Browsing by Author "Velkey, J Matthew"

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    Development of a curricular thread to foster medical students' critical reflection and promote action on climate change, health, and equity.
    (PloS one, 2024-01) Dalapati, Trisha; Alway, Emily J; Mantri, Sneha; Mitchell, Phillip; George, Ian A; Kaplan, Samantha; Andolsek, Kathryn M; Velkey, J Matthew; Lawson, Jennifer; Muzyk, Andrew J

    Introduction

    Due to the health consequences arising from climate change, medical students will inevitably interact with affected patients during their training and careers. Accordingly, medical schools must incorporate education on the impacts of climate change on health and equity into their curricula. We created a curricular thread called "Climate Change, Health, and Equity" in the first-year preclinical medical program to teach foundational concepts and foster self-reflection and critical consciousness.

    Methods

    The authors developed a continuum of practice including administrators, educators and faculty members, students, and community partners to plan and design curricular activities. First-year medical students at Duke University School of Medicine participated in seven mandatory foundational lectures and two experiential learning opportunities in the local community. Following completion of activities, students wrote a critical reflection essay and completed a self-directed learning exercise. Essays were evaluated using the REFLECT rubric to assess if students achieved critical reflection and for thematic analysis by Bloom's Taxonomy.

    Results

    All students (118) submitted essays. A random sample of 30 (25%) essays underwent analysis. Evaluation by the REFLECT rubric underscored that all students were reflecting or critically reflecting on thread content. Thematic analysis highlighted that all students (30/30, 100%) were adept at identifying new areas of medical knowledge and connecting concepts to individual experiences, institutional practices, and public health and policy. Most students (27/30; 90%) used emotionally laden words, expressing negative feelings like frustration and fear but also positive sentiments of solidarity and hope regarding climate change and effects on health. Many students (24/30; 80%) expressed actionable items at every level including continuing self-directed learning and conversing with patients, minimizing healthcare waste, and advocating for climate-friendly policies.

    Conclusion

    After participating in the curricular thread, most medical students reflected on cognitive, affective, and actionable aspects relating to climate change, health, and equity.
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    Transformative Learning and Critical Consciousness: A Model for Preclerkship Medical School Substance Use Disorder Education.
    (Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry, 2023-04) Muzyk, Andrew; Mantri, Sneha; Mitchell, Phillip; Velkey, J Matthew; Reisinger, Deborah; Andolsek, Kathryn

    Objective

    Preparing medical students to provide compassionate person-centered care for people with substance use disorders (SUD) requires a re-envisioning of preclerkship SUD education to allow for discussions on stigma, social determinants of health, systemic racism, and healthcare inequities. The authors created a curricular thread that fosters the development of preclerkship medical students' critical consciousness through discussion, personal reflection, and inclusion of lived experiences.

    Methods

    The authors used transformative learning theories to design and implement this thread in the 2021-2022 academic year in the Duke University School of Medicine preclerkship curriculum. Content included lectures, person-centered workshops, case-based learning, motivational interviewing of a standardized patient, and an opioid overdose simulation. Community advocates and people with SUD and an interdisciplinary faculty were involved in the thread design and delivery and modeled their lived experiences. Students wrote a 500-word critical reflection essay that examined their personal beliefs in the context of providing care for people with SUD.

    Results

    One hundred and twenty-two students submitted essays and 30 (25%) essays were randomly selected for a qualitative analysis. Seven major themes emerged: race/racism, systemic barriers, bias and stigma, personal growth/transformation, language or word usage, future plans for advocacy, and existing poor outcomes. Students were able to link material with prior knowledge and experiences, and their attitudes towards advocacy and goals for future practice were positively influenced.

    Conclusion

    By aligning the thread design with the principals of transformative learning, students developed their critical consciousness toward people with SUD and cultivated a holistic understanding of SUD.