Biomedical subjects

C Kreiter

Publications and source records attributed to C Kreiter.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

The effects of testing in shifts on a clinical in-course computerized exam.

PROBLEM: Testing a large medical class over two days with a single-form computer-based test has generated questions related to test security and the influence of unequal test preparation times afforded by the testing method. METHODS: An analysis of variance (anova) design was used to compare the scores for the two days for each of the three tests. In addition, a within-student match-paired t-test of standard score differences was used to examine the relative standing of students across tests administered on different days. RESULTS: Both the anova and the match-paired t-test failed to detect a difference between first and second day testing. CONCLUSION: This research suggests that using a single test form with shift-based computerised assessments, spread over as many as two days, does not seriously compromise the integrity of the results. Since creating multiple unique-item forms is often not possible, shift-based testing with a single test form appears to be a fair method of accommodating a large number of students.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2001

Comparison of a virtual microscope laboratory to a regular microscope laboratory for teaching histology.

Emerging technology now exists to digitize a gigabyte of information from a glass slide, save it in a highly compressed file format, and deliver it over the web. By accessing these images with a standard web browser and viewer plug-in, a computer can emulate a real microscope and glass slide. Using this new technology, the immediate aims of our project were to digitize the glass slides from urinary tract, male genital, and endocrine units and implement them in the Spring 2000 Histology course at the University of Iowa, and to carry out a formative evaluation of the virtual slides of these three units in a side-by-side comparison with the regular microscope laboratory. The methods and results of this paper will describe the technology employed to create the virtual slides, and the formative evaluation carried out in the course. Anat Rec (New Anat) 265:10-14, 2001.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

PubMed1997

Team-based versus preceptor-based assignment of junior surgery students.

BACKGROUND: Clinical evaluations of junior surgery students frequently lack sufficient detail for effective formative or summative feedback. We hypothesized that this was in part due to a lack of personal accountability associated with large general surgery teams, and that altering the format to assign students to specific surgical faculty preceptors rather than to teams would affect the clinical evaluation products. METHODS: Over a 1-year period, 154 junior medical students grouped into 8 successive clerkships were assigned alternately in the usual Team (3-5 junior students, with 2-4 general surgery faculty, 2-4 residents, and 0-2 senior students) or a new Preceptor format (1-2 students to each faculty preceptor). In order to keep the ratio of students to faculty low, approximately one-third of the Preceptor format students were assigned to subspecialists. RESULTS: The preceptor format resulted in the use of more adjectives to describe students in the open-ended portions of the faculties' clinical evaluations (mean of 3.2 as compared with 2.5, P = 0.003), and a greater proportion of students recommended for overall clinical Honors (47% as compared with 25%, P = 0.004). The clerkship format had no impact on exam performance, students' perceptions of the faculty, or the amount of students' self-reported clinical activity. Nevertheless, twice as many Team format students felt they had too few patients, whereas twice as many Preceptor students felt their informal instruction had been less than "good." CONCLUSIONS: Preceptor assignment increased the number of students recommended for Honors, but this did not correlate with students' exam performance. From the students' standpoint, each format had advantages and disadvantages. Limiting the number of students on the general surgery teams and adding structured formative feedback from faculty before the end of the clerkship might give students the instructional advantages of the Preceptor format without sacrificing those of the Team format.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Preclinical science course "preludes" taken by premedical students: do they provide a competitive advantage?

BACKGROUND: Premedical students often elect advanced science courses whose content will reappear during preclinical courses. Are such "preludes" useful? METHOD: The study participants were the 176 first-year students entering the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1992. Their grades in medical school courses in biochemistry, gross anatomy, histology, physiology, and microbiology were compared with their grades in similar premedical courses. RESULTS: The students who had taken a premedical prelude in advanced science performed no better than their classmates except in biochemistry, where the 118 students (67%) with prior biochemistry exposure had a significantly higher mean score (96.3 vs 87.6, p < .0001 using Student's t-test). A biochemistry prelude appeared to benefit all students, especially those from minorities underrepresented in medicine. In addition, among the 13 students who failed biochemistry in medical school, a number of them had low grades in organic chemistry and had not taken a premedical course in biochemistry. To test the replicability of the findings, an analysis was undertaken of the biochemistry performances of the 162 students who had entered in 1991, and again a significant difference was found between the students who had and those who had not taken a biochemistry prelude. CONCLUSION: A premedical biochemistry course, required by only two schools in 1995-96, appears advantageous, especially for students with weak academic preparation. Lack of such benefit from other preludes suggests that premedical students might better choose electives in arts and humanities to enhance their educational breadth.

Education, Premedical↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of a geriatric mental health training program for nursing personnel in rural long-term care facilities.

Although mental illness among elderly living in nursing homes is a substantial and growing concern, the behavioral problems associated with mental illness or threats to mental health are not well understood, tolerated, or effectively managed by nursing home staff. As a result, resident care and quality of life, and staff morale often suffer. The need for geriatric mental health training in long-term care settings has become increasingly apparent. Psychiatric/mental health nurses are in an advantageous position to address this current need and future challenge through the development, implementation, and evaluation of geriatric mental health education and training programs in long-term care settings. This article describes one such innovative training effort, designed to improve the quality of psychosocial care provided by nursing personnel in rural long-term care settings, and highlights evaluation outcomes related to participant satisfaction, staff knowledge, and attitudes.

Aged↗