Abstract

Introduction: The Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference (APMEC) 2025 focused on evolving medical education amidst global transformations. The theme, “Developing a Holistic Healthcare Practitioner for a Sustainable Future,” emphasised integrating sustainability, inclusivity, and advanced technologies like AI into healthcare education.

Methods: APMEC 2025 featured a comprehensive program including 29 workshops, 1 special course, 2 keynote speeches, 6 plenary sessions, 19 symposia, and 3 panel discussions, with 84 free communications and 107 short communications presented. The conference facilitated dialogues on innovative curriculum design, sustainability in healthcare education, AI integration, and interprofessional education.

Results: Key discussions emphasised incorporating “Possibility Thinking” and student-centered learning, embedding planetary health in curricula, and integrating AI while preserving essential human skills like empathy. The NUS Common Curriculum for Healthcare Professional Education demonstrated significant improvements in empathy and teamwork. The conference highlighted the importance of faculty development and inclusivity, particularly concerning disability in medical education.

Conclusion: APMEC 2025 demonstrated a commitment to transforming medical education through collaboration and innovation. By aligning educational practices with global trends and regional needs, APMEC serves as a catalyst for comprehensive curriculum reforms. Ongoing efforts are needed to translate these insights into actionable strategies, ensuring future healthcare professionals are well-prepared to address dynamic global challenges.

Abstract

Introduction: Medical students are known to have a higher prevalence of psychological distress although they begin medical school with better mental health than their peers. Depression and burnout rates are high among them and many of these students do not seek help due to the associated stigma linked with mental health concerns. At present, there are several known resilience-enhancing modules incorporated within the curriculum to improve students coping skills, however, there are no known modules yet that introduce this concept within the early medical curriculum, especially within the pre-clinical years.

Methods: IMU University introduces a Resilience Workshop within early pre-clinical years to appropriately engage students to recognise and address common challenges. This can be tackled by understanding the various coping mechanisms that can be adopted. This workshop describes four main areas: introduction to resilience, interactive activities, discussions, and reflection platforms. This initiative aligns with the university’s curriculum focus on person-centred care, emphasising personalised care as a priority.

Results: Preliminary results suggest that the Resilience Workshop can aid in developing suggested and self-regulated interventions to manage adversities faced by medical students. Attention to individual students’ coping reservoirs can help promote well-being and minimise burnout. Formal and informal offerings within medical schools can help fill the reservoir.

Conclusion: This article provides a perspective on fostering resilience building within the early medical curriculum to cultivate core strengths among medical students for managing adversities.

Abstract

Introduction: Dental education is undergoing a major transformation due to evolving healthcare needs, technological advancements, and the demand for dental practitioners to meet the diverse needs of a global patient community. Competency-based education (CBE) is at the forefront of this change, focusing on what students are competent in upon graduation. Unlike traditional models, CBE emphasises practical skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Methods: This article explo res the shift towards CBE in dental education, examining frameworks that support CBE like Miller’s Pyramid and guidelines from organisations such as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). It also involves a detailed analysis of these frameworks and their application in designing competency-based curricula.

Results: The findings reveal that CBE facilitates a student-centric approach, enhancing critical thinking, problem-solving, and autonomous self-assessment. These frameworks guide the design of curricula including identifying core competencies, defining competency levels, mapping competencies to learning outcomes, selecting effective teaching methods and utilising various assessment strategies. However, implementing CBE faces challenges, including measuring soft skills and resistance from educators and students.

Conclusion: CBE represents a paradigm shift in dental education, ensuring graduates are not only knowledgeable but proficient in practical skills. Future recommendations include incorporating technology-enhanced learning, global health competencies, and sustainability practices into the curriculum. Continuous professional development for educators and robust feedback mechanisms are needed to maintain the curriculum’s relevance and effectiveness, ensuring dental graduates are well-equipped to meet the demands of modern dental practice.

Abstract

Introduction: The medical humanities (MH) have the potential to support medical education (ME) by developing observational skills, promote reflective practice and transformative growth. However, contextual content and methods relevant to our local and regional learners and teachers are lacking.

Methods: We describe three MH-based ME programmes within SingHealth to illustrate our considerations in the choice of conceptual frameworks and content selection in programme development and evaluation.

Results: Highlighting pertinent challenges in developing the field due to poor awareness, lack of resources and research capability, we emphasise the importance of interdisciplinarity, engaging leadership, and generating research output. Broad strategies to achieve these goals are then presented.

Conclusion: Highlighting challenges due to the lack of awareness, administrative and funding support, and research capability, we propose strategies to overcome such barriers and hope that readers will be inspired to contribute to this developing landscape where science and art intersect.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to explore the development of nurse prescribing and identify nurse prescribing implementation and challenges in China.

Methods: Conducted as a systematic review adhering to the PRISMA, this study involved a comprehensive literature search across various databases. A timeline mapping and a region mapping were conducted.

Results: A total of 28 articles from databases were included in the study. The growth of nursing education and research, the emergence of specialty nurses, and the establishment of nurse-led clinics have contributed to the advancement of nurse prescribing in China. Presently, approximately half of the 34 regions in China are either actively researching or preparing for nurse prescribing involving medication.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, several tasks have been identified for the implementation of nurse prescribing in China. Firstly, it is imperative to elevate the overall level of nursing education and revise the existing curriculum to equip nursing students with the necessary knowledge and skills required for prescribing. Secondly, it is crucial to establish a systematic qualification system for prescribing nurses, defining the roles of specialty nurses and advanced practice nurses. Thirdly, the development of nurse prescribing includes scope of nursing practice and prescribing protocols are essential. Lastly, extension of the geographic reach of legislation and pilot projects is needed to realise the nationwide implementation of nurse prescribing.

Keywords:           Nursing, Health Professional, Prescribing

Abstract

Introduction: Paediatric practice presents unique challenges for clinical reasoning, including the collection of clinical information from multiple individuals during history taking, often in emotionally charged circumstances, and the variable presentation of signs and symptoms due to the developmental stage of the child. Communication skills are clearly important but the most effective methods of teaching clinical reasoning in paediatrics remains unclear. Our review aimed to examine the existing methods of teaching clinical reasoning in paediatrics, and to consider the evidence for the most effective approaches.

Methods: We performed a scoping review and evidence synthesis drawn from reports found during a systematic search in five major databases. We reviewed 211 reports to include 11.

Results: Students who received explicit training in clinical reasoning showed a significant improvement in their experiential learning, diagnostic ability, and reflective clinical judgement. More specifically, key findings demonstrated frequent student-centered interactive strategies increased awareness of the critical role of communication skills and medical history taking. Real case-based exercises, flipped classrooms, workshops, team-based or/and bed-side teaching, and clinical simulation involving multisource feedback were effective in improving student engagement and performance on multiple outcome measures.

Conclusion: This review provides a structured insight into the advantages of different teaching methods, focusing on the multistep decision process involved in teaching clinical reasoning in paediatrics. Our review demonstrated a relatively small number of studies in paediatrics related to clinical reasoning, underlining the need for further research and curricular developments that may better meet the known unique challenges of the care of paediatric patients.

Keywords:           Clinical Reasoning, Paediatrics, Teaching Methods, Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: Paediatric milestones provide a structured method for observing and monitoring a child’s progress and should be part of core paediatric curriculum. However, a literature review reveals that primary care physicians and pediatricians feel inadequate about their knowledge and practice of developmental paediatrics, thus exposing the lacunae in training.

Methods: An intervention was planned amongst final-year medical undergraduate students in Oman during their paediatric rotation. A 90-minute multimodal active learning module incorporating diverse learning orientations was planned and administered as a skill-lab session. Its effectiveness in learner motivation, engagement, and faculty participation was evaluated using a questionnaire based on the ICAP (Interactive, Constructive, Active, and Passive) framework, administered to students at the end of the session.

Results: Responses of the 62 participants indicated a significant association between their overall experience and tasks related to the active, constructive, and interactive elements of the module (p=0.001). The faculty’s role in facilitating the session significantly contributed to students’ overall experience (p=0.000). On linear regression, active, constructive, and interactive components of the module were moderate to high predictors of the participants’ overall learning experience.

Conclusion: It was beneficial to base the teaching module on established learning theories. Active learning strategies proactively fostered student engagement and self-directed learning during the session. Faculty played an important role in planning and customising the content, flow, and delivery to maximise meaningful learning. Such interactive collaboration, especially for theoretical concepts in medicine, enables better student engagement, providing enhanced opportunities for learning, practice, and feedback.

Keywords:           Active Learning, Child Development, Undergraduate Medical Education, Student Engagement, ICAP Framework

Abstract

Introduction: Factors affecting decision-making duration in MCQs can enhance assessment effectiveness, ensuring they accurately measure the intended objectives and address issues related to incomplete exams due to time constraints. The authors aimed to explore the aspects of medical student’s perspective regarding the factors influencing their decision making on MCQ assessments.

Methods: A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design was utilised. Initial surveys were conducted using percentages, mean and non-parametric analysis obtained via online questionnaires from the sample group: all 2^nd – 5^th year medical students from SUT, Thailand. The validity of the questionnaires was verified by three independent reviewers (IOC=0.89). This was followed by semi-structured group interviews to explore student’s perspective on the factors affecting their decision. Qualitative analysis was conducted to explore detailed information until data saturation was achieved.

Results: Data from the quantitative analysis identified four factors that students believe affect the duration of the exam: the total word count of each question, test difficulty, and images in tests. Meanwhile, the qualitative analysis provided additional insights on factors such as the examination atmosphere affecting their decisions.

Conclusion: This report indicated that data acquired from a comprehensive reading question should be distinguished from those requiring decisive reading. Apart from text length, question taxonomy-such as recall or application- and questions with given images and tables should be considered as factors determining time allocation for an MCQ. Future research based on these results should aim to develop a mathematical formula to calculate exam duration, accounting for question difficulty and length.

Abstract

Introduction: The MBBS programme at Fiji National University reduced its teaching weeks from 18 to 14 weeks in 2018. The purpose of this study was to assess student perceptions of learning and teachers following the reduction in the number of teaching weeks from 18 to 14 weeks.

Methods: A questionnaire was created using a modified Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (mDREEM) tool (23 items). This was comprised of two subscales; Students Perception of Learning (SPL – 12 items) and Students Perception of Teachers (SPT – 11 items). This was circulated to Year 5 MBBS students through an online survey in 2020.

Results: The response rate was 96%. The students regarded their educational environment as positive in both length of teaching weeks, with an overall mDREEM mean score of 63.29 in 18 weeks and 62.03 in 14 weeks. No statistically significant differences were found between 18 week and 14 week scores across mDREEM scores, SPL scores or SPT scores. The highest scoring item over both was ‘teachers are knowledgeable’.

Conclusion: A positive perception was noted for both lengths of teaching weeks. Reducing the teaching weeks from 18 to 14 did not statistically significantly reduce students’ perception of their educational environment. Items identified with low scores will give a window of opportunity for lecturers and to improve these areas. Future studies may explore the use of the five subscales of the DREEM tool and this study can be integrated into further evaluations of educational environment at Fiji National University.

Abstract

Introduction: Transitioning from a novice physiotherapist (NPT) to an independent practitioner presents significant challenges. Burnout becomes a risk if NPTs lack adequate support for learning and coping. Despite the importance of this transition, few studies have explored NPTs’ experiences in Singapore. This study aims to investigate the transitional journey of NPTs within this context.

Methods: Conducted as a descriptive phenomenological study, researchers collected data through semi-structured online interviews with eight NPTs from six acute hospitals across Singapore. Simultaneous data analysis during collection allowed for a reflexive approach, enabling the researchers to explore new facets until data saturation. Thematic analysis was employed and complemented by member triangulation.

Results: The challenges NPTs encountered include seeking guidance from supervisors, managing fast-paced work and patients with complex conditions. Additionally, NPTs grappled with fear of failure, making mistakes and self-doubt. They adopted strategies such as assuming responsibility for learning, developing patient-focused approaches, and emotional resilience. However, a concerning trend emerged with the growing emotional apathy and doubts about their professional choice.

Conclusion: This study provides a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by NPTs during their transition. The workplace should be viewed as a learning community, where members form mutual relationships and support authentic learning. Recommendations include augmenting learning along work activities, fostering relationships, ensuring psychological safety, and allowing “safe” mistakes for comprehensive learning.

Abstract

Introduction: Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs) minimise cueing and simulate actual clinical practice more accurately than Single Best Answer Questions, as multiple-choice options might not be realistic. Phramongkutklao College of Medicine has developed a Self-Marked VSAQ (SM-VSAQ) for formative assessments. This study determines the validity and reliability of the SM-VSAQs.

Methods: Ninety-four third-year pre-clinical students took two occasions of 10-question SM-VSAQ exams regarding cardiovascular drugs. Each question consisted of two steps: (1) clinical vignettes with questions and (2) expected answers with scores, self-marking, and feedback comprehension. Scores ranged from 0.00 to 1.00 in 0.25 increments, though not every increment was applied to all questions. A distribution of the rating agreement between students’ and teacher’s ratings was presented to determine criterion-related validity and inter-rater reliability.

Results: Criterion-related validity revealed 90.64% and 93.19% of the ratings demonstrated exact agreement between students’ and teachers’ ratings, with an inter-rater reliability of 0.972 and 0.977 for the first and second occasions, respectively (p=0.001). The exact agreement was relatively lower on the first occasion for questions with more diverse expected answers (85.11%, r=0.867, p=0.001) and drugs requiring their specific full names for a perfect mark (74.47%, r=0.849, p=0.001). While questions with specific guides do not require complex answers, they received a higher exact agreement.

Conclusion: The SM-VSAQ format effectively combines guided answers with the VSAQ model. The agreement with teacher-rated is excellent. Marking discrepancies rooted in misconceptions underscores the importance of teacher feedback in improving self-grading in formative assessments. Regular self-assessment practice is recommended to enhance grading accuracy.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to identify the emotions experienced by medical students during the quarantine period, explore their coping strategies, and determine whether the pandemic affected their learning behaviours.

Methods: In this descriptive study, data were collected through an online questionnaire. The study included quarantined medical students enrolled in a distance education program at a medical school during the pandemic. The Positive and Negative Affect Scale was used to assess the emotional spectrum of the participants.

Results: The majority of medical students in the sample experienced predominantly negative emotions. Students with higher negative affect scores struggled with stress management and were less able to employ emotional regulation strategies, which adversely affected their learning behaviours.

Conclusion: Emotions should be explicitly addressed in medical education, and students should be supported in managing their emotions as part of their professional development and well-being.

I. INTRODUCTION

Assessment is an important component of training in ensuring that graduating students are competent to provide safe and effective medical care to patients. Typically, the passing score is set as a fixed mark, but this approach does not account for the varying difficulty of exams. As a result, students who have achieved the required level of competence might fail if the exam items are particularly challenging (false negative), while students who have not attained the necessary competence might pass if the items are unusually easy (false positive). Hence, deciding on the right pass mark is important for each assessment. To mitigate this issue, criterion referenced standard setting was adopted in medical education (Norcini, 2003). It determines the minimum competence level expected of a candidate and whether a candidate would pass or fail the assessments (Norcini, 2003). The Angoff method is one of the more commonly used standard setting techniques. It is an examinee centred method and requires a panel of judges to estimate the probability that a borderline candidate would get the item correct.

I. INTRODUCTION

In response to the evolving landscape of medical education, this personal view article explores the integration of advanced digital tools into the curriculum for medical students. As the field of medicine continues to advance rapidly, leveraging technologies such as Google Lens, WhatsApp, Microsoft Word (MS Word), Coggle mapping software, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven assistants like Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) can significantly enhance the learning experience. This article outlines strategies for creating impactful PowerPoint presentations, developing comprehensive concept maps, and extending class hours to foster active engagement and a deeper understanding of medical concepts. The integration of these digital tools is increasingly recognised as essential in contemporary medical education. Digital tools can offer interactive and personalised learning experiences, providing medical students with innovative ways to grasp complex concepts and apply them in clinical scenarios. For instance, Google Lens can facilitate quick access to medical references and visual aids, while WhatsApp can enable real-time communication and collaboration among students and educators. MS Word is a versatile tool for drafting and organising written content, and Coggle mapping software can assist in visualising and connecting intricate medical concepts. Meanwhile, AI-driven assistants like ChatGPT offer opportunities for interactive learning and immediate support. Contemporary medical education must continuously evolve to effectively harness these technological advancements. Extending class hours and incorporating digital tools can provide students with more opportunities for engagement and learning, thus enhancing their preparedness for modern healthcare challenges. As medical education adapts to incorporate personalised learning and evidence-based practices, it is crucial to integrate these digital tools to navigate complex clinical scenarios effectively (Park et al., 2021). The subsequent sections of this manuscript will delve into the specific ways in which these digital tools can be utilised to improve medical education, ensuring a consistent and impactful learning experience for students.

I. INTRODUCTION

The transition from pre-university education to medical school marks the first significant change medical professionals face in the medical education continuum, and is deemed as a remarkable stressor (Sá et al., 2021). This paper seeks to explore the experiences of incoming students in further detail, noting that current literature focuses predominantly on the transition from pre-clinical to clinical years instead. These findings may offer valuable insight for medical educators to incite change in the current medical curriculum that would foster a smoother transition.

I. THE EARLY CLINICAL EXPOSURE PROGRAM

According to a large body of research, early clinical exposure and simulation-based learning are beneficial for medical students in many ways, hence the University of Moratuwa has used these concepts together in the MBBS program (Peries et al, 2024). It allows students to develop their thinking, communication, clinical reasoning, and room for trial and error (Krajic, 2003). The faculty has developed a spirally integrated, simulation-based program named Early Clinical Exposure (ECE) for students from 1st year onwards to facilitate step-by-step, yet continuous mastering of concepts and skills of history-taking and examination.

Dear Editor,

The Department of Radiology, Defence Services Medical Academy reports the results on the impact of a 2-week radiology program on year 4 medical students’ perception of radiology. Advances in imaging modalities has led to almost every patient getting a scan prior to any planned management making it essential for medical students to understand the importance of radiology’s role in clinical practice. Limited exposure to radiology can perpetuate negative stereotypes by perceiving radiology as providing no significant contribution to patient care (Grimm et al., 2021). In the academic year of 2020/2021, we piloted a 2-week radiology program for 4^th year medical students and conducted a qualitative, experiential, and phenomenological study design using Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) from January to July 2022 after obtaining ethical approval to find out the effectiveness of exposure to radiology impacts on 4^th year medical students’ opinions and views on radiology. Eighteen out of 20 4^th year medical students volunteered to participate. FGIs can be used to gather rich data through participant exchange of ideas or comments on each other’s views (Stalmeijer et al., 2014). We found that students who were hesitant to express their views individually were willing to do so in small groups.

Since the time of the Flexner report, it has been accepted that science is the foundation of clinical practice (Finnerty et al., 2010; Flexner, 1910; Grande, 2009; Haramati et al., 2024; Lindsley et al., 2024; Slivkoff et al., 2019; Weston, 2018; Woods et al., 2006). However, the methods traditionally used to teach sciences to medical students have been questioned in the post-Flexner era (AAMC-HHMI Committee, 2009; Cooke et al., 2010; Fulton et al., 2012; Slivkoff et al., 2019). For nearly 100 years, the foundational sciences were taught in a discipline-oriented fashion, primarily through passive learning approaches (lectures), and largely separated from clinical practice (AAMC-HHMI Committee, 2009; Flexner, 1910). Consequently, in the pre-clerkship phase, scientific details were often overtaught and disconnected from clinical applications. This approach frequently required students to “re-learn” their foundational sciences in the setting of patient care. The disconnect between science and medicine was further exacerbated in the later phases of medical training by physicians who taught in a manner that emphasized pattern recognition over scientific underpinnings. We have come to understand that these pedagogical approaches to medical education were neither efficient nor optimal.