Education Commons^™

Seeds Of Trust Ripe As Luscious Fruits: Faculty Mentorship Forum At Aga Khan University Medical College, Rehana Rehman, Rahila Ali, Saira Khalid, Tazeen Saeed Ali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background & objective: Faculty members require mentoring in all stages of their professional development. Aga Khan University (AKU) has initiated mentorship programs for students and faculty at AKU Medical College (AKU- MC) and AKU School of Nursing and Midwifery (AKU-SONAM). This study aimed to explore perceptions of mentors, mentees, administrators (chairs, co-chairs, founder members and coordinators of the mentoring program) and leadership and further investigate the strengths and challenges faced by 'Faculty Mentorship Program' at AKU- MC.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative exploratory study from February till December 2021 after approval from AKU using purposive criterion sampling. Mentors, mentees, administrators …

Progression Of Dyad Mentorship To Work Driven Model: Is This A Value Addition?, Rehana Rehman, Tazeen Saeed Ali, Rahila Ali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Needs Assessment For Faculty Development In Health Professions Education At A Medical University In Karachi, Pakistan, Tabassum Zehra, Sana Saeed, Rahila Ali, Amber Sultan, Areeba Hussain

Department for Educational Development

Faculty Development (FD) embraces all educational activities used by teachers to improve their knowledge and skills for enhancing their academic competencies. This study aimed to identify the areas in Health Professions Education (HPE) in which formal faculty development is required. A needs assessment survey was conducted from among the faculty members at the Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi, Pakistan, and the French Medical Institute for Mother and Children, Afghanistan. Data was analysed using SPSS 20.0 and reported frequencies and percentages according to various academic tracks. Competency-based curricula (51%), providing effective feedback (51%), developing Objective Structured Clinical Exam (51%), and clinical …

Assessing The Validity Of Admission Test Into The Internship Programme At A Private University In Pakistan, Qamar Riaz, Naveed Yousuf, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Department for Educational Development

Objective: To report the development and validity assessment of a comprehensive model of assessment method comprising written test and multiple mini interviews for selection in a medical internship programme.
Method: The psychometric validation study was conducted at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, and comprised anonymised scores of written admission test, multiple mini interviews and exit written exams for all the interns who completed their internships in 2018 and 2019. Correlation between admission and exit tests, and predictions were assessed. Data was analysed using SPSS 20.
Results: There were 160 interns; 80(50%) each in 2018 and 2019. Mean scores were …

Mentorship In Surgical Training: Where Do We Stand?, Saleema Begum, Muhammad Rizwan Khan, Madeeha Safa

Section of General Surgery

Mentorship in medicine aims at professional and personal development of trainees in the early stages of their careers. It is more popular in surgical subspecialties since transfer of technical skills is an integral part of surgical training, which makes it distinct compared to other specialties. Effective mentoring in surgery plays a crucial role in academic success, professional development, career guidance and personal growth of residents, and provides guidance and support to mentees to excel in their respective fields, and increases the likelihood of success by enhancing motivation with positive impact on burnout among residents. Efforts have been made by accreditation …

Paradigm Shift In The Surgical Training: The Era Of Innovation, Simulation And Beyond, Syed Shahabuddin, Shiraz Hashmi, Yasir Khan, Shahid Ahmed Sami

Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

This is an era of transformation of surgical education and training. Modern methods of training are being introduced at a rapid pace and are being adopted in surgical practice not only to improve the outcomes and patient satisfaction, but also to provide an opportunity to develop a new well-structured training curriculum by integrating both traditional and modern approaches to teach and learn surgical skills. Various surgical simulators are in use as training aids and are constantly undergoing further refinement and development. To achieve a smooth transition in surgical training to modern methods, a structured programme has to be developed and …

Inculcating Research Curriculum In Operative Dentistry - Endodontics Residency Programme: Experience And Outcomes, Farhan Raza Khan, Rabia Ghafoor, Fahad Umer, Munawar Rahman

Section of Dental-Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

Incorporating research education and training in residency curriculum increases the understanding of evidence-based decision-making among doctors in training. Evidence suggests that the addition of research is linearly associated with improvement in clinical competence, and encourages the residents to shape their career as clinical investigators. The current paper was planned to share the experience of adding research into the core curriculum of Operative Dentistry-Endodontics residency programme at a tertiary care university hospital, and to evaluate the outcome achieved with that change.

Teaching The 'Comprehensive Dental Care' In Formative Years Of Education And Training: A New Model For Dental Internship, Farhan Raza Khan, Syed Murtaza Raza Kazmi, Syed Sheeraz Hussain, Syed Mahmood Haider

Section of Dental-Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

There is a need of a new model of education and training to be implemented in the Bachelors of Dental Surgery curriculum in the relevant Pakistani institutions. The current review article was planned to suggest such a model in the light of literature aimed at building the capacity of dental graduates in a competency-driven approach with the objective of offering safe, efficient and comprehensive care to dental patients. The outcome of the reforms suggested shall prepare dental graduates suitably geared towards providing community-oriented family dental care right from their formative years. Moreover, the suggested internship model can also help to …

Peer-Taught Virtual Research Workshops For Surgical Residents: Protocol For A Novel And Sustainable Solution To Improving Surgical Research In Pakistan, Russell S. Martins, Ronika Devi Ukrani, Mohummad Hassan Raza Raja, Maria Khan, Haissan Iftikhar, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Saulat Fatimi

Medical College Documents

Objective: To generate a protocol describing the methodology for a study assessing the effectiveness of a comprehensive series of peer-taught online research workshops for surgical residents across Pakistan in terms of improving research-related knowledge and skills, and long-term research involvement and output.
Methods: The quasi-experimental study will consist of a series of six online research workshops conducted over Zoom for surgical residents across Pakistan. An online sign-up form will be circulated on social media to current surgical residents throughout Pakistan. Curricular content covered in the workshops will be developed in collaboration with experienced research faculty at the Departments of Surgery …

Impact Of Humanities And Social Sciences Curriculum In An Undergraduate Medical Education Programme, Kulsoom Ghias, Kausar S. Khan, Rukhsana Ali, Shireen Azfar, Rashida Ahmed

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To evaluate the impact of humanities and social sciences curriculum in an undergraduate medical education programme.
Methods: The qualitative study was conducted from May 2016 to May 2017 at a private medical college in Karachi where humanities and social sciences subject is an art of the undergraduate curriculum as a 6-week module at the start of Year 1 of the five-year programme. Focus group discussions were held with students from all the five years as well as with faculty related to humanities and social sciences, basic sciences and their clinical counterparts. The views of alumni of the undergraduate programme …

Gender Discrimination Against Female Surgeons: A Cross-Sectional Study In A Lower-Middle-Income Country, Mahin Janjua, Hina Inam, Russell S. Martins, Nida Zahid, Abida K. Sattar, Shaista Khan, Sadaf Khan, Aneela Darbar, Nuzhat Faruqui, Sharmeen Akram, Ather Enam, Adil H. Haider, Mahim Malik

Department of Surgery

Introduction: Although gender discrimination and bias (GD/bias) experienced by female surgeons in the developed world has received much attention, GD/bias in lower-middle-income countries like Pakistan remains unexplored. Thus, our study explores how GD/bias is perceived and reported by surgeons in Pakistan.
Method: A single-center cross-sectional anonymous online survey was sent to all surgeons practicing/training at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. The survey explored the frequency, source and impact of GD/bias among surgeons.
Results: 98/194 surgeons (52.4%) responded to the survey, of which 68.4% were males and 66.3% were trainees. Only 19.4% of women surgeons reported 'significant' frequency of GD/bias …

Impact Of Wellness Indicators On Intellectual Dimensions Of Medical Teachers Of Karachi: Findings From Cross Sectional Study, Rehana Rehman, Sadiqa Syed, Mehwish Hussain, Tayyab Raza Fraz, Saif Ullah Shaikh

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To measure impact of social, spiritual, occupational, physical, financial and emotional wellness on intellectual wellness of medical teachers.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at 8 medical universities in the Sindh province of Pakistan from January 2012 to December 2014, and comprised faculty members. Using a self-administered questionnaire, teachers' responses on physical, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, occupational and financial spokes of the wellness wheel that were graded on a 4-point Likert scale. Generalised linear models were executed to find the best predictive scores for intellectual wellness.
Results: Out of 300 subjects approached, 261(87%) returned the questionnaire fully completed. Of …

Teaching "Shock Pathophysiology" By Flipped Classroom: Views And Perspectives, Rehana Rehman, Satwat Hashmi, Rozmeen Akbar, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Flipped classroom (FCR) is an active learning pedagogical method in which the students prepare prior to class using different modalities, for example, reading materials and videos, and afterward spend the time in class discussing the content and reinforcing the concepts. We chose to replace one problem-based case on "Shock" with flipped-style teaching in the respiration circulation module of a private medical university. Our objective was to use the clinical presentation of "Shock" to open a window to interrelate basic science concepts of cardiovascular physiology and pathology. It aimed to merge the case-based discussion with small-group discussions in the form of …

Designing Ethakul: A Mobile Just-In-Time Learning Environment For Bioethics In Pakistan, Azra Naseem, Kulsoom Ghias, Sohail Bawani, Mohammad Ali Shahab, Sameer Nizamuddin, Waqar Kashif, Kausar S. Khan, Tashfeen Ahmad, Murad Khan

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

In developing countries such as Pakistan, bioethics has not been included in mainstream thinking in medical education. The authors’ experiences suggest that current methods of teaching bioethics are problematic as students are unable to translate theory to practice. Alternative pedagogies, such as just-in-time learning (JiTL) using mobile devices, may be able to foster the development and implementation of ethical reasoning among nurses, doctors, and medical and nursing students. This research was conceived to determine the effectiveness of mobile JiTL – anytime, anyplace learning through mobile devices – for teaching bioethics. After obtaining ethical clearance, a participatory design (PD) approach was …

Faculty Development Initiatives: A Prerequisite For Capacity Building And Enhanced Productivity In A Medical Institution, Rehana Rehman, Hassan Mehmood, Syeda Fatima, Irfanullah Baig, Zohaib Rana, Mohammad Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To determine the contribution of teaching, learning and assessment forum's initiatives on professional development of faculty and staff.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, from July to December 2016, and comprised teaching, learning and assessment activities carried out from 2012 to 2015. The responses acquired from feedback evaluation were recorded at the end of activity on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1-5. Positive responses were presented for each variable with respective activity type across the study years. The association of the effectiveness of teaching, learning …

Diversity Unsupported Is Diversity Derailed, Kauser Jabeen, Kulsoom Ghias

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

In this view point challenges of a diverse student body and its impact on quality of education and student’ social interactions are discussed. Enhanced institutional responsibility and ownership of all institutional members to provide adequate support for all individuals that make up the student body has been discussed as a major strategy to overcome these challenges.

Perception Of Pathology As A Future Career Choice Among Medical Students From Karachi, Pakistan: Experience From A Private Medical School, Najia Bano Ghanchi, Raabia Nizamuddin Nizamuddin, Amna Qasim, Zahra Nur Khaled, Ahmed Buksh Raheem, Natasha Bahadur Ali, Naila Kayani, Mohammad Asim Beg

Medical College Documents

To determine the perception of pathology as a future career choice among medical students of a private medical school from Karachi, Pakistan. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 201 students participated in this study. All Students were approached randomly to participate. A total of 201 students participant survey forms were evaluated in this study. The overall satisfaction level with pathology was observed in 61.8% ofthe students. Majority of the students understood subspecialties which were a part of clinical medicine. Over half of the students thought pathology as a specialty should …

A Take On Social Wellbeing Attributes By First Year Medical Students, Rehana Rehman, Maria Habib, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To compare awareness about concept of social wellness in male and female first year medical students.

Methods: It was a cross sectional, questionnaire based study conducted from February till December 2010. Responses on aspects of social wellness were rated never, sometimes, mostly and always from lowest to highest (1-4); evaluated as frequency, proportion and percentages by PASW (Predictive analysis software) version 18. Chisquare test was applied for comparison of social wellness in both genders; results to be declared significant with pvalue <0.05.

Results: Overall score for social well being of females (20.24±4.50) was higher than male medical students (18.66±4.76; p …

Graduate Students’ Perceptions Of Written Feedback At A Private University In Pakistan, Lubna Ghazal, Raisa B. Gul, Mehnaz Hanzala, Tansy Jessop, Ambreen Tharani

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Excellence in academic performance at the graduate level requires good command of writing skills. Teachers’ written feedback can help students to develop their writing skills. However, several personal and contextual factors may influence feedback processes and its utilization by students. Therefore, understanding these factors is essential to improve the practice of written feedback. This study aimed to appraise the quality of written feedback in the graduate programmes and to ascertain students’ perceptions about it at a private university in Pakistan. A purposive sample of 15 participants comprised the study. The data were collected through in-depth students’ interviews and the teachers’ …

Medical Students’ Endeavour To Make Use Of Their Mental Capabilities, Ayesha Saba Naz, Rehana Rehman, 2mehwish Hussain

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To identify and compare awareness of intellectual wellness in male and female medical students of Karachi.

Methods: The cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey comprised randomly selected 800 medical students of both gender. It was conducted from January to December 2010 in 8 medical colleges of Karachi. Responses - never, sometimes, mostly and always (numbered 0-4) - were analysed in terms of frequency, proportion and percentages by Predictive Analysis Software version 18. Chi square test was applied for comparison of intellectual wellness in both genders. Results were considered significant at p <0.05.

Results: Of the 800 questionnaires distributed, 736 (92%) were received fully …

Continuing Medical Education And Pharmaceutical Industry, Farhan Saeed Vakani, Wasim Jafri, Almas Amin, Mughis Sheerani

Department of Continuing Professional Education

Continuing medical education providers' (academia) and industrial relationship is drawing attention all over the world. To date, there are no national commercial support guidelines available in Pakistan to properly regulate cooperation between the two distinct entities. However, the fact is that the future of all continuing medical education depends on pharmaceutical support and the providers are heavily dependent on the pharmaceutical industry to remain in action. It should always be remembered that medical education and profession is regarded as a moral of enterprise based on a blind faith between the physician and the patient. The funding support by the industry …

Problem-Based Versus Conventional Curricula: Influence On Knowledge And Attitudes Of Medical Students Towards Health Research, Hassan Khan, Ather M. Taqui, Muhammad Rizwanulhaq Khawaja, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

Background

Medical education curricula in developing countries should emphasize training in health research. This study compares the knowledge and attitudes towards health research between undergraduate medical students undertaking Problem Based Learning (PBL) versus conventional Lecture Based Learning (LBL).

Methods

Two groups comprising 66 (LBL) and 84 (PBL) 4th and 5th year students from the medical college of Aga Khan University were administered a structured and validated questionnaire. Knowledge and attitudes of the two groups were recorded on a scale (graduated in percentages) and compared for statistical difference.

Results

PBL students scored 54.0% while LBL students scored 55.5% on the knowledge …