Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Incorporation Of The Ottawa Clinical Assessment Tool Scale (Ocat) To Measure Entrustability In Clinical Clerkships, Fidelma Rigby

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose and Background:

Assessment of the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for entering residency (CEPAs) requires direct observation in the workplace to render ad hoc entrustment decisions.1 In recent years, two “entrustability” scales have been proposed as instruments for collecting entrustment data in the context of workplace-based assessments.2,3 One of these scales, the Ottawa Clinic Assessment Tool (OCAT), has been demonstrated validity evidence when used in graduate medical programs in surgery and internal medicine.4,5 As a component of our involvement in the CEPA pilot program, we incorporated OCAT across all core clerkships within our institution using a mobile-friendly workplace-based assessment (WBA) …

Onboarding Residents In The Vcu Obstetric Anesthesia Service, Fatoumata Kromah

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose and Background:

Onboarding is commonly utilized in the corporate world. It is a process that begins before an employee starts a new position. During the process, the employee is welcomed to their new role, and provided tools and knowledge to be successfully assimilated into his or her position with a quicker ramp-up to productivity1. A structured onboarding process in post graduate training generally occurs before the start of residency2. Once residency is underway there is a wide variety of pre-rotation information that is passed on to the residents. There no published data on onboarding of anesthesia residents prior to …

The Relationship Between Active Learning And Workload During Clinically Relevant Simulations, Moshe Feldman

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose:

Active learning through medical simulation has been shown to improve learning outcomes when used appropriately. However, simulation can inhibit learning outcomes and learner engagement when the simulation scenario context requires a high level of workload (perceived or actual) that is inappropriate for the level of learner (Curtis 2012). This study examines the relationship between individual learner engagement, team problem solving, and perceived workload during a Simulation Based Orientation to Clinical Medicine (SBOC).

Resident Perceptions And Habits Following Implementation Of A Resilience Skills Curriculum, Rebecca Miller

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose and Background:

Health professionals and medical educators have identified resilience, or the ability to overcome adversity, as a characteristic which may be protective against professional burnout.1-4 At Virginia Commonwealth University, we sought to foster resilience among residents in Internal Medicine by implementing formal training for all residents. During the 2015-2016 academic year (AY), residents participated in training-level specific skill development workshops. However, the workshop format lacked a longitudinal component which may be necessary to reinforce and practice the use of these skills to develop consistent behaviors.

Setting Foundations For Pediatric Fellowship Core Curriculum Training, Ashlie Tseng

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose and background:

The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) require pediatric subspecialty fellows to learn a core curriculum of scholarly topics including biostatistics, research methodology, teaching, quality improvement and leadership. Traditionally, each fellowship would develop such curricula for their own fellows –leading to variable experiences for fellows in different disciplines. Nationally, many fellowships are working to provide a common core curriculum which is available across disciplines with an aim towards improving training and transitioning to academic careers.1,2,3 To address this, we have developed a core curriculum which aims to provide all …

Local Outcomes Of A National Pilot To Enhance Ambulatory Precepting, Mark Ryan

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Recruiting and retaining effective ambulatory preceptors in Family Medicine is a national priority (1), and the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) have developed a collaborative program to enhance Family Medicine Precepting (2). As one of the first cohort of pilot sites participating in the Preceptor Improvement Project (PIP), VCU's Department of Family Medicine and Population Health developed a faculty development program to enhance clinical teaching at the Hayes E. Willis Health Center, one of the Department's key teaching locations. The PIP content was based on the learning needs identified by …

Knowing Their Limits: Assessing The Discernment Of Pre-Clinical Medical Students, Elizabeth P. Marlowe

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Introduction:

Discernment, or awareness of one’s limitations, is one of the qualities fundamental to entrustment (ten Cate et al., 2015). The AAMC Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) pilot project lists discernment as an expectation of medical students entering residency (AAMC, 2014).

Our institution, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (VCU SOM), was selected to participate in the EPA pilot. Prior to implementing a pilot curriculum on discernment, our institution gathered data on the current practice of discernment among our pre-clinical medical students.

The Practice of Clinical Medicine (PCM) at VCU SOM is a pre-clinical longitudinal course which teaches the core skills …

Longitudinal Changes In Psychological Resilience And Wellness During Clinical Clerkship, Moshe Feldman

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose: An individual’s capacity to monitor, anticipate, react, and recover from stressful events defines their resilience. Resilient coping strategies have been shown to reduce stress, burnout, and improve performance in medical students (Erschans 2018, Thompson 2016, Wetzel 2018), but less is known on how resiliency changes over time across different phases of medical school or whether it is a trait. Ideally, educators would understand the periods in the curriculum where resilience building and stress reduction interventions are most needed, and most effective. The purpose of this study was to assess longitudinal changes in resiliency and the association between resiliency and …

Loneliness In Later Life, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

The National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) at the University of Chicago notes that persistent loneliness in later life is the exception rather than the rule. When it occurs, it’s most likely to be a transient condition and remediable.

Blue Zones And Longevity, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

We can embrace the generalizable characteristics of Blue Zones: a plant-based diet, friendships, spiritual or religious grounding, awareness of and immersion in our community, physical activity as a regular, normalized part of our daily routine, and, more philosophically, an opening up to our own sense of place and purpose.

Dementia-Friendly Resources, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

While dementia caregiving challenges continue for individual caregivers and communities, Alzpossible.org and Dementia Friendly America (dfamerica.org) can offer immediate support and a hopeful vision.

Interprofessional Geriatrics: Improving The Health Of Older Adults, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

We have received a five-year award (2019-2024) from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to grow our Virginia Geriatric Education Center (VGEC) project, which aims to improve health outcomes across Virginia for older adults by developing a healthcare workforce that maximizes patient and family engagement, integrating geriatrics and primary care, and demonstrating measurable impact.

The Mason Music & Memory Initiative (M3i), Catherine J. Tompkins, Emily S. Ihara, Megumi Inoue, Christi Clark, Kristen Suthers Rumrill

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Explain the benefits of a nonpharmacological intervention, such as the M3I, for persons with dementia.

2. Describe the work of M3I and its collaboration with students and faculty throughout the state.

3.Highlight lessons learned and future directions for the M3I.

Virginianavigator/Gwep Community Outreach Training For Older Adults, Caregivers, And Service Programs, Adrienne Johnson, Kim Tarantino

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Demonstrate how VirginiaNavigator (VN) can support self-care and connecting with community resources.

2. Discuss how VN can assist service providers who work with older adults and their families.

3. Explain how VN relates to six focus areas of the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) to improve the well-being of older adults.

The Senior Mentoring Program At Vcu’S School Of Medicine, Leland H. Waters, Madeline Mcintyre

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To demonstrate the value of senior mentoring in geriatrics education for medical students.

2. To provide a framework for positively influencing student attitudes toward older adults.

3. To describe the underlying human relationships that contribute to patient-centered care.

4. To describe effective verbal and non-verbal skills to establish and build relationships.

Care Transitions: Empowering Older Adults With Post-Hospital Interventions, Karen Moeller

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Understand how Care Transitions Interventions® (CTI®) can decrease hospital readmission rates among older adults, ages 60 and over.

2. Recognize how CTI® services assist older adults to stay in their homes after hospitalization for 30 days or more without unnecessary readmissions.

3. Appreciate examples of ways Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging, collaborates with community partners.

4. Identify how Senior Connections refers older adults and caregivers to community resources for effective utilization and outcomes.

To Repair Or Replace: That Is The Restorative Question, Juhstin M. Brown, Clement S. Augustus

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Objective/Aims: During dental visits, patients spend the majority of their time with their dental hygienist. At these recall appointments the patient’s face-to-face time with the dentist may be short. At this part of the appointment the dentist may diagnose the need for restorative treatment for the patient. Part of the hygienist’s responsibility is to explain treatment options for teeth with restorative needs. The purpose of this review of literature is to provide both options for restoration of dentition to a functional/aesthetic state.

Methods: Studies pertaining to the topic were searched using PubMed database. Keywords used in the search were amalgam, …

Puberty: Is Your Gingiva Having Mood Swings?, Gabrielle R. Salvatore, Kendall A. Connerley

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Objectives/aim: The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects on the different pathological changes in the oral cavity due to puberty, in both males and females. Hormonal changes caused by menstrual cycles, ovulation, the use contraceptives, and increased testosterone and estrogen levels.

Methods: This topic will be analyzed by thoroughly reviewing research on articles that relate to the oral health of individuals specifically between the ages of 12-18 years old.

Results: Research presents significant evidence that supports changes occurring in the oral cavity during an individual’s stage of puberty. These stages include ovulation, pre-menstruation, menstruation and males transitioning …

Acute Septic Shock From Routine Ureteroscopy With Laser Lithotripsy, Sameer Goel

Graduate Medical Education (GME) Resident and Fellow Research Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Time To Conversion Of Hemi/Total Shoulder Arthroplasty To Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty; A Systematic Review Of Longevity And Factors Influencing Conversion, David Constantinescu, James Satalich, Kevin Lacy, Alexander Vap

Graduate Medical Education (GME) Resident and Fellow Research Day Posters

Background: The primary purpose of this study was to determine the average time from hemiarthoplasty (HA) or total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) to conversion to reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). The secondary purpose of this study was to determine the factors leading to conversion to RTSA.

Methods: A review of the literature regarding the existing evidence for conversion of HA/TSA to RTSA was performed using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed (1980-present), and MEDLINE (1980-present). nclusion criteria were as follows: reporting of conversion of a HA or TSA to RTSA with a follow …

Comorbid Medical Conditions As Predictors Of Overall Survival In Glioblastoma Patients, Matthew T. Carr, Camille J. Hochheimer, Andrew K. Rock, Alper Dincer, Lakshmi Ravindra, Fan Lily Zhang, Charles F. Opalak, Nora Poulos, Adam P. Sima, William C. Broaddus

Neurosurgery Publications

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive central nervous system tumor with a poor prognosis. This study was conducted to determine any comorbid medical conditions that are associated with survival in GBM. Data were collected from medical records of all patients who presented to VCU Medical Center with GBM between January 2005 and February 2015. Patients who underwent surgery/biopsy were considered for inclusion. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was performed to assess the relationship between survival and sex, race, and comorbid medical conditions. 163 patients met inclusion criteria. Comorbidities associated with survival on individual-characteristic analysis included: history of asthma (Hazard Ratio [HR]: …

Impact Of Use Of Optical Surface Imaging On Initial Patient Setup For Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Treatments, Brian Leong, Laura Padilla

Radiation Oncology Publications

Purpose

To evaluate the effectiveness of surface image guidance (SG) for pre‐imaging setup of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) patients, and to investigate the impact of SG reference surface selection on this process.

Methods and materials

284 SBRT fractions (SG‐SBRT = 113, non‐SG‐SBRT = 171) were retrospectively evaluated. Differences between initial (pre‐imaging) and treatment couch positions were extracted from the record‐and‐verify system and compared for the two groups. Rotational setup discrepancies were also computed. The utility of orthogonal kVs in reducing CBCT shifts in the SG‐SBRT/non‐SG‐SBRT groups was also calculated. Additionally, the number of CBCTs acquired for setup was recorded and …

Radiotherapy-Compatible Robotic System For Multi-Landmark Positioning In Head And Neck Cancer Treatments, Mark Ostyn, Siqiu Wang, Yun-Soung Kim, Siyong Kim, Woon-Hong Yeo

Radiation Oncology Publications

The spine flexibility creates one of the most significant challenges to proper positioning in radiation therapy of head and neck cancers. Even though existing immobilization techniques can reduce the positioning uncertainty, residual errors (2–3 mm along the cervical spine) cannot be mitigated by single translation-based approaches. Here, we introduce a fully radiotherapy-compatible electro-mechanical robotic system, capable of positioning a patient’s head with submillimeter accuracy in clinically acceptable spatial constraints. Key mechanical components, designed by finite element analysis, are fabricated with 3D printing and a cyclic loading test of the printed materials captures a great mechanical robustness. Measured attenuation of most …

Intranasal Peptide-Based Fpva-Klh Conjugate Vaccine Protects Mice From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Acute Murine Pneumonia, Emel Sen-Kilic, Catherine B. Blackwood, Dylan T. Boehm, Wiliam T. Witt, Aaron C. Malkowski, Justin R. Bevere, Ting Y. Wong, Jesse M. Hall, Shelby D. Bradford, Melinda E. Varney, Fredrick Heath Damron, Mariette Barbier

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen causing acute and chronic respiratory infections associated with morbidity and mortality, especially in patients with cystic fibrosis. Vaccination against P. aeruginosa before colonization may be a solution against these infections and improve the quality of life of at-risk patients. To develop a vaccine against P. aeruginosa, we formulated a novel peptide-based P. aeruginosa subunit vaccine based on the extracellular regions of one of its major siderophore receptors, FpvA. We evaluated the effectiveness and immunogenicity of the FpvA peptides conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) with the adjuvant curdlan in a murine vaccination and challenge …

Identified Flying Objects: A Multidisciplinary Scientific Approach To The Ufo Phenomenon, Dr. Michael P. Masters

Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Books

Identified Flying Objects cautiously examines the premise that ‘UFOs’ & ‘Aliens’ are simply our distant human descendants, returning from the future to study their own hominin evolutionary past. This text challenges readers to consider new possibilities while cultivating conversations about our ever-evolving understanding of time & time travel.

The Relationship Between Rock Climbing And Total Body Strength And Endurance, Madison Gamma, Alexa Bruce, Madison Massey, Ashlee Cordero

The Corinthian

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to assess the relationship between muscular strength and endurance and time to complete a rock wall climb.

Methods: The researchers of this study tested 22 participants ranging from 19-25 years of age. An informed consent and a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ+) form were completed by each individual before being cleared to participate in this study. Data collection was completed on two separate days. On the first day, participants completed four fitness tests which consisted of a hand grip strength assessment, a 10-repetition maximum (RM) leg press, a flexed arm hang test, and …

The Effects Of Surface Texture On A Variety Of Balance Assessments, Lydia M. Clement, Mary K. Garner, Haley M. Tidwell, Bryan Diaz-Rodriguez

The Corinthian

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to observe whether there was a difference in balance scores between the utilization of different floor surfaces.The surfaces used to assess the balance scores within the individual were hardwood, traditional yoga mat, and NABOSO mat. The NABOSO technology was designed to increase mechanical proprioception in hands and feet.

Methods: The investigators recruited 18 participants between the ages of 19-25, all of them met eligibility criteria to partake in the study. They all completed a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire and informed consent document prior to the tests to ensure that there were no factors …

University Of South Alabama College Of Medicine Annual Report For 2019-2020, College Of Medicine

COM Annual Reports

The 2019-20 annual report for the University of South Alabama College of Medicine catalogues the accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students relating to teaching, research, other scholarship and community service.

The Effect Of Serratus Anterior Fatigue On Scapular Kinematics, Nathan Curtis Harrison

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Shoulder pain is a common occurrence in the general population. Pain has been associated with shoulder impairments and pathology. Associations between shoulder limitations, impairments, and mechanisms of injury and altered scapular motion appear in the literature. Fatigue of the scapular stabilizing muscles resulting from repeated arm motion has been reported to alter scapular kinematics, which could result in shoulder pathology, especially impingement.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of fatigue of the serratus anterior muscle on scapular kinematics. The hypotheses were that there would be decreased posterior tilt and decreased upward rotation during arm …

Measurement Precision And Reliability Of Supraspinatus Tendon Strain Using Speckle Track Analysis Of Ultrasound Images, Gregory Alan Mcclanahan

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: Ultrasound speckle tracking is an emergent method in studying musculoskeletal physiology and disease. For a method to be effective and useful, it needs to be precise and reliable. The precision and reliability of supraspinatus tendon strain measurements have not been explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the precision and reliability of speckle tracking to measure supraspinatus tendon strain.

Methods: Forty-two (42) participants participated in this study. Five (5) ultrasound images of the participant’s right shoulder supraspinatus tendon were collected during a maximal voluntary isometric abduction contraction. Cine loop video files of the 5 imaging trials …