Research Training and Scholarly Activity during General Pediatric Residency in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of research training and scholarly activity during pediatrics residency in Canada and identify facilitators and barriers to resident scholarly activity. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a mixed-methods, cross-sectional survey of pediatrics residents in Canada from April to June 2023. Trainees and medical education experts developed the 55-item survey, pilot tested, and distributed electronically to residents in all 17 Canadian residency programs. Responses were complemented with program-level data from pediatrics residency program directors. RESULTS: Of 644 Canadian pediatrics residents, 230 (36%) responded. Resident respondents conducted various types of scholarly projects, including retrospective clinical study (22%), qualitative research (15%), quality improvement (13%), and medical education research (12%). Discordance between the field of career interests and primary scholarly projects was common. Among respondents, 20% had abstracts accepted at national or international conferences, and 12% had manuscripts submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Resident respondents' self-perceived progress in their scholarly projects were discrepant from their actual progress. Key themes related to barriers and facilitators to scholarly activity included protected time for research, mentorship, and research skills training. CONCLUSIONS: The research training and scholarly activity of pediatrics residents in Canada is variable. Establishing national standards, implementing progress monitoring mechanisms with tailored support, and offering flexible protected research time are important next steps.

Later is too late: Exploring student experiences of diversity and inclusion in medical school orientation.

BACKGROUND: While there is increasing effort among medical schools to recruit diverse students, there is a paucity of research into the unique experiences of these students during their transition to medicine. This study explored how experiences during medical school orientation influence students' transition into the medical profession. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted (April-August 2019) with 16 first-year Canadian medical students. We applied descriptive thematic analysis using a constant comparative approach. Verbatim transcripts were coded and analyzed to elucidate themes. RESULTS: Participants highlighted the importance of social orientation during their transition into medical school and noted experiencing complex social pressures during this time. They shared how incoming students were introduced to the dominant medical professional identity during orientation. Participants noted tensions during this period, many of which revolved around the dominant identity and their past, present and future selves. CONCLUSIONS: Longstanding issues of diversity and inclusion in medicine manifest from day one of medical school. While orientation may be intended as a transition period to welcome students into the profession, it is a crucial period for medical schools to intentionally establish a commitment to an inclusive culture. Waiting to do so after identity formation has already begun is a missed opportunity.

Evolving discourses of COVID-19 and implications for medical education: a critical discourse analysis.

Background: The othering of individuals has been identified as a concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine public commentary during early stages of the pandemic for: 1) emerging discourses that highlighted population-level inequities, and 2) the implications these discourses may have for medical education. Methods: Using a critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach, an archive of texts available in the public domain discussing COVID-19 was iteratively created, reviewed, and coded. We used an intersectional framework to analyze how COVID-19 highlighted structural and institutional inequity at the population level. Results: We found 86 representative texts published from March to June 2020. We focused our analysis on implications within Ontario. The two major discourses that emerged were "COVID-19 as Equalizer" and "COVID-19 as Discriminator." The former emerged in the early stages of the pandemic to mobilize public health recommendations and describe near-universal impacts on the public. The latter followed to highlight new and pre-existing forms of marginalization exacerbated by the pandemic. Conclusions: This study provides a unique perspective on how structural and systemic responses to COVID-19 were shaped through analysis of public discourse, and therefore, has implications for how the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics are framed for future medical learners.

Contexte: L'altérisation a été soulevée comme effet préoccupant de la pandémie de la COVID-19. L'objectif de cette étude était d'examiner les réactions du public au cours des premiers stades de la pandémie afin de dégager : 1) les discours émergents témoignant d'inégalités au sein de la population, et 2) les incidences potentielles de ces discours sur l'éducation médicale. Méthodes: L'approche adoptée est celle de l'analyse critique du discours (ACD). Nous avons constitué une archive de textes du domaine public contenant des commentaires relatifs à la COVID-19, que nous avons examinés, codés de manière itérative et analysés transversalement pour déceler dans quelle mesure la pandémie a mis en évidence les inégalités structurelles et institutionnelles au sein de la population. Résultats: Nous avons trouvé 86 textes représentatifs publiés entre mars et juin 2020. Nous avons concentré notre analyse sur les incidences en Ontario. Les deux principaux discours qui ont émergé sont «la COVID-19 comme facteur égalisateur¼ et «la COVID-19 comme facteur discriminant¼. Le premier est apparu au début de la pandémie pour inciter au respect des recommandations de santé publique et pour décrire les effets quasi universels sur la population. Il a été suivi par un second discours, mettant en lumière les formes nouvelles et préexistantes de marginalisation exacerbées par la pandémie. Conclusions: Cette étude offre une perspective unique de la pandémie telle qu'elle est perçue par le biais d'une analyse du domaine public. Elle peut donc éclairer la manière de présenter la gestion des pandémies aux futurs apprenants en médecine.

Reproductive health and pregnancy experiences of women with spina bifida: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: Despite an increasing number of individuals with spina bifida reaching reproductive age, there has been a paucity of research into their reproductive health care needs. The objective of this study was to better understand the reproductive health experiences of self-identified women with spina bifida using qualitative methodology. METHODS: A phenomenological study design was used to address this objective. Women with spina bifida identified their interest in participating in a semi-structured interview after completing an online reproductive health survey. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis followed a phenomenological approach using Dedoose software. RESULTS: Twelve self-identified women with spina bifida participated. They described experiences in four domains: sexual education, pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum. In addition, an intersecting domain of social justice and advocacy emerged. Numerous themes are described, including a lack of tailored sexual health information, impact of pregnancy on function, attitudes towards delivery method, and parenting challenges. CONCLUSION: This study explored the continuum of reproductive health experiences of women with spina bifida. They face unique reproductive health challenges that provide an opportunity for health care providers to offer more holistic care.