Students often feel overwhelmed by the volume and complexity of knowledge and skills required to learn. Along with this challange, educational technology has been gradually introduced in medical education to facilitate learning and improve outcomes. It became an essential part of communication, storing and transferring information, audio-visual media use and production, and knowledge sharing. Technology's role has been expanding from a mere tool of study and inquiry to an approach and integrated use in education. Its use in medical education is continuously evolving. However, the impact and optimal use of various technology applications are not clearly defined. There are multiple challenges facing educators to choose the right application for the specific educational purpose. Hence, studies and evaluation reviews are needed to inform the better-defined use of educational technology.

Efforts continue to facilitate surgical skills training and provide accessible and safe training opportunities. Educational technology has played an essential role in minimizing the challenges facing traditional surgical training and providing feasible training opportunities. Simulation and virtual reality (VR) offer an important innovative training approach to enhance and supplement both technical and non-technical skills acquisition and overcome the many training challenges facing surgical training programs. To maximize the effectiveness of simulation modalities, an in-depth understanding of the cognitive learning theory is necessary. Knowing the stages and mental processes of skills acquisition when integrated with simulation applications can help trainees achieve maximal learning outcomes. This article aims to review important literature related to VR effectiveness and discuss the leading theories of technical skills acquisition related to VR simulation technologies.

Radiotherapy (RT) is a treatment modality that uses high-energy rays or radioactive agents to generate ionizing radiation against rapidly dividing cells. The main objective of using radiation in cancer therapy is to impair or halt the division of the tumor cells. Over the past few decades, advancements in technology, the introduction of newer methods of RT, and a better understanding of the pathophysiology of cancers have enabled physicians to deliver doses of radiation that match the exact dimensions of the tumor for greater efficacy, with minimal exposure of the surrounding tissues. However, RT has numerous complications, the most common being radiation proctitis (RP). It is characterized by damage to the rectal epithelium by secondary ionizing radiation. Based on the onset of signs and symptoms, post-radiotherapy RP can be classified as acute or chronic, each with varying levels of severity and complication rates. The treatment options available for RP are limited, with most of the data on treatment available from case reports or small studies. Here, we describe the types of RT used in modern-day medicine and radiation-mediated tissue injury. We have primarily focused on the classification, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, treatment strategies, complications, and prognosis of RP.

Academic clinicians have high expectations to meet in their academic institutions. Accomplishments are to be expected in multiple domains for their positions’ sustainability and promotions. In addition to excelling in their clinical practice, they are expected to maintain productive scholarly activities and meet the required educational and administrative responsibilities. Striking a balance between clinical, educational, research, and administrative duties is highly challenging and could lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout. Lately, the ever-growing patient population, competitive academic environment, and resident work hour restrictions have led to increased strain and demand on academic physicians and predisposing them to burnout. Despite the numerous studies looking at burnout in various professions, fewer studies have looked at burnout, specifically in clinical faculty members. Little is known about academic job satisfaction, stress, and rates of burnout, or how these factors affect scholarly success and productivity. Clinician faculty educators may be at significant risk of burnout. There is some evidence that clinically burned-out faculty had less confidence in their teaching skills and had fewer life-long learning habits. These results suggest that burnout may influence not only the quality of care but also the quality of training provided to others.

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed significant challenges on medical education worldwide, particularly in experience- and resource-limited regions of the world. Collaborative efforts of educators and academic institutions are necessary to facilitate the adaptation to the new educational reality. In this study, challenges and outcomes of a newly implemented distance education curriculum are examined to share findings and provide recommendations. An alternative distance education curriculum with online resources and virtual lectures was developed and implemented in February 2020 at the Wasit University College of Medicine in Iraq. A post-implementation survey was developed for both faculty instructors and students to evaluate the program's effectiveness and perception. Results were compared between both groups. The study was approved by the University's Dean and exempted by the research committee for anonymity. A total of 636 students and 81 instructors were surveyed. Approximately 33% of students and 51% of instructors found online education equivalent or superior to traditional face-to-face teaching methods. Almost 69% of students and 51% of instructors reported increased difficulties with virtual learning, primarily due to challenges with the available technology, unreliable internet connectivity, as well as perceive fatigue when listening to online lectures. Distance education provides a worthwhile alternative during the COVID-19 pandemic, including in regions of limited experience. Adequate preparation, good quality audio-visuals and Internet, and student engagement activities are recommended to improve the quality of education.

Burnout syndrome (BOS) in academic physicians is a psychological state resulting from prolonged exposure to job stressors. It leads to a decline in overall job performance, which could result in misjudgment and serious clinical errors. The current study identifies the prevalence, as well as the potential demographic and workload variables that contribute significantly to BOS in academic clinicians. We distributed a modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) scale to the academic clinicians in our institution; 326/900 responded, with 56.21% male and 43.46% female. The MBI scale comprised of three dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA). Higher scores in EE and DP and lower scores in PA were associated with a higher risk for burnout. In considering the work-life of academic clinicians, this study used a modified version of the MBI to reflect three hypothesized sources of burnout: interactions with students/trainees, interactions with patients, and interactions with administration, as reflected in these three dimensions. Along both the EE and DP dimensions of the MBI, burnout was highest for interactions with administration (51% and 44.8%), moderate for interactions with patients (26.4% and 34.5%), and lowest for interactions with students (11.7% and 9.8%). The highest scores along the personal accomplishment component was found for interactions with students and patients (33.7% and 33.4%). Regression analyses identified several factors associated with higher scores on the EE and DP scales: younger age, surgical specialty, low academic rank, academic main practice, female gender, numerous night shifts, and living alone. Furthermore, higher patient volume contributed significantly to the increasing PA. This study suggests that administrative interaction contributes significantly to burnout amongst physicians, followed by patient care and trainees. Furthermore, surgeons, females, single, early career, and younger faculty staff members are at higher risk of suffering from burnout. Further studies are needed to characterize the nature of administrative interactions that contribute to burnout and to solidify other contributing variables.