Megan Brown

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Verified

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• Doctor of Philosophy
• Senior Research Associate in Medical Education at Newcastle University

Introduction: Silence is a part of all interactions, yet its potential significance within medical education remains underexplored. Existing literature primarily focuses on its use as a skill, leaving a gap in understanding its broader implications. Emerging evidence from higher education suggests that conceptualising silence as a way of being and...

Background Inequity in assessment can lead to differential attainment. Degree classifications, such as ‘Honours’, are an assessment outcome used to differentiate students after graduation. However, there are no standardised criteria used to determine what constitutes these awards. Methods We contacted all medical schools in the UK and collected da...

As I entered the OSCE station, I ran through my mental checklist: smile and shake my examiner’s hand, warmly greet the patient, obtain a detailed history, and make an empathic statement. The station was going well, I gathered a comprehensive history and established a strong rapport. However, when I made my pre‐rehearsed statement of empathy, “I’m s...

A research paradigm, or set of common beliefs about research, should be a key facet of any research project. However, despite its importance, there is a paucity of general understanding in the medical sciences education community regarding what a research paradigm consists of and how to best construct one. With the move within medical sciences educ...

Though transferability is a multidimensional concept, our representations of transferability within Health Professions Education have largely focused on whether innovations or outcomes can be applied in different contexts. However, transferability has been variously described and used as a quality criterion through the history of qualitative resear...

Background NHS dentistry is experiencing significant recruitment and retention challenges, particularly in rural, coastal, and deprived urban areas. Issues have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to unequal distribution of dental professionals across UK geographies. Despite workforce policy initiatives, issues persist. This study ex...

Objectives Explore what is known about the impact of changes made at a national level to UK postgraduate medical education during COVID-19. Design A scoping review, following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist....

Background The healthcare workforce is in crisis. Despite a competitive selection process, a substantial number of doctors leave specialty training (ST) programmes prematurely. This attrition causes increased costs for the National Health Service, exacerbates workforce shortages and threatens quality and safety of care. It also increases pressure o...

Problem Students, residents, and early-career researchers (ECRs) have limited opportunities for early involvement in high-quality health professions education research (HPER). This project aimed to create a community of scholars for medical students, residents, and ECRs to increase early-career HPER collaboration. A community of scholars is a commu...

SERIES INTRODUCTORY ABSTRACTWidening Access, Participation and SuccessThis AMEE guide series explores three interconnected strategies for widening access, participation, and success in medical education. The series emphasises the interdependence of these areas as essential to supporting students from entry to graduation. Each guide in the series ad...

This book aims to provide a practical, easy-to-read guide on medical education for doctors and healthcare professionals. Starting as an educator can be daunting and this book can act as a resource for those who are beginning their journey within medical education, as well as those who are more experienced and seeking to develop their educational sk...

This book aims to provide a practical, easy-to-read guide on medical education for doctors and healthcare professionals. Starting as an educator can be daunting and this book can act as a resource for those who are beginning their journey within medical education, as well as those who are more experienced and seeking to develop their educational sk...

Background There remains a lack of diversity among those pursuing clinical academic careers. Structural inequalities, discrimination and a paucity of relatable role models can disadvantage minoritised students, hindering their educational experiences and career opportunities. Innovative and effective approaches are needed at an undergraduate level...

Educators and researchers are reliant upon access to data to drive teaching methods, curricular improvements, and progress in medical education research. However, data are not always accessible, due to resource constraints, institutional policies, and privacy concerns. Researchers have attempted to access novel data sources through surveys, semistr...

Introduction Differential attainment (DA) – systematic differences in training and assessment outcomes when grouping individuals by demographic characteristics – is a pervasive problem in health professions education. Despite evidence of its prevalence, there have been few qualitative studies relating to disabled learners’ experiences of differenti...

In this “When I say…” article, the authors argue for a philosophical transformation in how medical education values different ways of thinking and learning: the neurodiversity paradigm.

Background Internationally, there has been a move towards fostering diverse healthcare workforces that are representative of the patient populations they serve. Selection criteria for academic-clinicians often aim to capture skills and attributes that demonstrate both clinical and academic excellence. Currently, it is not known whether the selectio...

Introduction The shortage of educators within Health Professions Education (HPE) threatens the optimal training of the future health care workforce. Furthermore, without recruitment of diverse and skilled faculty, targets to expand the workforce will not be possible. Non‐practising health care professionals offer extensive knowledge and qualificati...

Objectives This study addressed two research questions: What factors do doctors in training describe as influencing their choices to apply (or not apply) for specialty training during their Foundation Year 2? Which of these factors are specific to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unique experiences of the cohort of doctors who qualifie...

Objective Explore the perceptions of senior medical students on the relationship between gender and pain and examine how formal and hidden curricula in medical education shape their experiences. Design We conducted a cross-sectional qualitative interview study, using individual semistructured interviews and adhering to interpretative description m...

Objective The objective of this review is to map, describe and conceptualize how silence is discussed within literature on interactions between physicians and patients, in clinical settings. Methods We will use the methodological framework of Arksey & O’Malley, adapted by Levac et al and Joanna Briggs Institute. Empirical studies including quantita...

Background Internationally, there has been a move towards fostering diverse healthcare workforces that are representative of the patient populations they serve. Selection criteria for academic-clinicians often aim to capture skills and attributes that demonstrate both clinical and academic excellence. Currently, it is not known whether the selectio...

Kelly and Brown outline how research into lived experience is different, shining value on subjectivity by being evocative while promoting visceral, felt responses, and enabling surprise.

Best, is to be ‘ of the highest quality, or being the most suitable, pleasing, or effective type of thing or person ’. Within medical education, 'best-ness' is evident within best practice guides and recommendations, and within research, where best evidence influences design and conduct. Yet, much of the evidence of best-ness fails to consider best...

Explore the term "Social Justice" in this new "When I Say" article. The authors consider its origin, advocate for a broader definition, and encourage renewed focus in the field.

Transferability is commonly identified as a quality criterion for qualitative research. This criterion was introduced by Lincoln and Guba to describe the degree to which a study's findings can be transferred to other contexts, settings or respondents. In this How To paper, we present a more nuanced, multidimensional view of transferability and expl...

Artificial intelligence (AI) methods, especially machine learning and natural language processing, are increasingly affecting health professions education (HPE), including the medical school application and selection processes, assessment, and scholarship production. The rise of large language models over the past 18 months, such as ChatGPT, has ra...

Objective To better understand the broader experience of medical students impacted by discrimination and the support systems they engage with. Design Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Setting Four medical schools based in the UK. Participants 17 medical students were recruited using volunteer and snowball sampling: all students...

Objective To explore medical student and school pupil experiences of an outreach school teaching project. Setting Community engagement is increasingly commonplace within medical school. Secondary schools offer ample opportunities for community engagement as medical students teach and engage in service learning. There is a lack of research regardin...

Background The number of healthcare professionals leaving clinical practice and transitioning to alternative careers in health professions education is increasing. Among these non-practicing healthcare professionals, concerns have been reported regarding tensions in relation to identity, role, and credibility in their new field. There are suggestio...

The Incubator for Clinical Education Research (ClinEdR) is a UK-wide network, established with support from the National Institute for Health Research, to lead initiatives to build capacity in the field. A key barrier identified by this group is that many experienced educators, clinicians, and researchers, who may be committed to supporting others,...

Objective Longitudinal learning often faces implementation challenges within UK medical schools. Some have suggested that the hidden curriculum may be implicated, but there is little evidence regarding how the hidden curriculum influences student experiences of, and engagement with longitudinal learning. Given this, our objective was to explore the...

Clinical education research (ClinEdR) utilises diverse terminology, which can lead to confusion. A common language is essential for enhancing impact. An expert panel drawn from various workstreams within the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Incubator for Clinical Education Research was tasked with reviewing an initial list of...

Background: The number of healthcare professionals leaving clinical practice and transitioning to alternative careers in health professions education is increasing. Among these non-practicing healthcare professionals, concerns have been reported regarding tensions in relation to identity, role, and credibility in their new field. There are suggesti...

Disagreement exists within the UK and Ireland regarding how Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships should be defined, and the relevance of international definitions. In this modified, online Delphi study, we presented the UK and Ireland experts in Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships with statements drawn from international definitions, published LIC lit...

Purpose: Understanding the factors that influence prosocial behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential due to the disruption to healthcare provision. Methods: We conducted an in-depth, mixed-methods cross-sectional survey, from 2 May 2020 to 15 June 2020, of medical students at medical schools in the United Kingdom. Data analysis was in...

Purpose: Medical students providing support to clinical teams during Covid-19 may have been an opportunity for service and learning. We aimed to understand why the reported educational impact has been mixed to inform future placements. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students at UK medical schools during the first Covid...

Science communication and public engagement serve a multitude of purposes—from marketing, recruitment, widening access, to civic responsibility for the translation of knowledge from academic disciplines to the public domain. There are a range of different public engagement methods, which can be adapted for various audiences. Creative approaches to...

Background Previous research has found a relationship between students’ gender and attitudes surrounding peer physical examination, but relationship between patient gender and confidence/comfort is less clear. We explored whether patient gender affects medical students’ levels of confidence and comfort in clinical examination skills. Methods An el...

Introduction Professional identity development is a central aim of medical education, which has been disrupted during COVID-19. Yet, no research has qualitatively explored COVID-19’s impact across institutions or countries on medical students’ identities. Kegan proposes a cognitive model of identity development, where ‘disorientating dilemmas’ prom...

Qualitative research has long been considered the poor cousin to quantitative research. However, recently it has gained more prominence and respect, particularly within health professions education. This article aims to introduce the novice researcher to the fundamental principles of qualitative research. We introduce the basic features of qualitat...

Oral presentation at the Association for the Study of Medical Education Annual Scientific Meeting in July 2022, discussing the impact of Covid-19 on UK medical students who were unable to volunteer clinically.

Covid-19 has altered medical education worldwide. Given recent events, UK Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (LICs), which are relatively new innovations, may have changed in structure and delivery, or may have demonstrated resilience. Collating the responses and experiences of UK institutions may yield transferrable recommendations for institution...

Purpose: Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) have been implemented worldwide to increase authentic student participation in patient care over time. Studies have shown benefits of the model include the ability of LICs to attract future practitioners to underserved areas, student engagement in advocacy, and development of an "ethic of caring."...

Background Empathic erosion and burnout represent crises within medicine. Psychological training has been used to promote empathy and personal resilience, yet some training useful within adjacent fields remain unexplored, e.g., Stoic training. Given recent research within psychology suggesting that Stoic training increases emotional wellbeing, expl...

Stoic philosophy is widely misrepresented within medicine, often negatively portrayed as a ‘stiff upper lip’. In reality, Stoicism is a holistic philosophy with a primary concern of helping people live engaged, contented lives. In medicine, Stoicism offers a way to process distressing emotions felt as a result of ‘seeing the world from the patient’...

Although health professions education has philosophical roots, it has drifted far from its original moorings as the field has developed and is little-represented within contemporary health professions discourse. This can make philosophy seem difficult or daunting. In this introduction, we offer our thoughts regarding how to engage with philosophy w...

The role of feminist theory in health professions education is often ‘ova-looked’. Gender is one cause of healthcare inequalities within contemporary medicine. Shockingly, according to the World Health Organisation, no European member state has achieved full gender equity in regard to health outcomes. Further, contemporary curricula have not evolve...

In the newest installment of the new Medical Education Connections series, Brown and Younie juxtapose recent findings to offer insight into how to nurture person‐centredness.

Ambiguity is inherent to medical practice. Developing an ethic of ambiguity within health professions education is necessary to help learners succeed within the uncertain landscape of medicine, and practice patient centered care. In her book ‘The Ethics of Ambiguity’, Simone De Beauvoir proposes character types that humans may subscribe to. As indi...

This talk outlines a personal journey into Medical Education research, followed by an overview of setting up a medical research collaborative during the COVID-19 pandemic. It concludes with some personal pearls and pitfalls of research and a Q&A session

The authors highlight barriers to a lack of engagement with relational approaches to medical education by synthesising findings from four State of the Science papers focused on Social aspects of health professional education.

Background: Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (LIC) are a relatively novel type of clinical placement model within medical education, particularly within the UK. The research on LICs primarily focuses on the impact of the model on students, tutors, communities, and organisations. The impact of LICs on patients has not yet been adequately synthesi...

Context Medical education is committed to teaching patient centred communication and empathy. However, quantitative research suggests empathy scores tend to decline as students progress through medical school. In qualitative terms, there is a need to better understand how students and tutors view the practice and teaching of clinical empathy and th...

Introduction Professional identity formation (PIF) is a priority of medical training. Covid-19 caused disruption to medical education. We ask how this disruption impacted PIF through the lens of the activities performed – or not performed – by medical students during the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic, and perceptions of conflicts between acti...

Qualitative inquiry is increasingly popular in health professions education, and there has been a move to solidify processes of analysis to demystify the practice and increase rigour. Whilst important, being bound too heavily by methodological processes potentially represses the imaginative creativity of qualitative expression and interpretation—tr...

Phenomenon Professional identity development is recognised as a core goal of medical education alongside knowledge and skill acquisition. Identity is a complex entity that can be conceptualised as externally influenced, but individually constructed. Integration from legitimate bystander to ‘old timer’ of the medical community of practice provides a...

Background: Volunteering to work in a clinical capacity during the Covid-19 pandemic was a unique learning experience for medical students, but it is unknown whether this helped prepare students for practice as doctors. Volunteering may benefit students through service-based learning, a method of teaching where students perform roles that intersect...

Introduction: COVID-19 has caused major disruptions to healthcare, with voluntary opportunities offered to medical students to provide clinical support. We used the conceptual framework of prosocial behavior during an emergency - behaviors whose primary focus is benefiting others - to examine volunteering during COVID-19. Methods: We conducted an i...

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to global disruption of healthcare. Many students volunteered to provide clinical support. Volunteering to work in a clinical capacity was a unique medical education opportunity; however, it is unknown whether this was a positive learning experience or which volunteering roles were of most be...

Transition to practice can be a turbulent time for new doctors. It has been proposed transition is experienced non-linearly in physical, psychological, cultural and social domains. What is less well known, however, is whether transition within these domains can contribute to the experience of moral injury in new doctors. Further, the lived experien...

Introduction In response to the disruption to medical education caused by COVID-19, there is a need for wide-scale robust medical education research and the generation of research capacity for the future. Trainee research collaboratives have demonstrated they can nurture the research skills of students and trainees while delivering high quality res...

Introduction COVID-19 led to global disruption of healthcare and many students volunteered to provide clinical support. Volunteering to work was a unique medical education opportunity; however, it is unknown whether this was a positive learning experience. Methods The COVID Ready 2 study is a national cross-sectional study of all medical students a...

Issue Threshold Concepts are increasingly used and researched within health professions education. First proposed by Meyer and Land in 2003, they can be defined as ways of knowing central to the mastery of a subject. They are framed as profoundly transformative, impacting the identity of those who encounter them through irreversible shifts in an in...

Background Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) are a relatively new model of clinical medical education, whereby students participate in patient care over time and develop relationships with those patients’, their clinicians, and other health care staff involved in the care of those patients. It has been called ‘relationship-based education’...

Background and objectives: Covid-19 has led to global disruption of healthcare. Many students volunteered to provide clinical support. Volunteering to work in a clinical capacity was a unique medical education opportunity; however, it is unknown whether this was a positive learning experience or which volunteering roles were of most benefit to stud...

The path to acceptance of new ideas within scientific disciplines is often fraught. The philosopher Schopenhauer recognised that important ideas must endure a hostile reception before they are accepted ¹, suggesting they are usually ridiculed when first platformed. Yet, in time, opposition fades and new ideas are ‘accepted as being self‐evident’¹ f...

Context: Although the uptake of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (LICs) is increasing worldwide, and there are documented benefits to participation, there is a lack of conceptual evidence regarding how LICs exert many of their benefits, including their influence on the recruitment and retention of practitioners to underserved areas or specialtie...

We have recently utilised Love and Breakup Letter Methodology (LBM)1, 2 in medical education research3, - the first time this has been reported in the literature. LBM was developed within the discipline of User Experience (UX) 4 , where it is typically used as a tool to capture what focus group participants like or dislike about technological featu...

Introduction: COVID-19 led to global disruption of healthcare and many students volunteered to provide clinical support. Volunteering to work was a unique medical education opportunity; however, it is unknown whether this was a positive learning experience. Methods: The COVID Ready 2 study is a national cross-sectional study of all medical student...

Introduction: In response to the disruption to medical education caused by COVID-19, there is a need for wide-scale robust medical education research and the generation of research capacity for the future. Trainee research collaboratives have demonstrated they can nurture the research skills of students and trainees while delivering high quality re...

Introduction Medical education is committed to promoting empathic communication. Despite this, much research indicates that empathy actually decreases as students progress through medical school. In qualitative terms, relatively little is known about this changing student relationship with the concept of empathy for patients and how teaching affect...

The humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society, experience and culture. Typically, the humanities, including philosophy, literature, art, music, history and language have been used to interpret and record our understanding of the world. In recent decades, the humanities have seen somewhat of a renaissance within medicin...

Palliative care is central to the role of all clinical doctors. There is variability in the amount and type of teaching about palliative care at undergraduate level. Time allocated for such teaching within the undergraduate medical curricula remains scarce. Given this, the effectiveness of palliative care teaching needs to be known. Objectives: T...

Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) are increasingly available within the United Kingdom, but gaps in knowledge remain regarding their efficacy and the influence of local context. In 2019-20, the Hull York Medical School ran a pilot LIC for 6 fourth-year medical students. This work describes the longitudinal qualitative programme evaluation....

The COVID‐19 pandemic has dramatically changed the landscape of medical education. For example, the sudden shift to remote working and online communication has redefined collaboration, which had already become somewhat of a buzzword within the field’s lexicon. Its popularity is understandable, as facilitating collaborative expertise within healthca...

Objective To explore medical student perceptions and experiences of gender bias within medical education. Setting Gender bias—‘prejudiced actions or thoughts based on the perception that women are not equal to men’—is a widespread issue. Within medicine, the pay gap, under-representation of women in senior roles and sexual harassment are among the...