Effective patient-centered communication, particularly the skills of breaking bad news (BBN), is crucial for successful doctor-patient relationships and requires specialized training. This study evaluates the impact of Chatbot Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) on BBN training for medical students. We found significant increase in medical students’ confidence in their BBN ability (3 vs. 4.17, p = 0.002) and greater trust in ChatGPT as a tool for learning communication skills and professionalism (2.33 vs. 3.5, p = 0.001), after engaging in pre-designed BBN scenario with ChatGPT. These findings highlight AI’s potential to enhance communication training, offering an innovative approach to developing essential skills in future physicians.

Immunology is an integral component of undergraduate medical education because of its critical role in many disease processes. Due to the complexity of the subject, the best practice of immunology education in the undergraduate medical curriculum has not been extensively discussed. This study intended to determine the current status of immunology education in U.S. medical schools with the hope of providing insight into curriculum design pertaining to this subject. Immunology curriculum information was collected from the curriculum Web pages of 199 U.S. medical schools, including multiple campuses. Data pertaining to the setting of immunology education such as subjects that are co-taught with immunology, timing of courses, credit hours, and integration level were recorded in Microsoft Excel for analysis. Of 199 U.S. medical schools studied, 174 posted curriculum information related to immunology online. For course settings, 59 (33.9%) offer immunology with microbiology, 42 (24.1%) offer immunology as part of a foundational sciences course, and 18 (10.3%) offer immunology as a stand-alone course. Ten programs (5.7%) have immunology fully integrated in system-based curriculum. Of 119 medical schools that provide information regarding timing, 94 (71.9%) provide immunology education in year 1 of the curriculum, 16 (9.2%) in year 2, and 9 (5.2%) in both years 1 and 2. Differences exist in allopathic versus osteopathic programs in the immunology curriculum setting. Credit hour data were not complete due to inconsistent availability. Our data suggest that immunology education in U.S. medical schools lacks consensus. Continued discussion on best practices of immunology education across U.S. medical schools is recommended.

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a highly structured active learning methodology shown to have positive learning outcomes in undergraduate medical education (UME). While many medical schools have increasingly adopted TBL, there is considerable variation reported in the literature in the implementation of the standard sequence and key components of TBL. The extent to which this variation affects the benefits of TBL is not well understood. This study aims to assess the impact of implementing the standardized framework of the TBL process on student perception of the benefits of TBL. Faculty at our institute were surveyed to determine the frequency of implementation of TBL standards, as described in the literature. Second-year osteopathic medical students (OMS II) were surveyed for their perception of the experience of TBL at the beginning of the academic year. Curricular interventions targeting the enforcement of the standard steps and key components of TBL were implemented in a particular 6-week system course. The students were re-surveyed at the end of the course. Descriptive and thematic analyses were performed on quantitative and qualitative data. Twenty four of 31 (77.4%) faculty participated in the faculty survey, 53 of 105 OMS II students (50.4%) participated in the pre-intervention survey, and 72 of 104 OMS II students (69.2%) participated in the post-intervention survey. Faculty survey results indicated inconsistent implementation of key steps and components of the TBL process. Comparisons of student pre- and post-survey means of the perceived value of various aspects of TBL showed significant improvement in multiple aspects of the TBL process, including readiness assurance tests, immediate feedback, and application activities. Both before and after the intervention, students highly rated the value of teamwork and opportunities for practical application of concepts within TBL. While medical students value teamwork in UME and professional development, their perception of TBL can be less than positive if not conducted deliberatively. Assessment of the implementation of the standard TBL steps and components and development of corresponding targeted interventions may improve the TBL experience of medical students. Our process could be generalized to help educators interested in improving TBL in their home institutes.

Medical ethics education is crucial for preparing medical students to face ethical situations that can arise in patient care. Instances of ethics being integrated into biomedical science education to build the connection between human science and ethics is limited. The specific aim of this study was to measure student attitudes towards an innovative curriculum design that integrates ethics education directly into a biomedical science course in pre-clinical medical curriculum. In this cross-sectional study, three ethics learning modules were designed and built in a biomedical science course in the pre-clinical curriculum. All students of Class of 2024 who were enrolled in the course in 2021 were included in the study. Each module integrated ethics with basic science topics and was delivered with different teaching modalities. The first module used a documentary about a well-known patient with severe combined immunodeficiency disease. The second module was delivered through a clinical scenario on HIV infection. The third module used small group discussion and debate on the topic of blood transfusion. For evaluation, students were asked to self-identify the ethical challenges associated with each module and complete reflective writing to assess their knowledge and attitude. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on student perceptions of each module. Likert scale ratings on the usefulness of each module revealed significantly higher ratings for the small group discussion/debate module, seconded by the documentary and lastly the case scenario only modules. Narrative analysis on student feedback revealed three themes: General favorable impression, Perceived learning outcomes, and Critiques and suggestion. Common and unique codes were identified to measure the strengths and weaknesses of each module. Overall, students’ perception of the curriculum design was extremely positive. This curriculum design enabled us to highlight foundational biomedical sciences and clinical conditions with ethical dilemmas that physicians are likely to face in practice. Students found value in the modules, with a preference for the most active learning method. This study provides insight on a novel approach for integrating medical ethics into biomedical science courses that can be tailored to any institution. Strategies learned include utilizing active learning modalities and discussion.

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) is a field of academic research that focuses on improving learning through reflective and informed teaching. Currently, most SoTL-related work is faculty-driven; however, student involvement in SoTL has been shown to benefit both learners and educators. Our study aims to develop a framework for increasing medical students' interest, confidence, and engagement in SoTL. A student-led SoTL interest group was developed and a year-round program of SoTL was designed and delivered by student leaders of the group under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Individual post-session surveys were administered to evaluate participants' perceptions of each session. Pre- and post-program surveys were administered to evaluate the program impact. The year-round SoTL program consistently attracted the participation of medical students and faculty. Survey responses indicated strong medical student interest in the program and positive impact of the program. Increased interest and confidence in medical education research were reported by the student participants. The program design provided opportunities for student participants to network and receive ongoing feedback about medical education research they were interested or involved in. Our study provides insights for developing a framework that other institutions can reference and build upon to educate and engage students in SoTL.

Modern preclinical medical curricula are increasingly integrated, as integration is firmly established as being beneficial to learning [1–3]. Horizontal integration in preclinical medical curricula...