Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism

Abstract Introduction: In the design of educational programs, much attentionhas been paid to teaching methods, needs assessment, an importantpart of the development of educational programs, generally isneglected. Another important aspect in educational program design isassessing effectiveness. The aims of this study were to design a formalneeds assessment program to define the core contents of a facultydevelopment program, and to determine whether participation in thefaculty development program reinforced new teaching skills.Methods: A teacher-training program was designed at ShirazUniversity of Medical Sciences to help medical instructors boosttheir teaching skills. Needs assessment was done with nominal grouptechnique followed by a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. Theprogram, imparted in workshop format, covered effective teachingmethods, feedback, assessing knowledge and time management.Instruction was in the form of lectures, group discussions, casesimulations, video presentations and role-plays. The program wasevaluated in several phases using data triangulation and multi-itemassessments of overall program quality in three major dimensions:Kirkpatrick program evaluation model, evaluation of theeducational environment and qualitative analysis with open-endedquestions. All participants in the study belonged to the academicstaff of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (n=396).Results: Seven main categories were derived from nominal grouptechniques and questionnaires. After the program, participantsrated the quality of the program highly. They felt that the educationalintervention was appropriate and had a positive impact on theirknowledge of effective teaching methods, feedback, knowledgeassessment and time management. Assessment of the effectivenessof the program showed that participants reported significantimprovements in their teaching abilities.Conclusion: Our faculty development program have a significantpositive effect on medical university teaching staff members’competencies. Further research is needed to investigate whetherthe faculty development program actually results in improvedteaching performance.Keywords: Faculty, Teaching, Effectiveness, Assessment, Needs assessment

Abstract Introduction: Mass media influence the health behaviors ofadolescents. Evidence shows that traditional strategies suchas censorship or limitation are no longer efficient; therefore,teaching media literacy is the best way to protect adolescents fromharmful effects. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate theeffects of a media literacy training program on knowledge andbehavioral intention of a sample of female students according tothe stages of change in dealing with media messages.Methods: The study was conducted based on a pre-test and posttestcontrol group design. Some 198 female students including 101in the intervention group and 97 in the control group participatedin this study. The educational program was run using interactiveteaching-learning techniques. Data collection was performedusing a validated and reliable self-administered questionnaire inthree phases including a pre-test, post-test, 1 and post-test, 2. Theresearch data was analyzed through SPSS statistical software,version 14 using both descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: The results of the study showed a significant increase(p=0.001) in the intervention group’s knowledge mean scoresafter the training program. On the other hand, the difference wasnot significant in the control group (p=0.200). A considerablepercentage of the participants, in the intervention and controlgroups, were in pre contemplation and contemplation stagesin the pre-test (64 and 61, respectively). After the intervention,however, a significant improvement (p=0.001) was observed inthe intervention group’s stages of change compared to that inthe control group. The distribution of the control group studentsregarding the stages of change was similar to that in the pre-test.Conclusion: The study findings revealed that the planned educationprograms are efficient to improve the adolescents’ knowledge andbehavioral intention in dealing with mass media messages.Keywords: Media literacy, Education, Adolescents, knowledge

Abstract Introduction: High quality of care is one of the requirementsof nursing which depends on the nursing competency. In thisconnection, the aim of this research was to determine theproblems related to the academic training (nursing’ educationalprogram) and clinical practice to achieve competency from theviewpoint of nurses, faculty members, and nursing students.Methods: The study was an analytical cross-sectional one. Thesample consisted of the academic staff, the third and the fourth yearnursing students and nurses in practice. The instrument of the studywas a two-part researcher-made questionnaire with 22 questionsin the theoretical- clinical realm to assess problems related tothe theoretical and clinical teaching in nursing, and 23 questionsto assess the clinical functions. The questionnaire was validatedin terms of both face and content validity. Its reliability, usingCronbach’s Alpha coefficient, was 0.72 in the theoretical-clinicaland 0.73 in the clinical realm. Both descriptive and analyticalstatistics were used to analyze the data, using SPSS software.Results: The results of this study indicated that from theparticipants’ viewpoints, the most important problems in theacademic education for nurses to acquire competency were asfollows: lack of academic research during the clinical period(88.9%), no application of theoretical aspects of the nursing processin practice (85.6%), insufficient knowledgeable and professionaleducators (81.1%), the use of traditional routine-oriented methodson the wards (75.6%); also insufficient time for performance basedon knowledge in relation to the nurse’s workload (86.5%), weaknessand usefulness of scientific function encouragement systems inclinic (85.2%), and learnt theoretical subjects not coming intopractice in clinical fields after graduation (75.6%).Conclusion: Efforts to reduce the gap between the theoreticaland practical (clinical function) knowledge in educational andwork environment are required to improve the training ofqualified nurses.Keywords: Academic training, Clinical, Achieve, Competency

Abstract Introduction: The responsibility of the medical training teamtowards a patient referring to an academic medical center hasnot been fully clarified. In this article we have looked at currentpractice in Medical University of Isfahan and evaluated theattitude of the medical team towards patients’consent to beinvolved in medical students’education.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, conducted in 2012, wedistributed self-administrated questionnaires among medicalmentors, residents and students of academic hospitals in Isfahan,Iran. This researcher-made questionnaire consisted of severalquestions concerning dimensions of informed consent. The datawere analyzed, using independent t-tests and ANOVA.Results: Ninety-one medical students (51 females) and 61members of medical training team (25 females) completed thequestionnaires. The overall average attitude score was 36.53±5.89out of 60, which is classified as fair. The average attitude score formedical students and mentors were not significantly different.The average attitude score of the female students was classified asgood, and was different from that of male students, significantly(p<0.05). By categorizing subjects into those with ≥5 years ofmanagerial or educational experience and those below 5, asignificant difference in average attitude score was documented(35.8±2.54 in Ġ5 and 34.0±2.9 in >5 group).Conclusion: The attitude of the medical team is thoroughly farfrom what is expected. Thus, the need to provide both medicalstudents and medical mentors with data on the importance ofobtaining patients’ consent to be involved in medical educationis highlighted.Keywords: Medical Students, Physician-Patient Relations, Informed Consent, Attitude

Abstract Introduction: Many studies have investigated the relationshipbetween motivation and educational outcomes. The present studywas conducted to determine whether the students’ motivation inShiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) decreases duringeducational years.Methods: 770 students in SUMS were selected by multi-stage stratifiedrandom sampling from each field and entrance year. The firstquestionnaire contained 57 questions on the effect of economic, social,educational, geographical and personality factors on the students’motivation. The second one was based on 50 incomplete sentences.The validity and reliability of these questionnaires were approvedby the experts and Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients (85% and 90%,respectively). In this cross-sectional study, ANOVA, t-test and Chisquaretests were applied for data analysis at the 0.05 significance level.Results: Six factors with the most effect on academic motivationwere “family attitudes”, “getting good jobs in future”, “respect forthemselves”, “ the ability to learn”, “believing their role in victory anddefeat” and “the tendency toward optimism about themselves”. Inaddition, comparing professional doctorate and basic sciences’ resultsrevealed no significant relationship between academic motivationand educational years (F=0.819, p=0.397). But comparing field byfield showed that Dentistry and Hospital Management and MedicalInformation (HMMI) had a significant decrease in motivation scoreby increase in educational years (F=3.991, p=0.015).Conclusion: Achievement motivation level in SUMS studentswas higher than average and did not decrease during educationalyears. Also, the results showed that personal, social andeducational related factors affected motivation level more thaneconomic and environmental factors.

Abstract fulfilling the related responsibilities has ethical aspects thatmust be addressed carefully. Each role requires extensivetraining, which usually takes place in university institutions.Ethics is applied in at least three academic areas, including: a)in education of students’ personal growth, b) in patient care,and c) in university communion in population-based healthcare. Given the importance of this issue in the moral domain,this study examines the correlation among the students, nursesand teacher’s opinions regarding principles of medical ethics atShiraz University of Medical Sciences.Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional studyconducted in 2010. The participants of this research consistedof all medical students, nurses in public hospitals, and facultymembers in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. For validityevaluation, the expert panel method and for reliability evaluation,test-retest method was used.Results: Based on the medical ethics’ scores in these three groups,there was a significant relationship between the mean scores ofstudent-nurses and employed nurses, but there was no significantrelationship between those of student-faculties. Also the meanscore of the students was the highest in medical ethics.Conclusion: In this study, we presented a list of virtues and moralcharacteristics of medical staff and found out the method ofpracticing medical ethics in everyday life of students to improvethe moral reasoning of teachers, nurses and students. Moreover,medical ethics, with the presentation of specific criteria forethical behavior in various domains of human life, especiallyin dealing with patients, can help practice ethical values in themedical community.Keywords: Ethics, Medical ethics, Student, Nurse, Faculty

Abstract Introduction: The importance of optimal clinical nursingeducation in professional skills development is undeniable.In clinical education, nursing students are often faced withproblems. Recognizing nursing students’ perception on clinicaleducation is the first step to remove the barriers of this challenge.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conductedto determine the nursing students’ perspectives on clinicaleducation. 150 nursing students were selected randomly fromnursing and midwifery schools (Tehran). Data collectioninstrument was a researcher made questionnaire consistingof five domains: objective and curricula, instructor, feedbackto student in clinical field, clinical environment, supervisionand evaluation. Mean and standard deviation were calculatedfor each item, using SPSS, ver. 14. Chi-square test was used tocompare the nursing students’ perspectives on clinical educationbased on age, sex and the work experience. The significance levelwas considered 0.05.Results: Mean age of the students was 21.58±26.97 students (66%)were male. 44 students (30.1%) had work experience (3.58±6.48month). Male and female students had different perceptions indomains of clinical education (p<0.05). Nursing student haddifferent perceptions as to objectives and curricula (p=0.039),how to deal with students in the clinical environment (p=0.032),supervision, and evaluation (p<0.001) with respect to their workexperience duration. The most positive responses were in clinicalinstructor (81.5%) and the most negative ones were the clinicalenvironment (33.66%), respectively.Conclusion: Providing an optimal clinical environment andimproving the supervision and evaluation of student practiceshould prioritized in schools of nursing and midwifery.Keywords: Education, Nursing, Perception, Students