Dataset Information

Measuring Coaching in Undergraduate Medical Education: the Development and Psychometric Validation of New Instruments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Coaching is emerging as a novel approach to guide medical students toward becoming competent, reflective physicians and master adaptive learners. However, no instruments currently exist to measure academic coaching at the undergraduate medical education level.

Objective

To describe the development and psychometric assessments of two instruments designed to assess academic coaching of medical students toward creating a robust measurement model of this educational paradigm.

Design

Observational psychometric.

Participants

All medical students in the 2014 and 2015 cohorts and all their coaches were invited to complete the instruments being tested, which led to 662 medical student responses from 292 medical students and 468 coaching responses from 22 coaches being included in analyses. Medical student response rates were 75.7% from 2014 and 75.5% from 2015. Overall, the coaches' response rate was 71%.

Main measures

Two 31-item instruments were initially developed, one for medical students to assess their coach and one for faculty coaches to assess their students, both of which evaluated coaching based on definitions we formulated using existing literature. Each was administered to two cohorts of medical students and coaches in 2015 and 2016. An exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis as the extraction method and Varimax with Kaiser normalization as the rotation method was conducted.

Key results

Eighteen items reflecting four domains were retained with eigenvalues higher than 1.0 for medical students' assessment of coaching, which measured promoting self-monitoring, relationship building, promoting reflective behavior, and establishing foundational ground rules. Sixteen items reflecting two domains were retained for the faculty assessment of coaching with eigenvalues higher than 1.0: the Practice of Coaching and Relationship Formation.

Conclusions

We successfully developed and psychometrically validated surveys designed to measure key aspects of the coaching relationship, coaching processes, and reflective outcomes. The new validated instruments offer a robust measurement model for academic coaching.

SUBMITTER: Carney PA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6502930 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundMedical students have consistently expressed interest in learning about alternative healing modalities, especially herbal and natural products. To fill this void in medical education at our institution, a novel elective was developed and implemented for fourth year medical students. This herbal/natural product course uses guest lecturers, classroom presentations, and active learning mechanisms that include experiential rotations, case-based learning, and team-based learning to increase student knowledge of herbal/natural product safety and efficacy.MethodsKnowledge outcomes were evaluated via administration of a pre- and post-course test (paired student t-test). End-of-course evaluations (Likert-type questions and narrative responses) were used to assess student opinion of knowledge and skills imparted by the elective and overall course content (mean, standard deviation).ResultsOver three academic years, 23 students have enrolled in this elective. More than 60% of participants have been female and nearly half of the students (43%) have pursued residencies in primary care. Completion of the course significantly increased student knowledge of common herbal/natural product mechanisms, uses, adverse effects, and drug-interactions as determined by a pre- and post-course knowledge assessment (45%±10% versus 78%±6%; p<0.0001). The course was highly rated by enrollees (overall course quality, 4.6 of 5.0±0.48) who appreciated the variety of activities to which they were exposed and the open classroom discussions that resulted. While students tended to view some alternative medical systems with skepticism, they still believed it was valuable to learn what these modalities encompass.ConclusionsDevelopment and implementation of a herbal/natural product elective that engages undergraduate medical students through active learning mechanisms and critical analysis of the literature has proven effective in increasing knowledge outcomes and is deemed to be a valuable curricular addition by student participants. In the future, it will be of interest to explore mechanisms for expanding the course to reach a larger number of students within the time, financial, and logistical constraints that currently exist.

Project description:ObjectivesImplementation barriers and lack of standardized point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curricula make the development of effective POCUS curricula and methods of assessment challenging. The authors aim to develop a longitudinal POCUS curriculum through staged intervention. In the first stage, the authors hypothesized that the use of high-fidelity ultrasound simulation during the Internal Medicine clerkship would improve POCUS confidence and knowledge among medical students, minimizing the need for trained faculty.MethodsA quasi-experimental study of third-year students on the Internal Medicine clerkship at a large academic medical center in the United States was performed assessing the efficacy of ultrasound simulation use. The control group consisted of students who received baseline POCUS education during teaching rounds but did not have access to the ultrasound simulator. The experimental group consisted of students who, in addition to baseline POCUS education, had access to a high-fidelity ultrasound simulator throughout the clerkship for a minimum of 1 hour per week. Students in both the control and experimental groups completed a pre- and post-intervention confidence survey and knowledge-based examination.ResultsEighty-two percent (50/61) of students completed pre- and post-tests, with the control group demonstrating no significant difference in POCUS confidence or knowledge. After exposure to the ultrasound simulator, the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvement in POCUS confidence and overall POCUS knowledge (p < .01).ConclusionThe use of high-fidelity ultrasound simulation can improve POCUS confidence and knowledge among medical students while addressing common barriers to the implementation of a POCUS curriculum. Despite showing statistically significant improvement in overall knowledge, the results did not appear to hold educational significance. Additional POCUS educational methods are necessary to overcome cognitive bias and potential overconfidence. The next stage of curriculum development will include resident-led POCUS workshops to supplement simulation.