Evidence shows that biomedical knowledge is more effectively taught within the medical curriculum by teaching in context, to facilitate learning transfer. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of combining high-technology simulation and physiology teaching on medical student learning and experience. First-year medical students received respiratory physiology teaching in the form of lectures, problem-based learning, and practical sessions. These students were then given the opportunity to apply their knowledge and problem solve using respiratory-related clinical case scenarios in simulated patients. Student understanding was assessed using a short quiz performed immediately before and after the session. Results revealed that the session significantly improved the mean score on tests (6.97 ± 0.29 vs. 8.22 ± 0.19, P < 0.001). Student evaluation was collected in focus groups, and recurring concepts were extracted from the data. Students reported that the sessions helped to bridge the gap between theory and practice, which aided their learning. In addition, this teaching methodology (simulation) was reportedly patient centered and added to the realism of the simulated scenario, with students stating that this teaching improved their confidence with managing real patients and clinical uncertainty. Simulation has been used extensively to teach clinical skills; however, research regarding its potential for teaching biomedical science within a clinical context is limited. Our study shows that combining high-technology simulation and physiology teaching contributed to an immediate improvement in medical student knowledge and enhanced their ability to make connections between theoretical knowledge and the world of practice.

Teaching and learning online is a long-established pedagogical approach in medical education. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has escalated the use and development of online teaching and with it have come a number of benefits and challenges. In this article the authors consider these benefits and challenges in relation to the teaching and learning of clinical and communication skills, drawing on up-to-date evidence and their extensive experience of using online learning before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.The authors have identified twelve tips to support others in constructing and developing online clinical and communication skills for medical students taking into account educational vision and curriculum, the educational multi-disciplinary team, feedback and evaluation, and what to do when things go wrong. This article provides a practical guide to teaching clinical and communication skills in a new learning environment, which is likely to be a much more prominent feature of medical education in the future.

In this chapter, we explore the complexity of difference and the implications of this complexity for diversity education in healthcare. Drawing on fundamental ontology and epistemology from philosophy, education, and healthcare, we explore the importance of concepts, theories, and vocabularies in the development and delivery of diversity education in healthcare. We discuss the need for conceptual and theoretical clarity in many areas of diversity education, the

No abstract

No abstract