ACADEMIC WRITING EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS: KEY CONSIDERATIONS

• Irina V. Gribkova

Abstract

The ability of physicians to conduct research and effectively communicate research results, and scientific ideas in general, to diverse audiences is critical to both academic and non-academic careers. However, despite the growing need of medical students for courses or seminars on the processing and presentation of medical content, such programs are still few in number. In addition, there is no convincing evidence to support specific formats and content of courses that improve the skills necessary for medical professionals: critical thinking, logical thinking, communication, etc. In this work, modern educational programs on academic writing presented in the scientific literature, hosted in the PubMed database, were analyzed. As a result of the analysis, the main knowledge and skills necessary for the successful participation of medical students in the advancement of medical science are identified and listed, and the main considerations that are important to consider when drawing up educational programs are presented. There are also examples of such courses and seminars that are successfully held in medical institutes in different countries. The assessments, conclusions and suggestions made can give medical teachers an understanding of how to organize educational and clinical programs in a new way to improve search, reading, writing, editing and presentation skills, improve critical thinking and logical thinking abilities, as well as gain in-depth knowledge necessary for the effective evaluation and transmission of medical content.

Keywords:academic medicine; medical school; publications; curriculum; biomedical research; biomedical science; communication skills; critical thinking; scientific writing; grant writing; reflective writing; medical student education

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