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Purpose Physician assistants (PAs) and medical degree students (MDs) often lack training in addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH). Social work students (SWs), meanwhile, have extensive SDOH training; however, few medical professionals have opportunities to engage in interprofessional training with SWs. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and students' perceptions of an interprofessional virtual reality (VR) simulated learning environment (SLE) for teaching health professions students about the SDOH.

Background Modern innovations, like machine learning, genomics, and digital health, are being integrated into medical practice at a rapid pace. Physicians in training receive little exposure to the implications, drawbacks, and methodologies of upcoming technologies prior to their deployment. As a result, there is an increasing need for the incorporation of innovation and technology (I&T) training, starting in medical school. Objective We aimed to identify and describe curricular and extracurricular opportunities for innovation in medical technology in US undergraduate medical education to highlight challenges and develop insights for future directions of program development. Methods A review of publicly available I&T program information on the official websites of US allopathic medical schools was conducted in June 2020. Programs were categorized by structure and implementation. The geographic distribution of these categories across US regions was analyzed. A survey was administered to school-affiliated student organizations with a focus on I&T and publicly available contact information. The data collected included the founding year, thematic focus, target audience, activities offered, and participant turnout rate. Results A total of 103 I&T opportunities at 69 distinct Liaison Committee on Medical Education–accredited medical schools were identified and characterized into the following six categories: (1) integrative 4-year curricula, (2) facilitated doctor of medicine/master of science dual degree programs in a related field, (3) interdisciplinary collaborations, (4) areas of concentration, (5) preclinical electives, and (6) student-run clubs. The presence of interdisciplinary collaboration is significantly associated with the presence of student-led initiatives (P=.001). “Starting and running a business in healthcare” and “medical devices” were the most popular thematic focuses of student-led I&T groups, representing 87% (13/15) and 80% (12/15) of respondents, respectively. “Career pathways exploration for students” was the only type of activity that was significantly associated with a high event turnout rate of >26 students per event (P=.03). Conclusions Existing school-led and student-driven opportunities in medical I&T indicate growing national interest and reflect challenges in implementation. The greater visibility of opportunities, collaboration among schools, and development of a centralized network can be considered to better prepare students for the changing landscape of medical practice.

BACKGROUND As new technologies and innovations are integrated into medical practice, there is an increasing need for physicians-in-training to gain greater exposure to and develop a deeper understanding of innovation and technology (I&T) throughout their medical training. OBJECTIVE Identify and describe curricular and extracurricular opportunities for innovation in medical technology (I&T) in U.S. medical education to highlight insights for future directions and program development. METHODS A scoping exercise of U.S. allopathic medical schools was conducted. Data collection consisted of a review of publicly available information for each medical school as well as survey responses from student organizations across the country. RESULTS 103 I&T opportunities at 69 distinct LCME-accredited medical schools were identified and characterized into six categories: (a) integrative 4-year curriculum, (b) facilitated MD/MS in related field, (c) interdisciplinary collaboration, (d) area of concentration, (e) preclinical elective, and (f) student-run club. “Starting and running a business in healthcare” and “medical devices” were the most popular thematic focuses of student-led I&T groups. CONCLUSIONS Existing school-led and student-driven opportunities in medical innovation and technology indicate a growing interest and reflect educational challenges. Greater visibility of opportunities, collaboration between schools, and development of a centralized network can be considered to better educate and prepare students for the changing landscape of medical practice.