When I say 'non-clinical practice'.

In recent years, we have seen the emergence of the term 'non-clinical practice' used in the literature and the healthcare field more broadly. However, there has not yet been a critical examination of what this term means and how it may subtly influence the social reality and culture of healthcare practice. Based on the available literature and the authors' lived experience, we position this article and the term 'non-clinical practice' relative to medical doctors. However, the tenets of the argument below are true for any healthcare practitioner. Taking a social constructivist approach, we critically analyse the term 'non-clinical practice' and explain why readers should challenge its use.

Beyond the bedside: protocol for a scoping review exploring the experiences of non-practicing healthcare professionals within health professions education.

BACKGROUND: The number of healthcare professionals leaving clinical practice and transitioning to alternative careers in health professions education is increasing. Among these non-practicing healthcare professionals, concerns have been reported regarding tensions in relation to identity, role, and credibility in their new field. There are suggestions that this is a particularly pressing issue for minoritised professionals who make this transition. Support is critical to attract and retain diverse talent within health professions education teaching and research. The purpose of this scoping review is to explore the career experiences of non-practicing healthcare professionals who work in health professions education internationally. METHODS: Arksey and O'Malley's framework has been utilised to guide the design of this scoping review process and will be used throughout the course of the review. A comprehensive search of seven electronic databases and limited search of Google Scholar will be conducted, as well as a hand search of eligible article reference lists. Two reviewers will independently screen all articles based on inclusion criteria, with conflicts resolved by a third reviewer. Data from included articles will be charted, collated, and analysed thematically. Meta-data will be summarised quantitatively. DISCUSSION: This scoping review aims to explore the role and experiences of non-practicing healthcare professionals working within health professions education. The review will follow established scoping review guidelines and will include studies from various regions and languages, provided an English translation is available. The study remit will be broad, including both quantitative and qualitative studies, as well as reviews and opinion papers. Limitations may include the exclusion of non-English articles and potential difficulty of identifying papers which discuss the experiences of non-practicing clinicians. However, the review will provide insight into the current knowledge on what it is like to be a non-practicing clinician working within health professions education and identify gaps for both future research, and future support for those making this career transition. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework Registration  https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/485Z3.

Under- and post-graduate training to manage the acutely unwell patient: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Junior doctors are often the first responders to acutely unwell patients and yet frequently report feeling under-prepared to do so. To understand whether this is consequential of how medical students and doctors are trained to manage acutely unwell patients, a scoping review was conducted using a systematic approach. METHODS: The review, informed by the Arksey and O'Malley and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, identified educational interventions targeting the management of acutely unwell adults. Seven major literature databases were searched for journal articles published in English from 2005 to 2022, in addition to the Association of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) conference proceedings from 2014 to 2022. RESULTS: Seventy-three articles and abstracts were eligible for the review, the majority of which were from the UK or USA, and demonstrated that educational interventions were more commonly targeted at medical students than qualified doctors. The majority of studies used simulation, but very few integrated complexities of the clinical environment within scenarios such as multidisciplinary working, distraction-handling techniques and other non-technical skills. A wide range of learning objectives pertaining to acute patient management were stated across studies, but few explicitly cited educational theory underpinning their study. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this review encourages future educational initiatives to consider enhancing authenticity within simulation to promote transfer of learning to clinical practice, and use educational theory to augment the sharing of educational approaches within the community of clinical education practice. Additionally, increasing the focus on post-graduate learning, building upon undergraduate educational foundations, is essential to promoting lifelong learning within the ever-changing healthcare environment.

Applying sport psychology in health professions education: A systematic review of performance mental skills training.

INTRODUCTION: Health professionals are expected to consistently perform to a high standard during a variety of challenging clinical situations, which can provoke stress and impair their performance. There is increasing interest in applying sport psychology training using performance mental skills (PMS) immediately before and during performance. METHODS: A systematic review of the main relevant databases was conducted with the aim to identify how PMS training (PMST) has been applied in health professions education and its outcomes. RESULTS: The 20 selected studies noted the potential for PMST to improve performance, especially for simulated situations. The key implementation components were a multimodal approach that targeted several PMS in combination and delivered face-to-face delivery in a group by a trainer with expertise in PMS. The average number of sessions was 5 and of 57 min duration, with structured learner guidance, an opportunity for practice of the PMS and a focus on application for transfer to another context. CONCLUSION: Future PMST can be informed by the key implementation components identified in the review but further design and development research is essential to close the gap in current understanding of the effectiveness of PMST and its key implementation components, especially in real-life situations.

Twelve tips for organising a local or regional e-poster session.

E-posters have been increasingly incorporated into medical education conferences over the past few years, but since the disruption to the 'traditional' conference circuit as a result of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 they have become a necessary tool for larger national and international conferences to support ongoing scholarship dissemination. The authors of this article also recognise the potential for smaller-scale e-poster sessions to be organised at local or regional levels to either continue, or establish new, special interest groups and smaller medical education research networks. Our 12 tips article is designed to offer practical advice to support the implementation of local or regional e-poster sessions to potential organisers and is written from the perspective of two medical educational researchers with experience of designing e-posters and organising virtual conferences which include e-poster presentation sessions.

The F3 phenomenon: Early-career training breaks in medical training. A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Since 2017, more than 50% of UK doctors have undertaken a 'Foundation 3 (F3) Year' training break after completing their foundation programme (the first two years following graduation), rather than immediately enter specialty training. The reasons for, and consequences of, the growing F3 trend are largely unknown. This scoping review presents the current evidence and identifies future research in this field. METHODS: Following Arksey and O'Malley's guidelines, 12 databases and three UK-based national postgraduate organisation websites were searched for articles published in English (final searches January 2020). Multiple search terms were used to capture articles relating to the 'F3' time-period, including 'post-foundation' or 'pre-specialty' training. Title, abstract and full-paper screening selected articles reporting any aspect of F3, including within a wider context (eg postgraduate training breaks), and then underwent mixed-methods analysis. RESULTS: Of 4766 articles identified, 45 were included. All articles were published after 2009; 14/45 (31.1%) were published in 2019. 27 articles reported research, and the remainder were opinion/commentaries. Specific personal (including demographic), professional and organisational factors, particularly the UK postgraduate training structure, are associated with undertaking an F3. The majority of F3 training breaks last 1 year and involve working (clinically or non-clinically) and/or travel. The decision to undertake an F3 is made either prior to or during foundation training. Evidence regarding the impact of F3 on health care service provision was limited but evenly balanced. CONCLUSIONS: In summarising the existing F3 evidence, this review has highlighted important issues including health care workforce equality and diversity, training pathway inflexibility and the effect of negative early-career experiences on subsequent career decisions. More research is needed to understand the financial impact of training breaks on health care service provision, how training programmes must adapt to retain more trainees and the long-term effects of training breaks, such as F3, on subsequent career progression.

Using Insights From Sports Psychology to Improve Recently Qualified Doctors' Self-Efficacy While Managing Acutely Unwell Patients.

PROBLEM: Doctors experience a range of negative reactions when managing acutely unwell patients. These may manifest as emotions or behaviors. Without appropriate coping strategies, these emotions and behaviors can impede optimal clinical performance, which directly affects patient care. Athletes use performance enhancing routines (PERs) to minimize the effect of their negative emotions and behaviors on competitive performance. The authors investigated whether PERs could similarly improve recently qualified doctors' emotional and behavioral control while managing acutely unwell patients and whether the doctors perceived any effect on clinical performance. APPROACH: Twelve doctors within 2 years of graduation from medical school recruited from 2 sites in Sheffield and Chesterfield, United Kingdom, implemented PERs using the PERFORM (Performance Enhancing Routines For Optimization of Readiness using Metacognition) model over a 4-month period between April and December 2017. The doctors' perceptions of PERFORM's effect on their ability to manage patients was evaluated using self-reported mixed-methods data, including think-aloud commentaries, semistructured interviews, and self-efficacy scores. OUTCOMES: Doctors reported that PERFORM improved their ability to control negative emotions or behaviors during an acutely unwell patient in situ simulation, showing a statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy scores (P = .003, effect size = 0.89). Qualitative data revealed perceived improvement in aspects of clinical performance such as enhanced knowledge recall and decision making. These performance attributes appeared to positively impact interprofessional relationships and patient care. Doctors individualized their PERs and supported the wider implementation of PERFORM in health care education. NEXT STEPS: This is the first study to employ individualized PERs based on sports psychology in a medical context. The PERFORM model could be introduced into existing acute patient management courses to provide emotional regulation coaching alongside clinical skills training. Further research might investigate PERFORM's effect in other environments where emotional and behavioral control is paramount, such as surgery.

Using a self-regulated learning-enhanced video feedback educational intervention to improve junior doctor prescribing.

Introduction: Medical school graduates in the UK consistently report feeling underprepared for the task of prescribing when embarking on practice. The effective application of self-regulated learning (SRL) approaches and feedback on complex tasks are associated with improved outcomes in practice-based clinical skills.Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an educational intervention using SRL-enhanced video feedback for improving the prescribing competency of junior doctors.Methods: A prospective cohort study was designed to compare intervention and control cohorts of junior doctors undertaking simulated clinical encounters at the beginning and end of their 4-month rotation through renal medicine.Results: The improvement in prescribing competency for the intervention cohort was significant (p < 0.001) with large effect size (d = 1.42). Self-efficacy improved in both cohorts with large (control cohort p = 0.026, r= 0.64) and medium (intervention cohort p = 0.083, d = 0.55) effect sizes. Goal setting and self-monitoring skills improved in the intervention cohort only with medium effect size (p = 0.096, d = 0.53).Conclusions: SRL-enhanced video feedback is effective for improving prescribing competency and developing SRL processes such as goal setting and self-monitoring skills in simulated clinical encounters. Further research is required to evaluate transferability to other clinical sub-speciality contexts and investigate the effectiveness of the intervention for improving prescribing in non-simulated settings.

Applying sport psychology to improve clinical performance.

Preparedness for practice has become an international theme within Medical Education: for healthcare systems to maintain their highest clinical standards, junior doctors must "hit the ground running" on beginning work. Despite demonstrating logical, structured assessment and management plans during their undergraduate examinations, many newly qualified doctors report difficulty in translating this theoretical knowledge into the real clinical environment. "Preparedness" must constitute more than the knowledge and skills acquired during medical school. Complexities of the clinical environment overwhelm some junior doctors, who acknowledge that they lack strategies to manage their anxieties, under-confidence and low self-efficacy. If uncontrolled, such negative emotions and behaviors may impede the delivery of time-critical treatment for acutely unwell patients and compound junior doctors' self-doubt, thus impacting future patient encounters. Medical Education often seeks inspiration from other industries for potential solutions to challenges. To address "preparedness for practice," this AMEE Guide highlights sport psychology: elite sportspeople train both physically and psychologically for their discipline. The latter promotes management of negative emotions, distractions and under-confidence, thus optimizing performance despite immense pressures of career-defining moments. Similar techniques might allow junior doctors to optimize patient care, especially within stressful situations. This AMEE Guide introduces the novel conceptual model, PERFORM, which targets the challenges faced by junior doctors on graduation. The model applies pre-performance routines from sport psychology with the self-regulatory processes of metacognition to the clinical context. This model could potentially equip junior doctors, and other healthcare professionals facing similar challenges, with strategies to optimize clinical care under the most difficult circumstances.

Twelve tips for choosing and surviving a PhD in medical education - a student perspective.

The decision to undertake a PhD in medical education could mark a critical point in defining your future career. Attaining the highest level of degree in such a diverse and rewarding area as medical education may not only provide you with an opportunity to undertake important new research, but could also unlock different job opportunities. As is often the case, such rewards are not gained lightly. There can be real challenges in making the decision to undertake and then to successfully navigate a PhD. The specific subject and process of each doctorate is unique, leaving many prospective and current students uncertain as to what to expect. We offer our twelve tips from the perspective of two current PhD students to help guide those who share our interest in medical education and are considering doctoral study.

What can medical educators learn from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games?

Medical Educators face an ongoing challenge in optimizing preparedness for practice for newly qualified doctors. Junior doctors have highlighted specific areas in which they do not feel adequately equipped to undertake their duties, including managing the acutely unwell patient. In these highly stressful, time-critical scenarios it might be assumed that a lack of knowledge underpins these feelings of apprehension from junior medics; however, having studied, trained and passed examinations to demonstrate such knowledge, perhaps other factors should be considered. The recent Olympic Games in Rio demonstrated the impact of sport psychology techniques in allowing athletes to achieve their optimum performance in the face of adversity. The use of mental and behavioral strategies to control feelings of anxiety and low self-efficacy are pivotal for athletes to deliver their best performance under extreme pressure. We consider whether such techniques could improve the preparedness of the newest recruits to the healthcare system, and the impact this could have on patient care. Finally, suggestions for potential research directions within this area are offered to stimulate interest amongst the research community.

Classifying simulation-based studies using the description, justification and clarification framework: a review of simulation conference abstracts.

Introduction: Simulation-based medical education (SBME) is an accepted learning methodology with an ever-expanding evidence base. Concerns have been expressed that research output in SBME lacks explicit links to educational theory. Using the 'Description, Justification and Clarification' framework we have investigated the extent to which SBME conference abstracts declare the educational theory underpinning their studies. Methods: Abstracts from four major international SBME conferences (for 2014 and 2015) were reviewed. Abstracts were classified using the framework offered by Cook et al who classified studies published in major educational journals. Clarification studies are those which specifically declare and test their underpinning educational approach. Results: We reviewed 1398 conference abstracts which we classified as Description 54.4%, Justification 36.3% and Clarification 9.3%. The two most frequently declared educational theories were Cognitive Theories and Experiential Learning. Conclusion: The low proportion of Clarification studies found in the SBME conference abstracts reflects previous findings highlighting the lack of medical education studies that establish how and why SBME works. Researchers should be encouraged to declare their underpinning educational theories when presenting their work. Conference organisers play an important role in facilitating this through allowing sufficient word count in their submission criteria.