Papers by Susan van Schalkwyk
Academic Development and its Practitioners
Medical Education, 2021
While the longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) continues to grow as an approach to clinical ed... more While the longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) continues to grow as an approach to clinical education, questions persist about its value and assessment. In 2011, our rural clinical school introduced a voluntary yearlong LIC in small district hospitals for finalyear medical students. Students are supervised by family physicians and learning is facilitated through patient encounters with portfoliointerview assessments, providing opportunities for students to demonstrate a comprehensive approach to patient care.1 Despite these opportunities, students are still required by programme stipulations to complete formal yearend disciplinebased examinations. This highlights a disconnect between the principles underpinning the integrated approach to clinical training and the traditional silobased approach that characterises medical training in many contexts.
Perspectives on Medical Education, 2020
Introduction There has been a marked increase in institutional structures developed to support he... more Introduction There has been a marked increase in institutional structures developed to support health professions education scholarship recently. These health professions education scholarship units (HPESUs) engage in a diverse range of activities. Previous work provided insight into factors that influence the functioning of such units, but data from European, Asian, Latin American, and African contexts was absent, potentially leading to a single world-view informing international standards for HPESUs. This aim of this study was to explore perspectives from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in response to this omission. Methods Situated within an interpretivist paradigm, the research team conducted semi-structured interviews with nine HPESU leaders in SSA, exploring how participants experienced and understood the functioning of their units. Despite efforts to have representation from across the region, most participants were from South Africa. The researchers analysed data thematically using...
Medical Teacher, 2022
INTRODUCTION Despite abundant research emphasising the value of mentoring for healthcare professi... more INTRODUCTION Despite abundant research emphasising the value of mentoring for healthcare professionals, little is known about what motivates mentors. This study aimed to explore what motivated a group of internationally renowned health professions educators to accept informal, international and mostly online mentoring roles, and their approaches to that mentoring. METHODS Using a qualitative approach, we interviewed ten global educational leaders, who volunteered to serve as mentors in an initiative implemented by the Association for Medical Education in Europe in 2019, via Zoom. The hour-long interviews, conducted between May and October 2019, were audiotaped and transcribed on Zoom. De-identified transcripts were analysed for key themes. RESULTS The key themes identified could be mapped to three categories, Motivations - Why; Approaches - How, and Global and virtual mentoring - What. Themes under motivations included: (1) Nurturing relationships focussed on mentees' growth; (2) Pass on the benefit of one's experience; (3) For one's own continued growth. Themes under approaches included: (1) Provide a safe space; (2) Encourage mentees to take ownership of their professional development. Themes under global and virtual mentoring included: (1) Mentoring across geographical borders is still about relationships; (2) Virtual mentoring is not a barrier to relationship building. DISCUSSION Though mentors also saw own growth and ongoing professional development as an important benefit of mentoring, altruism or the desire to benefit others, appeared to be a key motivating factor for them. Finding ways in which to identify mentors who are passionate about strengthening the field in this way - for example through reflective narratives and critical conversations - could be key when implementing mentoring initiatives.
Focus on First-year Sucess Perspectives Emerging from South Africa and Beyond, 2009
African Journal of Health Professions Education, 2014
Background. The primary aim of undergraduate medical training at South African medical schools is... more Background. The primary aim of undergraduate medical training at South African medical schools is to prepare the graduates adequately for internship. If we are to attain this objective, it is crucial to evaluate the ability of our graduates to cope with the demands of internship. Objective. To determine the extent to which first-year interns from Stellenbosch University (SU) considered that their undergraduate education prepared them for internship. Methods. The Preparedness for Internship Questionnaire (PIQUE) is based on Hill’s Preparation for Hospital Practice Questionnaire, with additional questions covering core competencies and exit outcomes that SU has determined for its medical curriculum. Participants were asked to respond to a series of statements preceded by ‘My undergraduate medical training prepared me to … ’, and also two open-ended questions. SU’s MB ChB graduates of 2011 ( N =153) were invited to participate in the online survey . Results. Although the response rate ...
The idea of successful postgraduate studies representing “a rite of passage” into the academic co... more The idea of successful postgraduate studies representing “a rite of passage” into the academic community is not new. Entry into the community is facilitated by immersion in the discipline. In my doctoral studies, I investigated the acquisition of academic literacy among a group of first-year students, tracking their first steps in becoming members of the broader academic community. This article describes the similarities between my experience and that of the students, highlighting the challenges that doctoral students face when seeking to negotiate their entry into the different discourse communities.
Perspectives on Medical Education, 2021
Introduction Health professions educators risk misunderstandings where terms and concepts are not... more Introduction Health professions educators risk misunderstandings where terms and concepts are not clearly defined, hampering the field’s progress. This risk is especially pronounced with ambiguity in describing roles. This study explores the variety of terms used by researchers and educators to describe “faculty”, with the aim to facilitate definitional clarity, and create a shared terminology and approach to describing this term. Methods The authors analyzed journal article abstracts to identify the specific words and phrases used to describe individuals or groups of people referred to as faculty. To identify abstracts, PubMed articles indexed with the Medical Subject Heading “faculty” published between 2007 and 2017 were retrieved. Authors iteratively extracted data and used content analysis to identify patterns and themes. Results A total of 5,436 citations were retrieved, of which 3,354 were deemed eligible. Based on a sample of 594 abstracts (17.7%), we found 279 unique terms. ...
Medical Teacher, 2021
Abstract Scholarship is an integral aspect of academia. It shapes the practice of individuals and... more Abstract Scholarship is an integral aspect of academia. It shapes the practice of individuals and the field and is often used to inform career progression decisions and policies. This makes it high stakes. Yet it is complex, and ambiguous. Definitions vary and the term does not necessarily translate well across contexts. In this AMEE guide, our aim is to establish a contemporary definition of scholarship which is appropriate to health professions education (HPE). Our specific objectives are to provide guidance to support colleagues in their career development as professional educators and to challenge biases and assumptions about scholarship which may still exist in educational systems and structures. Ultimately, we hope that this work will advance the stature/standing of scholarship in the field. We provide a general definition of scholarship and how this relates to the scholarship of teaching (and learning) (SoT[L]) and scholarly teaching. Drawing on Boyer’s seminal work, we describe different types of scholarship and reflect on how these apply to HPE, before moving on to describe different types of engagement with scholarship in HPE, including scope of contribution and influence. Using cases and examples, we illustrate differences in scholarly engagement across stages of a career, contexts, and ways of engaging. We provide guidance on how to assess ‘quality’ of scholarship. We offer practical advice for health professions’ educators seeking academic advancement. We advocate that institutional leaders consider their systems and structures, so that these align with faculty work patterns, and judge teaching and professional practice appropriately. We conclude by offering a new definition of scholarship in HPE.
Re-imagining Doctoral Writing, 2021
It has been a privilege to work on this edited collection despite the fact that much of the work ... more It has been a privilege to work on this edited collection despite the fact that much of the work has taken place during a pandemic when, for many of us, our lives have been turned inside out. The series editors Terry Zawacki, Joan Mullin, Magnus Gustafsson, and Federico Navarro have been exceptionally helpful, as has been founding editor and publisher Mike Palmquist. Terry, in particular, has guided us with gentle encouragement and thoughtful suggestions throughout the process. We also thank the contributors for their work on chapters and for their collegial approach to this project. It has been a pleasure to work with you all, and we look forward to many years of collaborations in the future. We would also like to thank all the readers who read earlier drafts of pieces of this collection. We are grateful for your careful work. Cecile: I would like to acknowledge the support from Memorial University for assistance in the preparation of this manuscript and in particular for the Publications Subventions Program grant. I also want to thank my co-editors, Britt and Jamie, for a most enjoyable journey. Our virtual meetings became a highlight for me. I'm also extremely grateful to both of them for carrying the load when I became ill. They conveyed their compassion and care in multiple ways. Britt: As I type this on my phone (with one hand, while feeding my new baby), I am astounded at what can be accomplished when academics come together to carefully collaborate. As authors and editors, we have been through births, deaths, sickness (hello Covid-19!), health, layoffs, new jobs, as well as dissertation endings (congrats!), beginnings, and somewhere in between. I am grateful to my co-editors who have sustained me in more ways than I could possibly detail. I am grateful to the authors, who gracefully took on rounds of editing and review in order to push this piece further. I am grateful to the Algonquin Nation whose territory includes the Ottawa River watershed, which nurtures and sustains my life and the lives of my kin. Finally, I am grateful to my human, Sean Botti, whose countless hours of visible and invisible labour has contributed to making this project a reality. Jamie: I am grateful to so many people who have been a part of bringing this collection together. I would like to thank my co-editors, Britt and Cecile, for their rigour, generosity, and care. The fact that we have edited this book from different corners of the world has frequently opened up interesting juxtapositions in time and season and in terms of how we think about doctoral education and writing. I am grateful to chapter authors for working with us RE-IMAGINING DOCTORAL WRITING
Rural and Remote Health, 2014
Introduction: Medical education across the globe is in a state of flux influenced by a number of ... more Introduction: Medical education across the globe is in a state of flux influenced by a number of drivers for change. In response, institutions are seeking to re-align their curricula to address the prevailing imperatives. Against this backdrop, the training of practitioners for practice in rural communities was identified as an educational priority, and led to the establishment of a rural clinical school (RCS) within a Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in South Africa in 2011. This article describes the students' experiences in the first year that this innovative educational model was implemented and explores the extent to which it influenced their thinking and practice. Methods: A qualitative, formative evaluation study of the first year of implementation was undertaken. Data was generated from in-depth interviews. This article focuses on individual interviews conducted with the eight students at the RCS, which explored their experiences during a year-long clerkship. Transcripts of interviews were thematically analysed. Results: Four themes emerged from the analysis: a learning experience that differed from what was experienced at the tertiary training hospital, an enabling clinical environment in the district and regional hospital, the positive role played by the specialists, and the influence of the community immersion. Underlying all of the responses was the building of relationships over time both with supervisors and with patients. Evident from the responses was that students' confidence in their clinical skills and decision-making abilities was heightened while their approaches to their own learning were enhanced. Conclusions: To respond to the call for educational reform and a heightened awareness of social realities, innovative approaches to the training of medical students, such as those adopted at the RCS, are indicated. It is argued that the learning facilitated by these rural medical education models has the potential to offer learning experiences that can lead to transformation through a change in practice and attitude among the students, and ultimately also enable curricular renewal at the institutional core.
Rural and Remote Health, 2014
Introduction: Studies that investigate the impact of long-term rural exposure for undergraduate m... more Introduction: Studies that investigate the impact of long-term rural exposure for undergraduate medical students often focus largely on students' experiences and perspectives. Research focusing on the physician experience in clinical exposures appears to be limited. When the Ukwanda Rural Clinical School (RCS) at
Across the Disciplines, 2011
Participating in cross-disciplinary collaborative activities can pose a range of challenges for t... more Participating in cross-disciplinary collaborative activities can pose a range of challenges for those involved therein. Typically disciplinary strongholds are entrenched, and collaboration is dependent on the building of relationshipsrelationships that can exist in tension as issues of power, identity and the trappings of academic status inhibit the establishment of truly collegial and trusting interactions . In this article we describe and critically reflect on an instance of interdisciplinary collaborative educational research that looked at how content learning and issues of language intersect. The contention that it is often difficult for students to discern the rules and norms that characterise a particular discipline can be equally true for participants in interdisciplinary collaboration, even when these participants are peers and particularly when this collaboration is within a research endeavour. The understandings that emerge from this reflection emphasise the potential for participants in such an endeavour to, therefore, receive mixed messages and we make some recommendations as to how this can be addressed. Importantly, however, we emphasise the potential of collaborative projects to serve as 'a social inquiry practice that promotes learning' (Lattuca & Creamer, 2005, p. 5).
South African Journal of Science, 2020
It is incumbent upon doctoral students that their work makes a substantive contribution to the fi... more It is incumbent upon doctoral students that their work makes a substantive contribution to the field within which it is conducted. Dissemination of this work beyond the dissertation, whether whilst studying or after graduation, is necessary to ensure that the contribution does not remain largely dormant. While dissemination can take many forms, peer-reviewed journal articles are the key medium by which knowledge is shared. We aimed to establish the proportion of doctoral theses that results in journal publications by linking South African doctoral thesis metadata to journal articles authored by doctoral candidates. To effect this matching, a customised data set was created that comprised two large databases: the South African Theses Database (SATD), which documented all doctoral degrees awarded in South Africa (2005–2014), and the South African Knowledgebase (SAK), which listed all publications submitted for subsidy to the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (2...
Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning, 2020
Health Professions Education (HPE) curricula have a dual purpose: to deliver professionals who ar... more Health Professions Education (HPE) curricula have a dual purpose: to deliver professionals who are clinically competent and critically conscious of the contexts and health systems they serve. This qualitative study advances a social justice agenda by exploring the range of understandings that HPE teachers have of this dual purpose of their curricula. Thirty-four respondents participated in eleven focus groups and eleven interviews. Data were analysed thematically. While participants understood this dual purpose of their curricula, some felt that clinical competence should be emphasised above critical consciousness. Implementing curricula that develop critically conscious graduates raises questions about what counts as knowledge, and about how far our responsibility extends in preparing students to become change agents. This has implications for the role and identity of the HPE teacher and points to a re-envisioning of the process of curriculum development and the role that HPE centr...
Teaching in Higher Education, 2020
Funding has become an established means of promoting the professionalisation of teaching and lear... more Funding has become an established means of promoting the professionalisation of teaching and learning. Various funding schemes in Higher Education have incentivised innovation and research aimed at...
Education for Primary Care, 2019
ABSTRACT Longitudinal clinical placements are increasingly adopted by medical training institutio... more ABSTRACT Longitudinal clinical placements are increasingly adopted by medical training institutions. However, there seems to be little evidence regarding their implementation in primary care settings in the developing world. This paper explored medical students’ perceptions of their learning experiences in longitudinal placements in primary care clinics. The Manchester clinical placement index (MCPI) survey was offered to second-year medical students at the University of Botswana to determine perceptions of their 16 weeks clinical placement in primary care clinics. The MCPI provided data on eight aspects of clinical placements which were analysed to gain insight into students learning experiences while on placement. The eight items in the tool were grouped into four themes, namely, teaching and learning, learning environment, relationships and organisation of placements. Students cited the feedback they received whilst on placement and the learning environment in primary care clinics as aspects of clinical placements which could be improved to enhance their learning experience. For an enriched learning experience in primary care settings in a developing world context, there are critical aspects to be considered. Based on the students’ perspective we suggest an approach of how learning in such placements could be enhanced.
BMC Medical Education, 2017
The development of research capacity among undergraduates is an important intervention in counter... more The development of research capacity among undergraduates is an important intervention in countering the documented decrease in medical and health sciences researchers. The literature on undergraduate research generally emanates from smaller scale studies that have been conducted in high income countries, with a focus on medical students. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a Sub-Saharan country, included a population of medical and allied health professions (AHP) students, and aimed to improve our understanding of the factors influencing undergraduate student research. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to all students enrolled in an undergraduate programme at the
PLOS ONE, 2019
Enhancing evidence-based practice and improving locally driven research begins with fostering the... more Enhancing evidence-based practice and improving locally driven research begins with fostering the research skills of undergraduate students in the medical and health sciences. Research as a core component of undergraduate curricula can be facilitated or constrained by various programmatic and institutional factors, including that of choice. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) provides a framework for understanding the influence of choice on student motivation to engage in research. This study aimed to document the enablers and constraints of undergraduate research at a South African Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) and to explore how the presence or absence of choice influenced students' engagement with research in this context. An exploratory descriptive design was adopted. Undergraduate students who had conducted research and undergraduate programme staff were recruited through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. Findings were interpreted using SDT, focusing on how choice at various levels affects motivation and influences research experiences.
Medical Education, 2019
Please refer to published version for the most recent bibliographic citation information. If a pu... more Please refer to published version for the most recent bibliographic citation information. If a published version is known of, the repository item page linked to above, will contain details on accessing it.
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Papers by Susan van Schalkwyk