Poster Session 8

ABSTRACT:

Background:

Medical students experience extreme levels of stress during their training. Although spending time doing wellness activities is known to decrease stress, many medical students do not engage in these activities due to a lack of time outside of studying. This is largely attributed to the heavy emphasis on academic performance and standardized exam scores in medical school. Notably, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores have been cited by residency program directors as the most impactful measure assessed when determining which applicants to interview and rank. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of time spent in wellness activities on medical student stress levels and performance on the USMLE Step 1 exam.

Methodology:

Data were gathered from one cohort (n=55) of medical students at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. Variables analyzed included amount of time spent doing wellness activities, perceived level of stress, and Step 1 score. Independent samples t-tests were performed to determine significance between variables.

Results and Conclusions:

Students who spent 1 hour or less doing wellness activities per day scored an average of 8/16 on the Perceived Stress Scale and an average of 229 on Step 1. Students who spent more than 1 hour doing wellness activities per day scored an average of 6/16 on the Perceived Stress Scale and an average of 238 on Step 1. Based on these findings, medical students can be assured that taking time for themselves can actually improve their academic performance.

ABSTRACT:

Regular school attendance is associated with a better quality of life and improved functioning in social and academic domains (Kearney, 2016) while school attendance problems (SAPs) have been associated with increased risk for dropout and numerous developmental problems (Kearney, 2021). Risk factors for school attendance problems include child, parent, family, community, peer, and school factors (Kearney, 2008). The present study aims to identify school factors (e.g., school climate, academic mindset and social-emotional learning) related to absences from school (Konold, 2018). A power analysis conducted using GPower 3.1 led to the random selection of participants (n=132) from a larger sample of students from the Clark County School District of Nevada who completed the 2016-2017 Districtwide Study Survey. Pearson correlations were utilized to analyze subscales on The School Climate and Academic Mindset Inventory (SCAMI; Kearney, 2020) with the number of days absent from school. Results indicated that Bullying (r(129) = .19, p = .03) was positively correlated with days missed; higher scores on the Bullying subscale indicated more reported bullying. Safety (r(128) = -.21, p = .01) and Physical Environment and Resources r(129) = -.266 p = .002) were negatively correlated with number of days absent from school. Lower scores on Safety indicated less reported feelings of safety, while lower scores on Physical Environment and Resources indicated less satisfaction with resources. Results support school-wide interventions that include school climate factors. Prevention and intervention effortss aimed at enhancing a school’s safety, physical environment, and resources while subsequently addressing bullying could promote school attendance.

ABSTRACT:

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) holds an annual conference where various workshops and educational opportunities are available for theatre/entertainment focused attendees. The topics vary from technical production, rigging techniques and equipment, and engineering, to sound design, costume design, lighting design, and set design. It is a great opportunity for everyone in this industry to meet the professional individuals and companies all over the states. Not only workshops, do they also showcase speakers, demonstrations, product developers from all over the states. They also offer students an opportunity to have their resumes and portfolios reviewed by professionals. I am attending this event as a student volunteer assistant, where I will have more opportunities to meet USITT organizers and other students in the US. I would like to report how USITT conference would impact a student's career development.

ABSTRACT:

Background: Medical students are tested through periodical USMLE Step 1 and 2 examinations before obtaining a medical license. Traditional predictors of medical school performance include MCAT scores, undergraduate grades, and undergraduate institutional selectivity. Prior studies indicate that admissions committees might unfairly discriminate against applicants who attended less competitive universities with average SAT scores. However, there is limited literature to determine whether those who attended competitive colleges perform better on Step 1 and 2 examinations.

Objective: The purpose of our study is to determine if students who attend competitive undergraduate colleges outperform their counterparts on medical school benchmarks.

Methods: We defined competitive colleges as those having greater than 10% of their student body scoring 1400 or higher (on a 1600 scale) on the SAT. If this criteria was not met, colleges would be categorized as less competitive. Of the two groups, descriptive statistics and unpaired t-tests were calculated to analyze average test scores on the MCAT, Phase 1 NBME, Step 1, Phase 2 NBME, and Step 2.

Results: Our findings suggest there are no statistically significant differences between students who do or do not attend competitive undergraduate colleges on medical school benchmark examinations following the MCAT. Additionally, students who do not attend competitive undergraduate colleges appear to outperform their counterparts in Step 2 examination scores.

Conclusions: Admissions committees could use this data to aid in their student selection as our research indicates that institutional selectivity accurately predicts MCAT scores, but not performance on standardized medical school examinations once admitted.

ABSTRACT:

Pre-service teacher well-being is an important, emerging area of research as concerns continue to rise for those entering the field. Pre-service teachers are not only susceptible to the academic stress of being a student, but many experience similar stresses to in-service teachers–contributing to an increased risk of burnout, attrition, and negative student outcomes once in the classroom. Mindfulness strategies have been identified as a tool to combat stress and increase emotional regulation skills. These strategies can be useful for pre-service teachers to learn prior to entering the profession to ensure they are better equipped to handle stressful situations. A recent systematic review of the literature was conducted to examine how mindfulness interventions are being implemented by pre-services teachers and if they are effective in enhancing their wellness professionally and personally. A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted on peer-reviewed, empirical articles published between the years 2011-2022. Articles identified were primarily focused on examining the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions or strategies on pre-service teacher well-being. Overall, pre-service teachers reported various improvements in emotional and psychological well-being, both professionally and personally– such as an increase in calmness and the ability to remain relaxed under stressful situations. However, there are currently few empirical studies focusing on mindfulness interventions for pre-service teachers, which addresses a need for more systematic intervention and mixed method study designs in future research.

ABSTRACT:

Background: Remediation protocols in medical education are designed with the goal of ensuring content mastery to increase the likelihood of success in future assessments. In this study, we analyze the various remediation processes for pre-clinical students at Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (KKSOM-UNLV) and compare their respective effectiveness. National Board of Medical Examiners end-of-semester final examinations (NBME-EOSFE) were a multi-subject exam given to all students at the end of the semester and gave them the a second opportunity to show content mastery for any failures that occurred during that semester while Individualized Examinations were given as an opportunity for remediation with only a single subject focus.

Methods: Performance records were collected and analyzed for 77 students who required remediation for at least one subject examination from the KKSOM-UNLV Classes of 2023 and 2024. A Pearson Chi-square analysis was then performed to examine the association between Comprehensive Basic Science Exam (CBSE) performance and method of remediation used: Individualized Examination versus NBME-EOSFE.

Results: Results show that 64 students who failed single subject exams were able to demonstrate competency using the NBME-EOSFE, avoiding remediation, while 13 required remediation and had to take another Individualized Examination in order to demonstrate mastery. Pearson Chi-square analysis showed a significantly higher percentage of students who required further remediation by taking a Individualized Examination demonstrated improvement up to that topic’s national CBSE average than those who just took the NBME-EOSFE.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that students who required remediation with Individualized Examinations are more likely to demonstrate remediation long-term.