The Durban University of Technology Faculty of Health Sciences Decentralized Clinical Training Project: Protocol for an Implementation Study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: The Durban University of Technology (DUT) Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is embarking on a project to implement a Decentralized Clinical Training Program (DCTP). The DUT FHS DCTP project is being conducted in response to the growing demands of students requiring clinical service placements as part of work-integrated learning. The project is also geared toward responding to existing gaps in current practices related to the implementation of a DCTP, which has mainly been through traditional universities providing training to medical, optometry, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy students. In South Africa, a DCTP is yet to be implemented within the context of a university of technology; it is yet to be implemented within health science faculties that offer undergraduate health science programs in mainstream biomedicine and alternative and complementary disciplines. OBJECTIVE: We aim to design, pilot, and establish an effective DCTP at the DUT FHS in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. METHODS: Participatory action research comprising various designs-namely, appreciative inquiry, qualitative case study design, phenomenography, and descriptive qualitative study design-will be used to conduct the study. Data will be collected using individual interviews, focus group discussions, nominal group technique, consensus methodology, and narrative inquiry. Study participants will include various internal and external stakeholders of the DUT, namely, academic staff; students; key informants from universities currently using successfully established DCTPs; academic support staff; staff working in human resources, finance, procurement, and accounting; and experts in other disciplines such as engineering and information systems. Overall, 4 undergraduate health science programs-namely, Radiography, Medical Orthotics and Prosthetics, Clinical Technology, and Emergency Medical Care and Rescue-will be part of the project's pilot phase. Findings from the project's pilot phase will be used to inform scale-up in the other undergraduate programs in the DUT FHS. The project is being implemented as part of the university's strategic objective of devising innovative curricula and pedagogical practices to improve the mastery, skill set, and competence of health science graduates. RESULTS: The study has currently commenced with the situational analysis, consisting of engagement with external stakeholders implementing DCTPs. The data to be generated from the completion of the situational analysis are anticipated to be published in 2024. CONCLUSIONS: This project is envisioned to facilitate collaboration among the universities of technology, traditional universities, Ministry of Health, and private sector for clinical placement of undergraduate health science students in health establishments that are away from the university, thereby exposing them to real-life experiences related to health care. This will facilitate authentic learning experiences that will contribute to improved competencies of graduates in relation to the health needs of society and the multiple realities of the South African health system. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/52243.

Assessing Planetary Health Curricular Needs Across Health Professions Programs.

With growing recognition that climate change is a significant threat to human health, allied health professionals are increasingly recognized as critical allies in addressing this threat. This article describes the approach that Rush University's College of Sciences is pursuing to better prepare health sciences students for this reality. Faculty and students enrolled across all programs of the College were surveyed regarding their levels of concern about global warming using items from the Six Americas Survey, as well as perceived importance of planetary health curricular elements adapted from the Planetary Health Report Card. Faculty were additionally asked about perceived opportunities to bring planetary health education into each of the degree programs offered by the university. A total of 37 faculty and 43 students completed the survey, collectively representing all programs in the college. Responses reflected widespread interest in expanding planetary health education, but topic priorities and optimal methods for implementation differed between programs. Although the survey process had limitations, it demonstrated the need for greater attention to planetary health across curricula and offered more efficient approaches implementing this essential content across programs.

Taking Action to Promote Diversity and Inclusion: One Program's Efforts Through Pathway Opportunities, Holistic Admissions, and Curricular Changes.

AIMS: Concerted, effective, and sustainable change in healthcare education programs is a critical step towards creating more diverse, inclusive, and equitable professions. This commentary demonstrates how one entry-level physical therapist education program, through a process of reflection, prioritization, and action, is taking steps to increase diversity, equity, and inclusivity within their program. RATIONALE: This article highlights initiatives that are leveraging existing partnerships and creating new ones to reach and mentor students from diverse communities, steps taken towards a more holistic and equitable admissions process, implementation of curricular changes to intentionally discuss the social determinants of health, and engagement of faculty and students to foster personal and professional development on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. Outcomes to track the effectiveness of the strategies being used by each initiative are shared. CONCLUSION: To create active agents of change, education programs must create a diverse and equitable space for students and guide them to become leaders who can transform society. Steps taken by an entry-level physical therapist education program to implement strategies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion can serve as a road map for other healthcare professional programs.

vSEMERA: pilot project assessing health profession students' experiences in an international virtual research program.

BACKGROUND: The "Virtual Semester for Medical Research Aachen" (vSEMERA) is an international, interdisciplinary, virtual education program developed for health profession students. The first edition (2021) was hosted by the Medical Faculty of RWTH Aachen University (Germany) in cooperation with Centro Universitário Christus (Brazil) and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Peru). The primary aim of the 12-weeks program was to provide students with skills in health science research and prepare them for scientific career paths. METHODS: vSEMERA was built on a virtual learning platform, the "vSEMERA-Campus", designed to foster students' learning process and social interactions. Maximum flexibility was offered through synchronous and asynchronous teaching, enabling participants to join via any device from any part of the Globe alongside their regular studies. For the program's first edition (September - November 2021), health profession students from Germany, Brazil, Peru, Spain, and Italy filled all 30 available spots. Satisfaction, quality of the program and courses offered, as well as perceived learning outcomes, were examined using questionnaires throughout and at the end of the program. RESULTS: The program received a rating of 4.38 out of 5 stars. While it met most expectations (4.29 out of 5), participants were unable to attend as many courses as intended (2.81 out of 5), mainly due to scheduling conflicts with the home university schedule (46%), internships (23%), and general timing issues (31%). Participants acknowledged considerable improvements in their scientific skills, English language skills, confidence in scientific project management, research career progression, and enthusiasm for a scientific career. CONCLUSIONS: vSEMERA represents a promising example of an online international learning and exchange program using pedagogical and technological elements of virtual collaboration and teaching. In addition to advancing future vSEMERA editions, our results may offer insights for similar projects that address the targeted integration of scientific research education into an international, digital learning environment.

An evaluation of a Transition to Foundations curriculum for first year pediatric residents in Competency Based Medical Education.

A Transition to Foundations (TTF) curriculum that includes didactic and simulation components prepares first-year pediatric residents for increased roles and responsibilities in the Foundations of Discipline stage of Competency Based Medical Education, including junior night float rotations. Simulations of acute presentations improve resident comfort before overnight on-call experiences.

Un programme de transition vers les fondements de la discipline (TTF) comportant des volets didactique et de simulation prépare les résidents de première année en pédiatrie à des rôles et des responsabilités accrus à l'étape des fondements de la discipline dans le cadre d'une approche par compétences, notamment aux stages de nuit des résidents juniors. Les simulations de présentations aiguës améliorent le confort des résidents avant les gardes de nuit.

A student-led clerkship primer: a near-peer orientation to clerkship.

The transition between pre-clerkship and clerkship can be difficult for medical students. Near-peer teaching may fill knowledge gaps within curricular clerkship orientation, leveraging recent, relatable, and up-to-date experiences from near-peers. These benefits have not been formally evaluated in the context of a clerkship orientation. We therefore created the Clerkship Primer, a near-peer teaching initiative that aimed to introduce incoming clerks to clerkship through a curricular session facilitated exclusively by senior clerkship students. Sessions had high satisfaction among students. This pilot project suggests that curricular near-peer teaching is a valuable component of clerkship orientation.

La transition entre le pré-externat et l'externat peut être difficile pour les étudiants en médecine. Un enseignement par les pairs a le potentiel de combler des lacunes dans les connaissances dans le cadre d'une orientation à l'externat, à partir d'expériences récentes et actualisées de pairs. Ces avantages n'ont pas été formellement évalués dans le contexte d'une orientation à l'externat. Nous avons donc créé le Clerkship Primer, une démarche d'enseignement par les pairs qui vise à présenter l'externat aux nouveaux externes dans le cadre d'une séance animée exclusivement par des externes séniors. Les séances ont été très appréciées par les étudiants. Ce projet pilote porte à croire qu'un enseignement par les pairs est une composante précieuse de l'orientation à l'externat.

Understanding the perspective of community co-educators on community-based service learning: a qualitative analysis.

Background: Community-based service learning (CBSL) is a core component of the Canadian medical education system. However, the unique role of community partner organizations (CPOs) in supporting CBSL remains unclear. This qualitative study evaluates the perspective of CPOs as co-educators in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Methods: We conducted eight semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with CPOs at a medical school in Toronto, Ontario between 2020-2021. Interviews were conducted following a pre-determined interview guide and then recorded, de-identified, and transcribed. Three reviewers independently performed an inductive thematic analysis of codes followed by a group review of discrepancies. Results: Five main findings were identified: 1) CPOs share a common interest in serving as co-educators; 2) considerable heterogeneity in the understanding of co-education exists; 3) there is an opportunity for increased partnerships between CPOs and faculty; 4) the role of co-educators is limited by curriculum structure; and 5) co-educators facilitate unique teachings of social determinants of health otherwise not available through traditional didactic teaching. Conclusions: There is an emerging, unique role for community co-educators in the undergraduate medical curriculum, supported by interest from CPOs. Its emphasis may contribute to future cohorts of medical students capable of understanding and addressing the needs of the populations they serve.

Contexte: L'apprentissage par le service communautaire (APSC) est une composante essentielle du système d'éducation médicale canadien. Cependant, le rôle unique des organismes communautaires partenaires (OCP) dans le soutien de l'APSC n'est toujours pas clair. Cette étude qualitative évalue le point de vue des OCP en tant que co-éducateurs dans le programme d'études médicales de premier cycle. Méthodes: Nous avons mené huit entrevues individuelles semi-structurées avec des OCP d'une faculté de médecine de Toronto, en Ontario, entre 2020 et 2021. Les entrevues ont été menées en suivant un guide d'entrevue prédéterminé, puis enregistrées, dépersonnalisées et transcrites. Trois examinateurs ont effectué indépendamment une analyse thématique inductive des codes, suivie d'un examen collectif des divergences. Résultats: Cinq conclusions principales ont été identifiées : 1) les OCP ont un intérêt commun à agir en tant que co-éducateurs; 2) il existe une grande hétérogénéité dans la compréhension de la co-éducation; 3) il est possible d'accroître les partenariats entre les OCP et le corps professoral; 4) le rôle des co-éducateurs est limité par la structure du curriculum médical et 5) les co-éducateurs facilitent des opportunités d'apprentissage uniques sur les déterminants sociaux de la santé qui ne sont pas disponibles dans le cadre de l'enseignement didactique traditionnel. Conclusions: Les co-éducateurs communautaires jouent un rôle novateur et unique dans le programme d'études médicales de premier cycle, soutenu par l'intérêt des OCP. L'accent mis sur ce rôle peut contribuer à former de futures cohortes d'étudiants en médecine capables de comprendre et de répondre aux besoins des populations qu'ils servent.

Increasing Trainee Comfort with Nutrition.

OBJECTIVES: Nutrition counseling is necessary for the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases. US survey data demonstrate that 61% of Internal Medicine (IM) residents receive little to no nutrition training. The objective of our study was to develop a curriculum to increase IM resident comfort and ability in conducting a nutritional assessment. METHODS: Categorical IM residents at a large academic medical center participated in a curriculum that included a lecture, a small-group discussion, and a skills exercise. Residents completed pre- and posttest surveys that evaluated their attitudes and comfort level with nutritional assessment. RESULTS: Eighty percent (84/105) of the residents participated in the curriculum and 48% (40/84) of them completed both pre- and postsession surveys. Residents who considered themselves moderately to extremely comfortable completing a nutritional assessment increased after the program (27.5% to 87.5%, P < 0.0001). The proportion of those who agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "Nutritional counseling should be included in any routine appointment, just like diagnosis and treatment," increased from 62.50% to 80.00% (P = 0.012). The proportion of residents who considered lack of individual knowledge to be a barrier for nutrition counseling decreased from 65.79% to 42.11% (P = 0.0126). CONCLUSIONS: This curriculum was successful in increasing IM resident comfort with conducting a nutritional assessment.

Evaluating competency-based medical education: a systematized review of current practices.

BACKGROUND: Few published articles provide a comprehensive overview of the available evidence on the topic of evaluating competency-based medical education (CBME) curricula. The purpose of this review is therefore to synthesize the available evidence on the evaluation practices for competency-based curricula employed in schools and programs for undergraduate and postgraduate health professionals. METHOD: This systematized review was conducted following the systematic reviews approach with minor modifications to synthesize the findings of published studies that examined the evaluation of CBME undergraduate and postgraduate programs for health professionals. RESULTS: Thirty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria and reported evaluation practices in CBME curricula from various countries and regions worldwide, such as Canada, China, Turkey, and West Africa. 57% of the evaluated programs were at the postgraduate level, and 71% were in the field of medicine. The results revealed variation in reporting evaluation practices, with numerous studies failing to clarify evaluations' objectives, approaches, tools, and standards as well as how evaluations were reported and communicated. It was noted that questionnaires were the primary tool employed for evaluating programs, often combined with interviews or focus groups. Furthermore, the utilized evaluation standards considered the well-known competencies framework, specialized association guidelines, and accreditation criteria. CONCLUSION: This review calls attention to the importance of ensuring that reports of evaluation experiences include certain essential elements of evaluation to better inform theory and practice.

The need for and acceptability of a cancer training course for medical and nursing students in Tanzania: a convergent mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: The cancer burden in Africa is on the rise. A Cancer Training Course on screening, prevention, care, and community education is crucial for addressing a wide range of cancer health issues. When appropriately educated healthcare providers on cancer provide care, patient care improves, and healthcare costs decrease. However, in Tanzania, doctors and nurses receive little or no training in primary cancer care in their bachelor's program. AIM: This study assessed the need and acceptability of a cancer training course for nursing and medical doctor students at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional parallel mixed method study during the 3-month follow-up within the larger study on sexual health training for health professionals. The study was a randomized controlled (RCT), single-blind, parallel trial of sexual health training versus a waitlist control among health students at MUHAS in Tanzania. Descriptive analysis was performed to analyze the participants' demographic information, need, and acceptability of the cancer training courseto determine the frequencies and percentages of their distribution between disciplines. In addition, inductive thematic analysis was performed for the qualitative data. The RCT study was registered at Clinical Trial.gov (NCT03923582; 01/05/2021). RESULTS: Data were collected from 408 students (272 medical doctors and 136 nursing students). The median age of the participants was 23 years. Most (86.0%) medical and 78.1% of nursing students reported receiving little to no cancer training. On the other hand, most (92.3%) medical and nursing (92.0%) students were interested in receiving cancer training. Furthermore, 94.1% of medical and 92.0% of nursing students needed a cancer training course in their undergraduate program. In addition, participants said a cancer training course would be important because it would help them improve the quality of cancer care and enhance the quality of life for patients by ensuring early diagnosis and treatment. CONCLUSION: A cancer training course is both highly needed and acceptable to medical and nursing students. Implementation of this cancer training course will improve students' knowledge and skills and eventually improve the quality of cancer care and patients' quality of life by ensuring early diagnosis and management.

What are medical students taught about persistent physical symptoms? A scoping review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Persistent Physical Symptoms (PPS) include symptoms such as chronic pain, and syndromes such as chronic fatigue. They are common, but are often inadequately managed, causing distress and higher costs for health care systems. A lack of teaching about PPS has been recognised as a contributing factor to poor management. METHODS: The authors conducted a scoping review of the literature, including all studies published before 31 March 2023. Systematic methods were used to determine what teaching on PPS was taking place for medical undergraduates. Studies were restricted to publications in English and needed to include undergraduate medical students. Teaching about cancer pain was excluded. After descriptive data was extracted, a narrative synthesis was undertaken to analyse qualitative findings. RESULTS: A total of 1116 studies were found, after exclusion, from 3 databases. A further 28 studies were found by searching the grey literature and by citation analysis. After screening for relevance, a total of 57 studies were included in the review. The most commonly taught condition was chronic non-cancer pain, but overall, there was a widespread lack of teaching and learning on PPS. Several factors contributed to this lack including: educators and learners viewing the topic as awkward, learners feeling that there was no science behind the symptoms, and the topic being overlooked in the taught curriculum. The gap between the taught curriculum and learners' experiences in practice was addressed through informal sources and this risked stigmatising attitudes towards sufferers of PPS. CONCLUSION: Faculties need to find ways to integrate more teaching on PPS and address the barriers outlined above. Teaching on chronic non-cancer pain, which is built on a science of symptoms, can be used as an exemplar for teaching on PPS more widely. Any future teaching interventions should be robustly evaluated to ensure improvements for learners and patients.

Mutual recognition of qualifications, health workforce migration, and graduate outcomes: a comparative mapping study of undergraduate dental education in Europe.

BACKGROUND: The resource needs of health services are served by the recognition of qualifications across borders which allows professionals to migrate between countries. The movement of dentists across the European Union (EU), especially into the United Kingdom (UK), has provided a valuable boost to workforce supply. Recent changes to policy recognising overseas qualifications have brought attention to the equivalence of qualifications awarded in EU countries. Professional regulators need to be confident that dentists who qualified elsewhere have the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to practise safely and effectively. The aim of this study was to compare UK and EU dental curricula, identify any differences, and compare the extent of pre-qualification clinical experience. METHODS: This was a mixed methods study comprising a questionnaire and website searches to identify information about curricula, competences, and quality assurance arrangements in each country. The questionnaire was sent to organisations responsible for regulating dental education or dental practice in EU member states. This was supplemented with information obtained from website searches of stakeholder organisations for each country including regulators, professional associations, ministries, and providers of dental education. A map of dental training across the EU was created. RESULTS: National learning outcomes for dental education were identified for seven countries. No national outcomes were identified 13 countries; therefore, learning outcomes were mapped at institution level only. No information about learning outcomes was available for six countries. In one country, there is no basic dental training. Clinical skills and communication were generally well represented. Management and leadership were less represented. Only eight countries referenced a need for graduates to be aware of their own limitations. In most countries, quality assurance of dental education is not undertaken by dental organisations, but by national quality assurance agencies for higher education. In many cases, it was not possible to ascertain the extent of graduates' direct clinical experience with patients. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate considerable variation in learning outcomes for dental education between countries and institutions in Europe. This presents a challenge to decision-makers responsible for national recognition and accreditation of diverse qualifications across Europe to maintain a safe, capable, international workforce; but one that this comparison of programmes helps to address.

Teaching clinical reasoning: principles from the literature to help improve instruction from the classroom to the bedside.

Clinical reasoning has been characterized as being an essential aspect of being a physician. Despite this, clinical reasoning has a variety of definitions and medical error, which is often attributed to clinical reasoning, has been reported to be a leading cause of death in the United States and abroad. Further, instructors struggle with teaching this essential ability which often does not play a significant role in the curriculum. In this article, we begin with defining clinical reasoning and then discuss four principles from the literature as well as a variety of techniques for teaching these principles to help ground an instructors' understanding in clinical reasoning. We also tackle contemporary challenges in teaching clinical reasoning such as the integration of artificial intelligence and strategies to help with transitions in instruction (e.g., from the classroom to the clinic or from medical school to residency/registrar training) and suggest next steps for research and innovation in clinical reasoning.

Exploring 40 years of Korean medical education conference themes.

PURPOSE: The Korean Society of Medical Education (KSME) was founded in 1983 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023. This study examines the evolution of topics discussed at KSME conferences from 1971 through 2023, highlighting shifts in the focus of medical education. METHODS: We analyzed 90 KSME conferences over 5 decades (1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s), categorizing the topics into three eras based on emerging themes and continuity. RESULTS: Consequently, 37 topics covered at the conference were categorized. Ten topics continuously appeared from the 1970s to the 2010s, including future directions of medical education, teaching methods, faculty development, and curriculum. The topics from the 1970s to the 1990s included 14 areas, such as medical education evaluation, non-undergraduate curriculum, community-related, and research. Thirteen new topics emerged after the 2000s, such as social accountability, student support, professionalism, and quality improvements. The most common topics under innovations in medical education, a case of curriculum innovation at universities that began after 2000, were clinical clerkship, curriculum development, and medical humanities. CONCLUSION: KSME's selection of conference topics has been strategically aligned with societal needs and the evolving landscape of medical education. Future topics should continue to address relevant societal and educational challenges.

Exploring the responses of preclinical medical students and professors to flipped learning for the development of clinical reasoning.

PURPOSE: This study developed and implemented case-based flipped learning using illness script worksheets and investigated the responses of preclinical students and professors to the intervention in terms of its effectiveness, design, and implementation. METHODS: The study was conducted at a medical school in Korea, where the "clinical reasoning method" course, originally a lecture-oriented course, was redesigned into a flipped learning. In total, 42 second-year medical students and 15 professors participated in this course. After the class, online surveys were conducted, and a focus group interview was held with seven students to explore the students' experiences in more detail. RESULTS: In total, 37 students and seven professors participated in the survey. The mean score for all items is 3.12/4 for the student survey and 3.43/4 for the professor survey. The focus group interview results were categorized as the beneficial aspects and challenges for the development of clinical reasoning. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that their responses to the intervention were generally positive, and it is thought to be an effective instructional method for fostering clinical reasoning skills in preclinical medical students.

Robots down-under: the current climate of robotic-assisted surgery education in Australia.

Australia has seen a significant rise in the use of Robotic-Assisted Surgery (RAS), with general surgery being the fastest-growing field in this technology. The proportion of general surgical RAS has grown from 1% to 17% of all RAS between 2008 and 2023 in Australasia. As of May 2023, there were 162 robotic platforms in Australasia, with 26 of them in the public sector. As the cost of establishing RAS decreases over time, public hospital robotics systems are expected to become more accessible. Despite the increasing demand, many specialties, including general surgery, do not have an agreed RAS curriculum for trainees. It is imperative for Australia to develop its own curriculum akin to our overseas colleagues to match this growth.

Embedding Assessment Literacy Can Enhance Graduate Attribute Development in a Biomedical Sciences Curriculum.

This paper describes the successful implementation of an assessment literacy strategy within a Biomedical Sciences degree. Teaching was aligned with an assessment literacy framework and aimed to prepare undergraduates for a literature comprehension assessment. Students were introduced to the assessment purpose and an adapted Miller's pyramid model illustrated how the assessment contributed to competency development during their degree. Students read primary research papers and answered questions relating to the publications. They were then introduced to the processes of assessment and collaboratively graded answers of different standards. Finally, student and faculty grades were compared, differences considered, and key characteristics of answers discussed. Most students reported that they understood more about assessment standards than prior to the intervention [139/159 (87.4%)] and felt it had helped prepare them for their exam [138/159 (86.8%)]. The majority also reported they had increased confidence in evaluating data [118/159 (74%)], communicating their reasoning [113/159 (71%)] and considering what a reader needs to know [127/159 (79.9%)]. Students were asked to state the most important thing they had learned from the assessment literacy teaching. Notably, no responses referred to domain-specific knowledge. 129 free text responses were mapped to the University of Edinburgh graduate attribute framework. 93 (72%) statements mapped to the graduate attribute category "Research and Enquiry," 66 (51.16%) mapped to "Communication" and 21 (16.27%) mapped to "Personal and Intellectual Autonomy." To explore any longer-term impact of the assessment literacy teaching, a focus group was held with students from the same cohort, 2 years after the original intervention. Themes from this part of the study included that teaching had provided insights into standards and expectations for the assessment and the benefits of domain specific knowledge. A variety of aspects related to graduate attributes were also identified. Here, assessment literacy as a vehicle for graduate attribute development was an unexpected outcome. We propose that by explicitly engaging students with purpose, process, standards, and expectations, assessment literacy strategies may be used to successfully raise awareness of developmental progression, and enhance skills, aptitudes, and dispositions beneficial to Biomedical Sciences academic achievement and life after university.

Variegated racism: exploring experiences of anti-Black racism and their progression in medical education.

BACKGROUND: Addressing anti-Black racism in medical education in Canada has become increasingly urgent as more Black learners enter medical institutions and bring attention to the racist harms they face. We sought to gather evidence of experiences of racism among Black medical learners and to explore the contexts within which racism is experienced by learners. METHODS: Drawing on critical race and structural violence theories, we conducted interviews with Black medical faculty, students, residents, and staff at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine between May and July 2022. We thematically analyzed interviews using instrumental case study methodology. RESULTS: Thematic analyses from 13 interviews revealed 5 central themes describing experiences of racism and the compounding nature of racist exposures as learners progressed in medicine. Medical learners experienced racism through uncomfortable encounters and microaggressions. Blatant acts of racism were instances where patients and superiors harmed students in various ways, including through use of the N-word by a superior in 1 instance. Learners also experienced curricular racism through the absence of the Black body in the curriculum and the undue pathologizing of Blackness. Medical hierarchies reinforced anti-Black racism by undermining accountability and protecting powerful perpetrators. Finally, Black women medical learners identified intersecting oppressions and misogynoir that compounded their experience of racism. We propose that experiences of racism may worsen as learners progress in medicine in part because of increases in the sources of and exposure to racism. INTERPRETATION: Anti-Black racism in medical education in Canada is experienced subtly through microaggressions or blatantly from different sources including medical faculty. As Black learners progress in medicine, anti-Black racism may become worse because of the compounding effects of exposures to a wider range of sources of racist behaviour.

Evaluating the readiness of healthcare administration students to utilize AI for sustainable leadership: a survey study.

PURPOSE: This paper explores how healthcare administration students perceive the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare leadership, mainly focusing on the sustainability aspects involved. It aims to identify gaps in current educational curricula and suggests enhancements to better prepare future healthcare professionals for the evolving demands of AI-driven healthcare environments. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This study utilized a cross-sectional survey design to understand healthcare administration students' perceptions regarding integrating AI in healthcare leadership. An online questionnaire, developed from an extensive literature review covering fundamental AI knowledge and its role in sustainable leadership, was distributed to students majoring and minoring in healthcare administration. This methodological approach garnered participation from 62 students, providing insights and perspectives crucial for the study's objectives. FINDINGS: The research revealed that while a significant majority of healthcare administration students (70%) recognize the potential of AI in fostering sustainable leadership in healthcare, only 30% feel adequately prepared to work in AI-integrated environments. Additionally, students were interested in learning more about AI applications in healthcare and the role of AI in sustainable leadership, underscoring the need for comprehensive AI-focused education in their curriculum. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The research is limited by its focus on a single academic institution, which may not fully represent the diversity of perspectives in healthcare administration. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study highlights the need for healthcare administration curricula to incorporate AI education, aligning theoretical knowledge with practical applications, to effectively prepare future professionals for the evolving demands of AI-integrated healthcare environments. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This research paper presents insights into healthcare administration students' readiness and perspectives toward AI integration in healthcare leadership, filling a critical gap in understanding the educational needs in the evolving landscape of AI-driven healthcare.