This study investigates medical trainees’ experiences with dying and death, by means of semistructured interviews. Nine medical students and nine residents reported a total of 114 experiences. The great majority of these experiences took place during the final year of medical school. The authors identified the latent characteristics, which illustrate an in-depth understanding of the significance of the described experiences. Three main themes emerged: circumstances of death, personal relationship, and one’s own role. The age of the dying person, the extent of suffering, time frame and setting, and the patients’ behaviors were factors that influence the perceptions of the experiences. The interviewees reported powerful emotional consternation by the patients’ deaths with whom they had developed a close relationship. Failure, helplessness, and guilt were negatively associated perceptions of one’s own role. This study illustrates the tension between emotional concern and professional detachment. It highlights the continuing existence of a physician image, in which control represents the key issue.

Background Interprofessional simulation based education (IPSBE) programs positively impact participants' attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration and learning. However, the extent to which students in different health professions benefit and the underlying reasons for this are subject of ongoing debate. Methods We developed a 14-h IPSBE course with scenarios of critical incidents or emergency cases. Participants were final year medical students (FYMS) and final year anesthesia technician trainees (FYATT). To assess attitudes towards interprofessionalism, the University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire was administrated before and after the course. Using focus group illustration maps, qualitative data were obtained from a subcohort of the participants (n = 15). Results After the course, self-assessment of communication and teamwork skills, attitudes towards interprofessional interactions and relationships showed comparative improvement in both professions. Attitudes towards interprofessional learning improved only in FYMS. Qualitative data revealed teamwork, communication, hierarchy and the perception of one’s own and other health profession as main topics that might underlie the changes in participants’ attitudes. An important factor was that participants got to know each other during the course and understood each other's tasks. Conclusions Since adequate communication and teamwork skills and positive attitudes towards interprofessionality account to effective interprofessional collaboration, our data support intensifying IPSBE in undergraduate health care education.

Background: Around the world, the emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic forced medical schools to create numerous e-learning supplements to provide instruction during this crisis. The question now is to determine a way in which to capitalize on this momentum of digitization and harness the medical e-learning content created for the future. We have analyzed the transition of a pathology course to an emergency remote education online course and, in the second step, applied a flipped classroom approach including research skills training. Methods: In the summer semester of 2020, the pathology course at the Technical University of Munich was completely converted to an asynchronous online course. Its content was adapted in winter 2021 and incorporated into a flipped classroom concept in which research skills were taught at the same time. Results: Screencasts and lecture recordings were the most popular asynchronous teaching formats. Students reported developing a higher interest in pathology and research through group work. The amount of content was very challenging for some students. Conclusion: Flipped classroom formats are a viable option when using pre-existing content. We recommend checking such content for technical and didactic quality and optimizing it if necessary. Content on research skills can be combined very well with clinical teaching content.

Background Around the world, medical schools emergency-created countless e-learning offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide instruction despite the pandemic. The question now is how to capitalize on this momentum of digitization and how to harness the medical e-learning content created for the future. We have analyzed the transition of a pathology course to show what needs to be considered during such a transition. Methods In the summer semester of 2020, the pathology course at the Technical University of Munich was completely converted to an asynchronous online course. This content was adapted in winter 2021 and incorporated into a flipped classroom concept in which research skills were trained at the same time. Results Screencasts and lecture recordings were the most popular asynchronous teaching formats. Students reported developing a higher interest in pathology and research through group work. The amount of content was very challenging for some students. Conclusion Flipped classroom formats are a viable option when using the pre-existing contents. We recommend checking the contents for technical and didactic quality and optimizing them if necessary. Content on research skills can be combined very well with clinical teaching content.