Helping medical students become better doctors

We are delighted to announce that the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Kerala has just subscribed to QMedCourses. What is still more delightful is that in the first set of about 120 registered participants, around 75 are medical students (MBBS students).

The librarian Ms Indira has motivated them to join and has also ensured that her colleagues in the library enrol. Ms Indira had herself joined the program earlier and has had sessions with us on a search strategy for a systematic review that she is helping some doctors with. 

We are also happy that the Manakula Vinayagar Medical College in Puducherry has renewed access for another year. So far every medical college that completed one year has renewed for the second and that is a great sign

I recently visited the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research in Chennai. This University has 12 institutes of various health sciences streams. I delivered a lecture to their medical students and also some PhD scholars. It was well appreciated. I got to meet the Vice Chancellor, the Dean of the Medical College and the Dean of Research. They were all happy to learn about ELearning courses and we are hoping to get them on board in the near future. 

We hope that the year 2022 sees many more institutions and individuals signing up and learning more. 

I must also share that several researchers of the Lancet Commission group have completed their search strategies and done them well. I was impressed with the dedication to learn and constantly revise their strategies after discussions with us. 

Do send us tons of good wishes for a successfull 2022!

Links:

• About our Foundation
• About our courses
• Our e-learning courses

"As we go into research, we tend to focus on large things rather than small and minute details. So this course has provided me with the information on some minute details and searching process which I never acknowledged. Having this knowledge would make our search processes easier and faster." - Binisha – Postgraduate student – Physiotherapy (Cardiopulmonary Sciences), SMIMS 

Just this morning, we got the above feedback for our basic course -  "Information Resources & Literature Searching" and were delighted. Happy not for a “positive feedback” (we get lots of those and are grateful for them) but because we felt that only once in a while people seem to understand the true importance of what we teach.

In research, the task of literature searching, to find the right articles to base your research on, is just like getting the right bricks, cement and other raw material to construct a building. If we use poor raw materials, then the quality of buildings is just as poor

But somehow the need to do a structured, methodologically correct search seems to be given little thought. I like describing this as a “they don’t know what they don’t know syndrome”

Consider these situations:

1. A professional wanting to do her PhD was referred to us to learn some basics. She enroled, did just couple of lessons and then nothing more. Two months later she called and said “I have gone through several papers, but I have not found anything really useful. Can you sit with me for an hour or so and guide me – to find the right papers, review them and get me to start writing”?
2. Institutions who we approach – offering our courses – sometimes respond – “Research is not part of the requirement for (specific batch) of students. They may not be interested”. Or – “People do not have the time to do all this extra learning”

My response has been:

1. To the PhD scholar – “You have wasted time randomly picking out articles and reading the wrong ones. Decide to spend a few hours and learn. Send me your search strategy and I will guide you. My spending an hour will be much more productive, once you do this”
2. To institutions – What we teach is a lifelong skill and not only for research. And you (head / faculty) need to tell your students this. Do realize this is not “extra learning” but learning skills that will be useful during your entire career – both – to save time and also to do better professionally

We need lots more people to talk about the importance of learning the right skills in literature searching & referencing, stressing that these are the crucial foundations of research and practice

Links:

• About our Foundation
• About our courses
• Our e-learning courses