Medical student selection: the quest for the Grail

Viewpoint
Nendaz M
Swiss Med Wkly. 2021;151:w20467

Is striving to find the best predictive tools to select students, including professional behaviours, the best option? Or should efforts rather be put into the conditions and quality of medical education and training, by offering feedback and assessment, using portfolios with mentoring, guiding career choices to reflect society’s needs, taking into account local sociocultural issues, and training faculty members?

Harnessing unique experiences to build competence: Medical student engagement in frontline care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Viewpoint
Klasen JM, Bingisser R, Meienberg A, Bogie B
Swiss Med Wkly. 2021;151:w20480

As countries experience subsequent pandemic waves and identified variants of SARS-CoV-2, the lessons learned from the current interventions may help guide medical education leaders across the globe in their decisions concerning how to promote medical student engagement in frontline care during a continuing public health crisis.

Predictive power of high school educational attainment and the medical aptitude test for performance during the Bachelor program in human medicine at the University of Bern: a cohort study

Original article
Krings R, Huwendiek S, Walsh N, Stricker D, Berendonk C
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20389

Students’ Matura grades predicted their subsequent performance in undergraduate medical education in the bachelor’s program of the University of Bern. In contrast, EMS scores do not explain any additional variance in students’ performance throughout the entire bachelor’s program. These findings suggest a need for rethinking the admission process.

An overview of and approach to selecting appropriate patient representations in teaching and summative assessment in medical education

Review article: Biomedical intelligence
Bauer D, Lahner FM, Schmitz FM, Guttormsen S, Huwendiek S
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20382

Medical education has a long tradition of using various patient representations in teaching and assessment. With this literature review the authors aim to provide an overview of the most important patient representations used to teach and assess clinical skills, to provide arguments for choosing certain patient representations and to show their advantages and limitations.

Physical and psychological health of medical students involved in the coronavirus disease 2019 response in Switzerland

Original article
Aebischer O, Weilenmann S, Gachoud D, Méan M, Spiller TR
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20418

Students involved in the COVID-19 response reported a similar proportion of COVID-19 symptoms or confirmed diagnoses, but lower levels of anxiety, depression and burnout compared with their non-involved peers.

Transition to postgraduate practice: perceptions of preparedness and experience of the daily work of junior residents

Original article
Monti M, Brunet L, Michaud PA
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20370

Several important aspects of daily clinical practice appear to be insufficiently mastered in the first few months of residency. The resulting stress and anxiety negatively affect job satisfaction. This study provides concrete examples and guidance for program directors and educators on how to better prepare students for postgraduate training.

Sufficient physicians, but a misguided repartition leads to a shortage of primary care doctors and an excess of various specialists

Viewpoint
Bernheim L, Balavoine F
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20213

How to test trust in  clinical competence

Viewpoint
Seiler C
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20270

Medical students have to be educated on the basis of predefined professional competencies. These competencies are listed in a new catalogue of learning objectives for the undergraduate medical curriculum, the PROFILES document (Principal Relevant Objectives for Integrative Learning and Education in Switzerland). Introducing PROFILES in the undergraduate medical curriculum is an opportunity to revisit the concept of maximally just versus biologically authentic clinical skills tests.

Characteristics and opinions of MD-PhD students and graduates from different European countries: a study from the European MD-PhD Association

Original article
dos Santos Rocha A, Scherlinger M, Ostermann L, Mehler DMA, Nadiradze A, Schulze F, Feldmeyer L, de Koning M, Berbecar VT, Buijs R, Kijlstra JD, Jawaid A
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20205

MD-PhD programmes throughout the world provide a platform for medical trainees to commit to a physician-scientist career, qualifying with both a medical degree (MD, or equivalent) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Nationwide introduction of a new competency framework for undergraduate medical curricula: a collaborative approach

Review article: Biomedical intelligence
Sohrmann M, Berendonk C, Nendaz M, Bonvin R, Swiss Working Group for PROFILES Implementation
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20201

In 2018, Switzerland introduced a completely revised version of its national out­comes reference framework for the undergraduate medical curriculum. This paper describes the process put in place at a national level for its implementation.