Insights
Educating medical students: introducing a journal club Alexander Curtis, Thevarajah Viyasar, Viren Ahluwalia and Katharine Lazarus Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bristol, UK
J
once per month, reviewing one or two articles during each 1–2 hour session,1 a format that we have replicated.
As a group of medical students dedicated to pursuing an academic career, we decided to form a journal club. The format of our club was based on findings from recent studies to maximise the opportunity for learning and effective integration of critical appraisal skills. These show that most journal clubs meet at least
Articles of interest are selected with the advice of senior clinicians. Each week two students are given a specialty and clinical lead with whom they discuss hot topics. Students are then left to search the literature independently to identify two recent and relevant articles with contentious, and, where possible, contrasting results. We found that recent publication, relevant literature to the medical curriculum (issues pertaining to core medical topics, i.e. hip replacement outcomes) and topical issues (discussion of a prophylactic mastectomy paper during the month of Angelina Jolie’s bilateral mastectomy) were all factors that
ournal clubs are considered by many to be an integral part of postgraduate medical education. They improve medical professionals’ ability to effectively critique papers, and in doing so allow best evidencebased practice to be adhered to;1 however, there is limited evidence to suggest that journal clubs have a role within undergraduate medical training, even though 90 per cent of postgraduate residencies have a journal club.1
would draw in students and create lively interactive critical appraisal. A recent paper offered the chance for a rapid-response publication with the British Medical Journal (BMJ), which appealed to medical students seeking publications. In addition, sessions comparing contentious study results have allowed for greater scrutiny of study design and specific methods, leading to more successful debates amongst students.
There is limited evidence to suggest that journal clubs have a role within undergraduate medical training
The selected papers are disseminated to students one week prior to the meeting, thus providing enough time for critical appraisal, as guidance in the literature advises.2 In addition, as suggested by Deenadayalan et al.,2 we have used an established model to effectively scrutinise articles, which has
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2016; 13: 233–234 233
tct_12356.indd 233
4/22/2016 8:52:30 AM
Sessions comparing contentious study results have allowed for greater scrutiny of study design and specific methods
allowed us to coherently respond to the authors following our discussions. In our most recent meeting we evaluated a retrospective analysis by Metcalfe et al. comparing the superiority of bilateral mastectomy with unilateral mastectomy in women with BRCA-associated breast cancer;3 our response was published online, outlining the points of contention that were found during our meeting. Since the club’s formation in the last academic year, we are very proud of what we have achieved. Attendance has increased substantially from the 10 students that were present at the initial meeting. This has largely resulted from the positive feedback disseminated in the medical school, as well as the use of social media and publicity via the medical school’s newsletter. This has enabled regular, wellattended journal club meetings. Feedback from the journal club attendees about what the club has helped students achieve includes the following points. • The opportunity to develop leadership skills and gain confidence in presenting study findings whilst running a journal club session. • The chance to undertake a relevant literature search, including advice about developing succinct and effective search strategies. • Opportunities to develop critical appraisal skills – learning to integrate and
clinically evaluate evidence from a number of sources. This has broadened students’ understanding of the literature, in addition to providing essential skills for university and clinical projects. • The opportunity to make contact with senior clinicians in specialist areas of interest to students. Professional interactions with clinicians have been shown to be important determinants in career choice.4 • The chance to appraise recent articles that aid clinical understanding in pertinent topics. • Shared learning across year groups, drawing on the skills that each year group possesses. • The chance to practise letter-writing in response to discussions that arise from the sessions. Points of contention can be fed back to the authors in a professional manner, with suggestions for further analysis to improve the validity of the results. Undergraduate journal clubs may therefore be the beginning of a deeper appreciation of lifelong learning and a source of consistent education in an everchanging health care system. We believe that a journal club is an effective tool for teaching medical students alongside the medical curriculum, and should be made available at other universities. To achieve this, we have contacted each of the UK medical
schools and provided them with detailed information of how a journal club can be effectively run, using our own experiences and the 12–point guide adapted by McLeod et al.5 Here are our three top tips to creating a successful medical school journal club. • Good paper selection: recent, relevant and topical. • Two speakers to present the relevant background. • Good venue and use of social media to publicise the meeting. REFERENCES 1.
Shifflette V, Mitchell C, Mangram A, Dunn E. Current approaches to journal club by general surgery programs within the Southwestern surgical congress. J Surg Educ 2012;69:162–166.
2.
Deenadayalan Y, Grimmer-Somers K, Prior M, Kumar S. How to run an effective journal club: a systematic review. J Eval Clin Pract 2008;14:898–911.
3.
Metcalfe K, Gershman S, Ghadirian P, Lynch HT, Snyder C, Tung N, Kim-Sing C, Eisen A, Foulkes WD, Rosen B, Sun P, Narod SA. Contralateral mastectomy and survival after breast cancer in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations: retrospective analysis. BMJ 2014;348:g226.
4.
Ek EW, Ek ET, Mackay SD. Undergraduate experience of surgical teaching and its influence on career choice. ANZ J Surg 2005;75:713–718.
5.
McLeod P, Steinert Y, Boudreau D, Snell L, Wiseman J. Twelve tips for conducting a medical education journal club. Med Teach 2010;32:368–370.
Corresponding author’s contact details: Alexander Curtis, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bristol, Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
Funding: None. Conflict of interest: None. Acknowledgements: None. Ethical approval: Not required. doi: 10.1111/tct.12356
234 © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2016; 13: 233–234
tct_12356.indd 234
4/22/2016 8:52:30 AM
Educating medical students: introducing a journal club Alexander Curtis, Thevarajah Viyasar, Viren Ahluwalia and Katharine Lazarus Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bristol, UK
J
once per month, reviewing one or two articles during each 1–2 hour session,1 a format that we have replicated.
As a group of medical students dedicated to pursuing an academic career, we decided to form a journal club. The format of our club was based on findings from recent studies to maximise the opportunity for learning and effective integration of critical appraisal skills. These show that most journal clubs meet at least
Articles of interest are selected with the advice of senior clinicians. Each week two students are given a specialty and clinical lead with whom they discuss hot topics. Students are then left to search the literature independently to identify two recent and relevant articles with contentious, and, where possible, contrasting results. We found that recent publication, relevant literature to the medical curriculum (issues pertaining to core medical topics, i.e. hip replacement outcomes) and topical issues (discussion of a prophylactic mastectomy paper during the month of Angelina Jolie’s bilateral mastectomy) were all factors that
ournal clubs are considered by many to be an integral part of postgraduate medical education. They improve medical professionals’ ability to effectively critique papers, and in doing so allow best evidencebased practice to be adhered to;1 however, there is limited evidence to suggest that journal clubs have a role within undergraduate medical training, even though 90 per cent of postgraduate residencies have a journal club.1
would draw in students and create lively interactive critical appraisal. A recent paper offered the chance for a rapid-response publication with the British Medical Journal (BMJ), which appealed to medical students seeking publications. In addition, sessions comparing contentious study results have allowed for greater scrutiny of study design and specific methods, leading to more successful debates amongst students.
There is limited evidence to suggest that journal clubs have a role within undergraduate medical training
The selected papers are disseminated to students one week prior to the meeting, thus providing enough time for critical appraisal, as guidance in the literature advises.2 In addition, as suggested by Deenadayalan et al.,2 we have used an established model to effectively scrutinise articles, which has
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2016; 13: 233–234 233
tct_12356.indd 233
4/22/2016 8:52:30 AM
Sessions comparing contentious study results have allowed for greater scrutiny of study design and specific methods
allowed us to coherently respond to the authors following our discussions. In our most recent meeting we evaluated a retrospective analysis by Metcalfe et al. comparing the superiority of bilateral mastectomy with unilateral mastectomy in women with BRCA-associated breast cancer;3 our response was published online, outlining the points of contention that were found during our meeting. Since the club’s formation in the last academic year, we are very proud of what we have achieved. Attendance has increased substantially from the 10 students that were present at the initial meeting. This has largely resulted from the positive feedback disseminated in the medical school, as well as the use of social media and publicity via the medical school’s newsletter. This has enabled regular, wellattended journal club meetings. Feedback from the journal club attendees about what the club has helped students achieve includes the following points. • The opportunity to develop leadership skills and gain confidence in presenting study findings whilst running a journal club session. • The chance to undertake a relevant literature search, including advice about developing succinct and effective search strategies. • Opportunities to develop critical appraisal skills – learning to integrate and
clinically evaluate evidence from a number of sources. This has broadened students’ understanding of the literature, in addition to providing essential skills for university and clinical projects. • The opportunity to make contact with senior clinicians in specialist areas of interest to students. Professional interactions with clinicians have been shown to be important determinants in career choice.4 • The chance to appraise recent articles that aid clinical understanding in pertinent topics. • Shared learning across year groups, drawing on the skills that each year group possesses. • The chance to practise letter-writing in response to discussions that arise from the sessions. Points of contention can be fed back to the authors in a professional manner, with suggestions for further analysis to improve the validity of the results. Undergraduate journal clubs may therefore be the beginning of a deeper appreciation of lifelong learning and a source of consistent education in an everchanging health care system. We believe that a journal club is an effective tool for teaching medical students alongside the medical curriculum, and should be made available at other universities. To achieve this, we have contacted each of the UK medical
schools and provided them with detailed information of how a journal club can be effectively run, using our own experiences and the 12–point guide adapted by McLeod et al.5 Here are our three top tips to creating a successful medical school journal club. • Good paper selection: recent, relevant and topical. • Two speakers to present the relevant background. • Good venue and use of social media to publicise the meeting. REFERENCES 1.
Shifflette V, Mitchell C, Mangram A, Dunn E. Current approaches to journal club by general surgery programs within the Southwestern surgical congress. J Surg Educ 2012;69:162–166.
2.
Deenadayalan Y, Grimmer-Somers K, Prior M, Kumar S. How to run an effective journal club: a systematic review. J Eval Clin Pract 2008;14:898–911.
3.
Metcalfe K, Gershman S, Ghadirian P, Lynch HT, Snyder C, Tung N, Kim-Sing C, Eisen A, Foulkes WD, Rosen B, Sun P, Narod SA. Contralateral mastectomy and survival after breast cancer in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations: retrospective analysis. BMJ 2014;348:g226.
4.
Ek EW, Ek ET, Mackay SD. Undergraduate experience of surgical teaching and its influence on career choice. ANZ J Surg 2005;75:713–718.
5.
McLeod P, Steinert Y, Boudreau D, Snell L, Wiseman J. Twelve tips for conducting a medical education journal club. Med Teach 2010;32:368–370.
Corresponding author’s contact details: Alexander Curtis, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bristol, Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
Funding: None. Conflict of interest: None. Acknowledgements: None. Ethical approval: Not required. doi: 10.1111/tct.12356
234 © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2016; 13: 233–234
tct_12356.indd 234
4/22/2016 8:52:30 AM
