IR), and 2) the motivations for and deterrents from IR for female and URiM students. METHODS: The study was IRB exempt. Data from a 19-item survey sent to 5 US medical schools were collected from 10/2018-01/2019 using REDCap and analyzed with SAS GLIMMIX. RESULTS: 16% (56/346) of women and 27% (69/258) of men strongly considered IR. 21% (19/89) of URiM versus 21% (105/508) of non-URiM students, p = .88, seriously considered IR. On a 0-to-4 scale (0 = not a motivator, 4 = strong motivator), women rated "Female mentorship" "2.5" versus males' "0.4", p < .0001, independent of IR interest URiM students uninterested in IR rated "Lack of ethnic diversity in training""2.3" versus "1.2" for IR-interested URiM, p < .01. 18% (9/50) of IR-interested women reported adequate gender-specific mentorship in IR in medical school. Of IR-interested URiM students 5% (1/19) reported adequate ethnicity/race-specific mentorship. CONCLUSION: Fewer female medical students considered IR compared to males. Female mentorship was a significant motivator for women. Similar numbers of URiM and non-URiM students consider IR. Few women and URiM students report adequate gender/ethnicity/race-specific mentorship. For students not interested in IR, lack of ethnic diversity in training was a significant deterrent. Increasing numbers and visibility of female and URiM interventional radiologists in mentoring and clinical practice may improve recruitment of medical students from these underrepresented groups.

Assessment of Tobacco Habits, Attitudes, and Education Among Medical Students in the United States and Italy: A Cross-sectional Survey.

OBJECTIVES: Medical students represent a primary target for tobacco cessation training. This study assessed the prevalence of medical students' tobacco use, attitudes, clinical skills, and tobacco-related curricula in two countries, the US and Italy, with known baseline disparities in hopes of identifying potential corrective interventions. METHODS: From September to December 2013, medical students enrolled at the University of Bologna and at Brown University were recruited via email to answer survey questions assessing the prevalence of medical students' tobacco use, attitudes and clinical skills related to patients' smoking, and elements of medical school curricula related to tobacco use. RESULTS: Of the 449 medical students enrolled at Brown and the 1426 enrolled at Bologna, 174 Brown students (38.7%) and 527 Bologna students (36.9%) participated in this study. Italian students were more likely to smoke (29.5% vs. 6.1%; p<0.001) and less likely to receive smoking cessation training (9.4% vs. 80.3%; p<0.001) than their American counterparts, even though the majority of students in both countries desired smoking cessation training (98.6% at Brown, 85.4% at Bologna; p<0.001). Additionally, negative beliefs regarding tobacco usage, the absence of formal training in smoking cessation counseling, and a negative interest in receiving specific training on smoking cessation were associated with a higher risk of not investigating a patient's smoking status during a routine history and not offering tobacco cessation treatment to patients. CONCLUSIONS: Medical curricula on tobacco-related health hazards and on smoking cessation should be mandatory in order to reduce smoking among medical students, physicians, and patients, thereby improving tobacco-related global health.

An intensive medical education elective for senior medical students.

Peer teaching by medical students is increasingly consid- ered an effective and efficient instructional modality with value for both teachers and learners. In 2012, twelve senior medical students participated in an inaugural, four-week Medical Education Elective at The Alpert Medical School of Brown University. The first week emphasized education theory and skills. During the remaining three weeks, participants served as a core group of instructors in a Clinical Skills Clerkship (CSC), a three-week required course transitioning rising third-year students to clinical clerkships. Senior near-peer instructors (NPIs) gained substantive experience in developing curriculum, facilitating small group sessions, teaching clinical skills, mentoring, providing feedback, and grading an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Based on direct observation by faculty and written anonymous evaluations by learners (n=98), NPIs demonstrated a high degree of teaching competence. This innovative, by-invitation-only, annual elective is the most substantive medical education experience for medical students described in the literature.

A new clinical skills clerkship for medical students.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The transition to clinical clerkships can be challenging for medical students. In the context of a formal clinical curriculum redesign, a curriculum team led by family physicians systematically planned and implemented a 3-week course to prepare new third-year students for specialty-specific clerkships. METHODS: Informed by a formal needs assessment, we developed a classroom-based Clinical Skills Clerkship (CSC) with varied instructional approaches. The three major curriculum components are (1) specialty-specific, longitudinal clinical care of a three-generation virtual family that is taught in lectures and small groups and assessed with an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), (2) clinical skills including procedure stations and interprofessional education experiences, and (3) a series of professional development activities. The CSC has 90 hours of curriculum taught by more than 120 faculty members from a wide variety of specialties and disciplines. A cohort of senior medical students teach in the course as part of a medical education elective. RESULTS: The CSC was first delivered to 98 students in 2012 who performed well on the course's OSCE. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations of both the curriculum components and the senior medical student teachers were positive. Performance on comparable CSC and Internal Medicine Clerkship OSCE stations and a series of student focus groups demonstrate longer-term impact. CONCLUSIONS: A successful curriculum redesign requires considerable planning and coordination. We designed and implemented a comprehensive CSC that was both well received and effective. Peer teaching programs can provide medical education leadership experiences with benefits for learners, teachers, and medical educators.