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It takes (at least) two to tango: Comparing the affordances of two learner mistreatment reporting mechanisms

Christen Rachul, Jesse Garber, Joanne Hamilton, Anitra Squires, Nancy Porhownik, Jackie Gruber and Eric Jacobsohn
Background: The affordances, or characteristics, of learner mistreatment reporting mechanisms can shape the information elicited from these mechanisms, which has an impact on how institutions understand the scope and nature of learner mistreatment. This study compares whether and how the affordances of two mistreatment reporting mechanisms elicit different information about learner mistreatment at a single institution.Methods: We conducted an interpretive content analysis of reports submitted using two mechanisms, one that elicits reports through end-of-rotation evaluations and one through a voluntary web-based system, between July 2015 and December 2021. We extracted the metadata from reports and applied a coding framework informed by the Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool (HCAT) to the narrative descriptions in reports. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and the chi-square test on SPSS v.27.Results: We collected 90 elicited reports and 240 voluntary reports of mistreatment. Similar types of mistreatment were reported through each mechanism, but disrespectful behaviour and bias and discrimination were reported significantly more in voluntary reports. Elicited reports most frequently included incidents of learner mistreatment in clinical settings, whereas voluntary reports included incidents from a wide variety of settings and people or were issues other than mistreatment.Discussion: Utilizing multiple learner mistreatment reporting mechanisms with different affordances can mitigate the limitations of a single mechanism, help identify a more nuanced understanding of learner mistreatment, and increase reporters’ choices for how and when to report mistreatment. Increased information allows an institution to address specific incidents and develop targeted, preventive educational activities and faculty development.

Developing a patient-educator program for adolescents with juvenile arthritis: Exploring motivation sources, barriers, and facilitators

Marie-Paule Morin, Aimun Qadeer Shah, Maria Mylopoulos, Marie-Pascale Pomey, François Bowen, Lawrence Grierson and Claude Julie Bourque
Background: Patients can be valuable contributors to medical education, offering nuanced perspective and guidance, based on lived experience. While numerous training programs have integrated adult patients in this manner, very few have engaged adolescent patients. Recognizing adolescent educators may be particularly helpful in teaching pediatric conditions, this study appraises the potential for including those with juvenile arthritis in pediatric rheumatology training.Methods: Using an exploratory qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with adolescents with juvenile arthritis receiving treatment at two tertiary-care pediatric centres in Canada about the motivations, perceptions, facilitators, and barriers that influence their engagement as patient educators. The interview transcripts were analyzed using an iterative qualitative descriptive method.Results: Participants (n = 19, aged 13-18) identified intrinsic factors, such as learning about their condition and socializing with peers, and extrinsic factors, such as helping students learn and promoting greater disease awareness, as relevant drivers for participating as patient educators. They pointed to balancing school and medical appointments, transportation, and discomfort with sharing personal experiences in large groups as barriers. Parental support, accruing volunteer hours, and engaging health professionals in the teaching sessions were seen as facilitators that could meaningfully enhance the relevance and impact of adolescents’ contributions to medical education.Conclusion: Adolescents with juvenile arthritis are motivated to participate as patient educators. Understanding the factors that promote their involvement supports the development of training initiatives involving adolescents that are likely to be successful and sustainable.

What counts? Defining scholarship in continuing professional development using a national modified Delphi study

Eleftherios K Soleas, Clare Cook, Teresa M Chan and Stephen G Miller
Background: In many domains within medical education, scholarship can have unique attributes. The accreditation standards for Canadian Continuing Professional Development (CPD) require scholarly output from each Office in Canada. However, it is unclear what scholarly outputs might be considered as CPD scholarship.Methods: Representatives from a national cross-section of collaborators within the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) network and other national organizations assisted in this project. Collaborators participated in a 3-phase, modified Delphi study from October 31st, 2023- June 17th, 2024. The three phases included: 1) Registration and Ideation; 2) Consensus Process; 3) Group Validation.Results: A total of 31 individuals registered as part of the consensus panel, and 29 individuals (93.5% response) completed the 3-stages of the modified Delphi. The endorsement of 18/31 types of scholarship, including novel forms such as Community Engagement, Testing/Pilot Approaches, and Advocacy Scholarship, reflects an important shift in how CPD scholarship is understood.Discussion: In a first for our field, the results of this study comprise a consensus-based definition that defines CPD scholarship at a national scale. The results crucially inform national accreditation processes, strategic planning exercises, and overall, in expanding the types and acceptance of activities as recognized scholarly work for those seeking recognition and promotion within the domain of CPD. We do so with the voice of our community to inspire new and emergent scholarship. Periodic reviews of these concepts should be conducted, as scholarly pursuits evolve over time.

Rethinking how we educate our future physicians: The Queen’s-Lakeridge Health Medical Degree Family Medicine program: An innovative approach to medical education

Eugenia Piliotis, Jennifer Turnnidge, Cailie S McGuire, Nancy Dalgarno, Anthony J Sanfilippo, Arun Balasubramaniam, Michelle Gibson, Michael Green, Shayna Watson, Renee Fitzpatrick, Randy S Wax, Heidi McHattie, Nadia Ismiil, Ruzica Jokic, Natasha Aziz, Anthony Stone, Allan Grill, Richard van Wylick, Denise Stockley and Jane Philpott
Canadian healthcare, particularly family medicine, is experiencing a capacity crisis. To address this challenge, systems-level reform is required. Specific to medical education, there is an urgency for educational institutions to prepare the next generation of physicians to meet Canadians’ healthcare needs. This will require not only the expansion of the number of physicians trained, but consideration of the specialty mix and types of practice those physicians are prepared to undertake. Building on an existing collaborative partnership, the Queen’s-Lakeridge Health Doctor of Medicine - Family Medicine Program (QLH MD FM) launched in 2023. This initiative is designed to address the needs of Canadians through purposeful recruitment and the development of learners interested in, and committed to, careers in family medicine. This paper shares the experiences of the QLH MD FM team, and the steps taken in conceptualizing and implementing this educational initiative. A program description is provided, focusing on the six program pillars: (a) admissions, (b) curriculum, (c) faculty and staff engagement, (d) community engagement, (e) infrastructure and supports, and (f) learner experience. The QLH MD FM Program is an innovative approach to medical education that emphasizes an authentic focus on addressing the complex healthcare needs of individuals and their communities.

Scholarly activity in Canadian Residency Matching Service criteria: Do Canadian programs really care about applicant research?

Asil El Galad, Hanna Van Dierdonck, Nikesh Chander, Caleb Mathai, Alyssa Palmateer, Shenna Dunn, Seddiq Weera, Larry W Chambers and Amanda Bell
Background: Residency programs across Canada evaluate applicants based on written applications, reference letters, and interviews. One key factor many institutions consider is “scholarly activity.” To improve transparency, the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) recently revised its program description pages, adding a dedicated section outlining expectations for research and academic work. This study examines whether these changes have made program criteria clearer for applicants.Methods: For all 17 Canadian faculties of medicine, 2023 R1 entry, —internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, general surgery, psychiatry and anesthesiology—program descriptions were reviewed on the CaRMS website, looking for keywords related to scholarly activity.Results: Although most residency programs now include scholarly activity in their CaRMS descriptions, several programs provide vague descriptions of this requirement. In 2023, nearly all family medicine (94%), internal medicine (100%), and pediatrics (100%) program descriptions referenced requiring or considering scholarly work as part of their selection process—up from 41%, 65%, and 71% in 2019. Programs commonly mentioned scholarly activity in two or three sections of their selection criteria, with key themes including active scholarly work, scholarly deliverables, and future scholarly potential.Conclusion: Canadian medical schools should set clearer expectations for scholarly activity in residency applications to ensure transparency and equal opportunities for all applicants. Programs could also explain why research matters—whether as a core component of training or to develop critical thinking and initiative. Greater clarity would help applicants see research as more than just a “check-the-box” requirement, fostering genuine engagement in scholarly work.

Procrastination in medical students: A systematic review

Sonia Rahimi, Tanya Chichekian and So Yeon Lee
Background: The purpose of this systematic review was to understand the implications of procrastination on medical students’ lives and well-being by examining its conceptualization in the medical education literature, the contexts in which it has been studied, and with which variables it has been associated. These areas were investigated to propose practical solutions to reduce medical students’ procrastination tendencies.Methods: This systematic review was completed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and the guidelines of the Association for Medical Education in Europe. We searched the PubMed, ERIC (ProQuest), and PsycINFO (OVID) databases. A total of 243 articles were identified and screened independently by two authors.Results: Based on a set of inclusion criteria, 26 articles were kept and analyzed in the review. We found that medical students’ procrastination was most often conceptualized as the voluntary delay of a given task. Medical students’ procrastination was examined in two different contexts: academic procrastination and bedtime procrastination. Procrastination was negatively related to variables such as academic achievement, metacognition, and self-esteem, and positively related to other variables such as stress, anxiety, and mobile phone addictions.Conclusions: Medical students’ procrastination is most frequently described as the intentional or voluntary postponement of a given task with the expectation of negative consequences and is most often evaluated in academic settings alongside mental health and affective variables. Future research should focus on promoting students’ awareness of their procrastination and emotional states through targeted and goal-oriented interventions.

Problem-based and related learning approaches in family medicine residency: A scoping review of four countries

Megan Clemens, Josheil Kaur Boparai, Russell Dawe and Susan Avery
Background: Postgraduate medical education (PGME) bridges the transition from medical school to independent practice. Problem-based learning (PBL), widely used in undergraduate medical education, has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional lectures in PGME. However, its impact on family medicine training remains unclear.Objective: In this scoping review, we describe the use of PBL in family medicine PGME programs and examine its educational and healthcare-related outcomes.Methods: Using Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework, we conducted a scoping review of PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, Web of Science, and ProQuest in January 2025. Two reviewers independently screened articles, extracting and synthesizing data according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).Results: Twelve studies met inclusion criteria, illustrating diverse PBL delivery methods in family medicine PGME. Programs integrated PBL as standalone sessions, an adjunct, or blended with traditional methods. Learning groups often included mixed specialties (e.g., family medicine and internal medicine) and varied learner levels (e.g., residents and attending physicians). Most studies reported high learner satisfaction and improved perceptions of topics; however, objective assessments of knowledge, pre- and post-PBL, showed no significant improvement. Limited data on behavior and patient outcomes suggested potential benefits.Conclusion: PBL in family medicine PGME appears to enhance engagement and satisfaction but shows mixed educational outcomes. Further research is needed to determine its optimal role in training.

A bidirectional virtual teaching platform for postgraduate Point-of-Care Ultrasound training: A proof-of-concept study

Aanchal Ralhan, Queen Jacques, Alison MacDonald, Gillian Sheppard, Peter Rogers and Jordan Stone-McLean
Implication StatementPoint-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) has become an important modality for procedural guidance and patient diagnostics. However, rural postgraduate trainees in Canada who need to acquire these knowledge and skills face barriers to accessing POCUS training, in part because of a lack of qualified onsite teaching faculty. To help address this issue, our study describes a novel, relatively easy to implement, approach to teach POCUS to postgraduate trainees who do not access to the resources at larger, more well-funded sites. This allows experienced POCUS instructors to teach remotely, which would improve access to POCUS training for both medical learners in remote sites and continuing professional development for rural physicians. Additionally, it offers a cost-effective solution that reduces travel-related expenses for both trainees and faculty. It also provides a unique approach to remote medical education and ongoing skill development.

Re-educating the surgical culture, is it possible?

Imogen Sharkey Ochoa and Michael Okorie

The rural emergency department: An overlooked learning opportunity for pre-clerkship medical students

Benjamin Hewins and Joe Gillis

Quantifying the “glass ceiling”: The versatility of the Gini Coefficient in medical education

Carlos Acosta-Batista

International Congress on Academic Medicine: 2026 medical education abstracts

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