Project 2 - Research Summary

Introduction:

Medicine and healthcare are essential aspects of our modern society that allow us to pursue such amazing accomplishments. Better training, techniques, and information about how the human body functions and responds to disease has allowed humans to double the average life expectancy in the past century. These improvements originate from the training doctors receive before they are allowed to called themselves an M.D. Medical students are a very select community that pulls together brilliant individuals willing to sacrifice their lives to help those who are sick. Fascinated by the ability to learn everything man has discovered about the human body and its complex network of systems that keep us alive, I decided to further investigate the community of medical students at Florida State University. Having to process such massive amounts of information, medical students must use a variety of genres of communication to effectively retain this information and be able to pass it on. Not to mention, I sought to find out about how these individuals were selected and deemed able to handle this responsibility of learning and passing on this knowledge to the communities they serve later on. Although the methods are extensive, steps can be taken to further the effective dialogue among the community and improve the quality of medical care in a 21st century world.

Sources (Relevance):

West, Colin P., MD,PhD. "Extended Evaluation of a Longitudinal Medical School Evidence- Based Medicine Curriculum." PMC. J Gen Intern Med, 26 June 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2016. Evidence-based medicine is an essential part of becoming a doctor. Future physicians must be able to use conduct theories about a patients needs or ailments based on the symptoms and signs that they are presented with. To help communicate this to medical students, the article outlines how medical students are put through previous case studies during their second year. Third year students are asked to do clinical rotations to improve the understanding of evidence-based medicine. Using the Berlin Questionnaire and the Fresno Test, scientists and doctors observed how medical students understanding of this topic grew or shrank over their medical school education. Overall, the article revealed how medical students understanding of evidence-based medicine increased over the course of medical school. This is important to my community because it shows how professors communicate to medical students and help them better understand medicine by incorporating mock cases as well as hands on approaches. I will incorporate this into my essay as an alternative genre that is used by medical students to show how memorizing information is not the only type of thinking required. In a real medical setting, doctors must be able to work with changing variables and real patients and that is why these mock case studies are so important.

Toy, Eugene C., Andrew N. Dentino, and Lowell S. Johnson. "Case Study 3." Access Medicine. Cenveo Publisher Services, 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. This source provides an in-depth look at a case study that medical students would study while completing their MD. Often, memorization and reading countless amount of information aren't enough to help a medical student gain the tools that are necessary to become a doctor. Medical students often utilize case studies as a genre of communication through which they can work on actual cases that happened to real people without the risk of harming the patient due to their inexperience. This case study provides the student with an older gentleman who has type 2 diabetes and is complaining of heart pains. However, the ECG (electrocardiography) revealed a normal heart rhythm. It was the students job to use information that they were given to decipher a prognosis and treatment plan for this patient. This article provides me with another way in which medical students utilize unique forms of communication within their community. This is a concrete example of the previous sources point. Medical students are given these and must be able to interpret, diagnose, and provide reasoning based on what they are given. I will use this specific case study to illustrate what these students are put through and how it helps them develop.

Mcmanus, Ian C. "Medical School Applications—a Critical Situation." PMC. University College London, 12 Oct. 2002. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. As the world's population continues to grow, there are more people that need access to medical care. As a result, more medical schools are opening in developed countries like the United States and United Kingdom. This article exposes the face that the number of applicants to medical school is not rising as quickly as the number of available spots are. I selected this article because it peeked my interest as to why people within this community selected to be a part of it. It also provides information on how this community of medical students is growing to address the world's ailments. This information is important because as communities increase in size, communication methods must be altered to effectively get a message out. This is a major example of how the medical community, specifically the community of medical students, is constantly evolving. I also want to use this to show how the demand for doctors is growing and how important the community is. A key to understanding their communication and its effectiveness is to also understand what the conditions they are working under. This article will be used to show how these students are becoming harder to come by but still expected to achieve the same level of success.

Chavez, Arturo. "Baylor College of Medicine Gross Anatomy Lab." Page. Southerland Page, Summer 2016. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. This article unveils Baylor College of Medicine's new 14,000 square foot gross anatomy lab. Medical students as well as their professor face a tough challenge in being able to communicate a vast amount of information about the human body. However, hands on experience through working with cadavers can help professors demonstrate points they want to engrave in the students mind. It can also allow students to communicate with one another as well as further their own understanding of the human body. This article contain pictures as well as information about the gross anatomy lab that reveals many of the genres of communication used by the community of medical students. The rooms are outfitted with tablets that allow students to look up information while working with the cadavers. Not to mention large television screens allow the teacher to demonstrate techniques or information to the students in live time. This image is a way to better understand the daily life of a first year medical student. Although textbooks and diagrams are helpful, there is nothing more realistic or useful than working on real human flesh. Gross anatomy gives medical students the ability to due so and deconstruct the human body and all its internal systems. This article shows how hands on experience plays a role in the communication of my community as well as how it develops them as doctors.

Steele, Keith. "Selecting Tomorrow's Doctors." PMC. Ulster Med, 8 May 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. This article provides information about the criteria required to get into medical school. Although many applicants apply with high GPAs and test scores, there are things that can set them apart. From research to volunteer work, admissions officers look for students that can not only handle the rigorous course load, but they can also be well rounded doctors. Doctors must possess many other skills besides just intelligence because they are constantly interacting with other people. This article gave me a better idea of the type of people that are incorporated within the community of interest. I will utilize this article to learn more about the medical student community. The ways in which they communicate are directly related to the diversity and uniqueness of every individual that is apart of the community.

"Lane Medical Library." Bassett Anatomy (Collection of Stereoscopic Images of Human Anatomy). N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. Medical students often use models to effectively learn body processes and the structure of the human body. These models help them grasp difficult, abstract phenomenon that is not easily explained just using words. Models are an essential part of this community because they can put a concept in a physical three dimensional example that a student or professor can use to clarify something. Medical models are crucial for medical students because they help them better understand how the human body functions. This knowledge is important when medical students transition to their careers as MDs where they must simplify ailments and treatment options into words that their patients can understand. Models are a very useful genre of communication that I also frequently use to help myself physically see a concept and gain a better understanding of it.

"Tracheal Intubation." Access Surgery. McGraw-Hill Medical, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. Videos are a great way for aspiring doctors to learn new techniques and procedures. Unfortunately, a doctor can’t be taught everything they need to know hands on during their four years of medical school. For this exact reason, medical students are provided with video resources that instruct them on techniques that they will be required to master as a doctor. These include anything from starting an IV to using a AED. These videos are another genre of communication that is heavily used within this community and is very effective in demonstrating proper techniques and procedures to medical students. Videos are an essential part of my research project because medicine is about much more than reading textbooks and case studies. Seeing how these procedures and tests work in video or in real life are essential to my community I am studying. These students need to witness how a trained medical professional conducts themselves and videos are an easy way to show a lot of people.

"FACTS: Applicants, Matriculants, Enrollment, Graduates, MD/PhD, and Residency Applicants Data - Data and Analysis - AAMC." FACTS: Applicants, Matriculants, Enrollment, Graduates, MD/PhD, and Residency Applicants Data - Data and Analysis - AAMC. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. These tables provide information about the trends in the type of applicants that medical schools are receiving and the type of people they are accepting. This source is important because it allows me to understand the community I am studying as a whole better. On average, medical school has become more competitive to get into with lower acceptance rates, higher average GPA, higher MCAT scores, and more minority participation. These trends show the racial, cultural, and socioeconomic trends of the community I want to learn more about, but it also reveals the underlying reasons why the community communicates in the way in which it does. Certain genres of communication are better suited for some then others, and I want to discuss how these trends impact the ways in which they communicate.

"What Is a Medical Chart? Records and History | Practice Fusion." Practice Fusion. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. Medical records are a way in which doctors as well as medical students can learn about patients. These records provide physicians and students with an in-depth medical record about the patient as well as their current diagnosis and treatment. These charts are very effective because they contain immense amount of detail to prevent any mistakes from occurring during treatment or surgery. These charts are the basis for medical treatment and doctors, nurses, students, and many on health professionals use them to coordinate treatment of a patient. I plan to use this genre to show how all the extensive medical history and treatment of a patient is documented and presented to someone in medical school. This genre of communication is essential because it organizes vast medical history in to a condensed chart that can give a doctor, nurse, or any medical professional the necessary information about a patient.

Tenopir, Carol. "Medical Faculty's Use of Print and Electronic Journals: Changes over Time and in Comparison with Scientists." ProQuest. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 4 Apr. 2004. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. Medical faculty and student read a great deal, especially compared to scientists. The most frequently reported principal purpose of reading is to support their primary research. Although many scientists use electronic journals, most medical professionals rely on print journals for their information. This begs the question of how electronic journals and 21st century technology can be incorporated into a medical education. This will serve as my source for how communication within the medical student community can be improved. Society as a whole could benefit tremendously by improving the ways in which our future doctors and medical professionals move information between one another and patients.

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