Highlights
Medical students teach effective school-based intervention classes.
Program increases likelihood of discussing sensitive topics with providers.
Substance abuse classes had the largest mean % increase in student response.
Personal relationships as well as exercise classes improved student response.
Stress reduction classes had the least impact on high school students.
Background
The transition to medical school marks a very stressful time for matriculating students. Despite this challenging transition period, intellectually rigorous pre-matriculation programs are not a common component of the curriculum at many medical schools across the country. Students are often not given the opportunity to learn about the high expectations of medical school before being thrown into classes. Thus, more time and attention should be devoted to curricular interventions that target this critical window in medical education.
Methods
MedFIT is a robust, 1.5-week orientation program that introduces matriculating students to the rigors of medical school in a low-stakes environment. This program provides students with a preview of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) curriculum through hands-on learning sessions in addition to exposing them to extracurricular opportunities and research initiatives. Furthermore, MedFIT connects incoming students with second-year mentors, laying the foundation for longitudinal peer mentorship.
Findings
Qualitative survey feedback from each subsequent class has been increasingly positive, demonstrating MedFIT’s effectiveness in improving students’ academic and interprofessional transitions into medical school. Despite the program's hybrid format in 2020 due to COVID-19, overall ratings were as positive as the previous year. Additionally, students had decreased rates of remediation, repeated years, and withdrawal, and had better Match outcomes when compared to students who participated in UNR Med’s previous orientation program.
Discussion and conclusions
MedFIT remains a well-received, adaptable entity that is continuously modified every year to best supplement student needs and mirror the pre-clinical curricular landscape present at that time.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44217-022-00012-z.
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