ObjectiveTo explore graduate-entry medical students experiences of undergraduate training in the context of academic underperformance of medical students from ethnic minority backgrounds.DesignQualitative study using semi-structured focus groups.SettingA West Midlands medical school.Participants24 graduate-entry MBChB students were recruited using volunteer and snowball sampling; all students self-identified as being from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds.ResultsBME students reported facing a range of difficulties, throughout their undergraduate medical training, that they felt impeded their learning and performance. Their relationships with staff and clinicians, though also identified as facilitators to learning, were also perceived to have hindered progress, as many students felt that a lack of BME representation and lack of understanding of cultural differences among staff impacted their experience. Students also reported a lack of trust in the institution’s ability to support BME students, with many not seeking support. Students’ narratives indicated that they had to mask their identity to fit in among their peers and to avoid negative stereotyping. Although rare, students faced overt racism from their peers and from patients. Many students reported feelings of isolation, reduced self-confidence and low self-esteem.ConclusionsBME students in this study reported experiencing relationship issues with other students, academic and clinical staff, lack of trust in the institution and some racist events. Although it is not clear from this small study of one institution whether these findings would be replicated in other institutions, they nevertheless highlight important issues to be considered by the institution concerned and other institutions. These findings suggest that all stakeholders of graduate-entry undergraduate medical education should reflect on the current institutional practices intended to improve student–peer and student–staff relationships. Reviewing current proposals intended to diversify student and staff populations as well as evaluating guidance on tackling racism is likely to be beneficial.

Flipped learning has become a popular blended learning approach in higher education and is now being adopted in medical schools across Australia and internationally. There are a number of principal educational justifications for the introduction of this approach, primarily, that it fosters deeper student learning through active engagement in the classroom. As a pedagogical intervention however, what do the various stakeholders think about its introduction? This paper explores reactions to implementation of a flipped learning approach to pre-clinical medical education in a regional Victorian medical course, via a mixed method approach. A range of quantitative and qualitative data was collected concerning the implementation, including a student survey, student focus groups, a staff survey for both academic and professional staff members involved in the implementation of the approach, and an independent student-driven social media questionnaire conducted in the second year post implementation survey. These data provide critical feedback for refinement of the flipped learning approach, including more robust student and faculty development and support during implementation of this pedagogy. Taken together, our results provide a unique perspective of the introduction of the flipped approach through different stakeholder lenses, and over time.

Resumo: Este estudo objetiva relatar a experiência de dois discentes da última série de enfermagem de uma faculdade brasileira pioneira no uso das metodologias ativas de ensino-aprendizagem, no atendimento de urgência a uma usuária na atenção básica. Este atendimento que foi metodologicamente problematizado desencadeou junto à equipe de saúde, composta por enfermeiro, médico, auxiliares de enfermagem e agente comunitário de saúde, uma reflexão sobre a organização do processo de trabalho. Para tanto, utilizou-se como ferramenta de gestão a educação permanente norteada pelo Método Altadir de Planificação Popular, os quais contribuíram para o desenvolvimento da competência gerencial do enfermeiro. A equipe de saúde identificou problemas durante atendimento, analisou suas causas e consequências e propôs intervenções no âmbito da gestão e organização do processo de trabalho para qualificar esta prática. Esse relato pode ser útil para o delineamento e a execução de um exercício de gestão em que se propõe problematizar a realidade, com vistas a articular teoria e prática.