Must Reads

What is a ‘Must Read’ for those interested in medical education?

Each month, we identify 3-4 noteworthy articles from the health professions education literature and label them as “must reads.” Selection is based on several criteria including originality and methodological rigor. Our process includes a formal search of the peer-reviewed literature, screening titles and abstracts, full text review, and an editorial meeting to achieve consensus.

Who are we and why are we doing this?

Our reviewers include individuals with expertise in teaching, educational oversight, and research as well as those who are beginning their careers as educational scholars.

The volume of health professions education articles has become overwhelming. In curating some of the best new published papers, we hope to make it easier for all of us to keep abreast of cutting edge educational scholarship and practices.

We’d welcome involvement in the selection process. If you are interested in supporting this work or have perspectives to share, please email Sean Tackett: stacket1@jhmi.edu. You can also follow @MedEdMustReads on X (aka Twitter) to be notified when new must read articles are selected.

(Current Reviewers: Kara Alcegueire, Kavita Chapla, Scott Kinkade, Andrew Klein, Viviane Liao, Erica Lin, Emily Ma, Susan Mirabal, Amin Nakhostin-Ansari, Bridget O’Brien, Ashley Paul, Julianne Perretta, Carolina Saldanha, Katherine Senko, Julia Shalen, Kiara Smith, Sean Tackett, Scott Wright)

Featured This Month

Online learning in health professions education. Part 2: Tools and practical application: AMEE Guide No. 163
Medical Teacher: K. Masters, R. Correia, K. Nemethy, J. Benjamin, T. Carver, and H. MacNeill
The Gist
• Overview of digital content and methods available for health professions education.
• Covers an array of options, including infographics, podcasts, videos, game-based learning, virtual patients, and extended reality.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Online learning can increase access to high quality education, and it is rapidly evolving. This article’s overview of resources may be a useful reference for those in health professions education.

To prove or improve? Examining how paradoxical tensions shape evaluation practices in accreditation contexts
Medical Education: B. Onyura, A. J. Fisher, Q. Wu, S. Rajkumar, S. Chapagain, J. Nassuna, D. Rojas, and L. Nirula
The Gist
• Interviews of evaluation leaders at 26 academic health science centers in 4 countries.
• Evaluation was poorly understood and undervalued by institutions; there were also tensions between focusing on quality improvement and meeting accreditation requirements.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Rigorous evaluation is key to improving health professions curricula so they meet the needs of patients and society. This study suggests that incentives favor looking good for accreditors rather than inviting criticism and ideas for innovation and change.

Linking assessment to real life practice – comparing work based assessments and objective structured clinical examinations using mystery shopping
Advances in Health Science Education: A. Lim, S. Krishnan, H. Singh, S. Furletti, M. Sarkar, D. Stewart, and D. Malone
The Gist
• Mixed methods study of pharmacist students' performance on objective structured clinical exams (OSCEs) compared to simulated patient “mystery shopper” visits to a community pharmacy.
• Students performed much worse with the mystery shopper.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Clinical settings differ from simulated environments. The mystery shopper method offers a way to assess typical behaviors and share feedback that improves practice.

Featured

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PLoS One: B. H. H. Cheung, G. K. K. Lau, G. T. C. Wong, E. Y. P. Lee, D. Kulkarni, C. S. Seow, R. Wong, and M. T. Co
ChatGPT versus human in generating medical graduate exam multiple choice questions – A multinational prospective study (Hong Kong S.A.R., Singapore, Ireland, and the United Kingdom)
The Gist
• Comparison of 50 multiple choice questions (MCQs) written by ChatGPT to 50 written by faculty.
• ChatGPT produced similar quality MCQs in 1/10th the time.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Large language models (LLMs) are powerful but intimidating. This study’s principles and prompts for developing MCQs illustrate one way educators can effectively use LLMs.

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Academic Medicine: D. Maristany, K. E. Hauer, A. N. Leep Hunderfund, M. L. Elks, J. L. Bullock, A. Kumbamu, and B. C. O’Brien
The problem and power of professionalism: A critical analysis of medical students’ and residents’ perspectives and experiences of professionalism
The Gist
• Interviews of 49 clinical learners from 3 U.S. institutions exploring how professionalism can wield power.
• Professionalism could empower by offering credibility and a sense of belonging, and it could oppress by imposing the norms of a dominant culture on individuals from different backgrounds.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Professionalism is complex and evolving. This study highlights positive and negative aspects and suggests we could move toward an “identity-conscious professionalism” that values individuality and self-expression.

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Advances in Health Science Education: T. R. Wyatt, A. Casillas, A. Webber, J. A. Parrilla, D. Boatright, and H. Mason
The maintenance of classism in medical education: “Time” as a form of social capital in first-generation and low-income medical students
The Gist
• Interviews of 48 U.S. medical students from the first generation of their families to attend college or low-income backgrounds exploring their experiences with time.
• Time was seen as a currency to spend on meeting financial needs and the competing demands of learning in medical school, maintaining well-being, and helping family.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Everyone has 24 hours in a day, but time is distributed across individuals. This study showed how social and financial advantages can provide more time to some and suggests giving time to those who need more of it.

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Teaching and Learning in Medicine: O. Anjorin and J. O. Busari
Unpacking the social constructs of discrimination, othering, and belonging in medical schools
The Gist
• Commentary describing the concepts of social categorization, othering, and belonging.
• Argues that overgeneralizing from categories can lead to discrimination and worse well-being.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

It’s common to place ourselves and others into categories without understanding the consequences. This article highlights that appreciating our many differences can lead to a sense of inclusion and belonging.

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Academic Medicine: E. S. Jarrett, K. A. Allen, J. Marmet, M. Klein, S. Moerdler, and M. B. Pitt
“What’s my line?”: Pseudo-improvised teaching when the clinical teaching script is blank
The Gist
• Commentary describing clinical teaching techniques that borrow from improvisational theater and can be done on short notice.
• Lists 16 teaching prompts across 5 categories to use before, during, or after patient encounters.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

It can be difficult to find time to prepare when working with clinical learners. This article’s eclectic options may lessen the pressure to impress with clinical mastery, and instead structure activities that engage learners, patients, and other care team members.

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Teaching and Learning in Medicine: G. K-H. Shea and P-C. Chan
Clinical reasoning in medical education: A primer for medical students
The Gist
• Commentary targeted at novice learners that explains clinical reasoning concepts.
• Illustrates 3 models as reasoning becomes more advanced: hypothesis testing (e.g. process of elimination), forward thinking (e.g. using decision trees), and pattern recognition.
WHY THIS IS A MUST READ

Clinical reasoning is complex yet essential to practice. This article makes relevant theories and frameworks approachable to help medical learners be more aware of what occurs as they develop expertise.