Medical and allied health training programs are inherently demanding, often compromising trainees’ mental health through prolonged workloads, emotional exhaustion, and systemic pressures. This narrative review explores evidence-based strategies and institutional frameworks aimed at safeguarding mental health among medical and allied health trainees. The review seeks to identify effective interventions that balance professional rigor with psychological well-being. A targeted literature search of PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar (2000–2025) was conducted using keywords such as mental health, burnout, medical education, wellness, and resilience. Eligible publications addressing psychological stress, mental health interventions, and systemic reforms in trainee education were analyzed thematically to synthesize protective strategies and best practices. Findings reveal that mental health challenges—including anxiety, depression, and burnout—affect over one-third of health trainees globally. Protective measures identified include structured mentorship, mindfulness-based resilience programs, time management training, and confidential psychological support services. Institutional strategies such as curriculum flexibility, rest-hour regulations, and leadership-driven wellness policies were shown to reduce stress and improve academic satisfaction. The inclusion of peer support systems and integration of wellness education further enhance psychological safety and engagement. Safeguarding trainee mental health requires a balanced approach combining personal resilience-building with organizational reform. Embedding wellness curricula, promoting mental health literacy, and ensuring access to support systems can mitigate burnout and improve patient care outcomes. Future efforts should focus on implementing evidence-based mental health frameworks and fostering a culture of openness within training institutions.

PurposePatient confidentiality and privacy are foundational ethical principles in clinical practice. Evaluating how well future physicians understand and uphold these principles is critical for effective ethics education. This study assessed knowledge and self-reported practices regarding patient confidentiality and privacy among medical students in a Jordanian medical school, providing insights into broader regional trends.Material and MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 297 medical students (Years 4–6) using a structured questionnaire. A convenience sampling approach was used to invite all accessible students through class WhatsApp groups. The final sample exceeded the precision-based minimum of 273 participants. The instrument included demographics items and 17 questions across knowledge (10 questions) and practice (7 questions) domains, measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were applied to identify predictors of practice behavior.ResultsParticipants demonstrated good theoretical knowledge (Mean=4.18, SD=0.36) and reported good practices (Mean=4.06, SD=0.56). Reliability was moderate for knowledge (α=0.624) and good for practice (α=0.767) domains after reverse-scoring. Female students reported significantly better practices than males (p = 0.001). Practice scores also differed across academic years (p < 0.001), with 5th- and 6th-year students outperforming 4th-year students. In multivariate analysis, higher knowledge (β = 0.828, p < 0.001), female sex (β = −0.167, p = 0.001), and senior academic level (p < 0.05) independently predicted better practices.ConclusionDespite promising knowledge levels, practical challenges remain in upholding patient confidentiality and privacy among Jordanian medical students. Findings should be interpreted in light of the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data. Targeted educational interventions that strengthen knowledge, address sex-specific needs and ensure early, continuous ethics education are essential to bridge the knowledge-practice gap and foster a culture of confidentiality in medical training.

ObjectiveThe objective of this review is to analyze the hidden curriculum with respect to its potential as a curriculum promotor or inhibitor of medical curricula, and to review the strategies that can help make it one of the curriculum promotors.Data SourcesWe searched PubMed, Cochrane Reviews, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) library, with Google Scholar for grey literature, using specified keywords with a time limit from January 2000 to December 2023. We included original articles, review articles and meta-analyses, book chapters, and books focusing on the hidden curriculum effects on curriculum.Data Extraction and SynthesisThree different reviewers independently searched the relevant literature. The Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) quality criteria were used to assess the quality, the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) checklists for risk of bias assessment, and the GRADE-CERQual framework for confidence of evidence in each article. Findings were synthesized by using thematic synthesis to identify promotive and inhibitory effects along with recommended strategies.ResultsA total of 23 articles were selected for full review. These articles infer that the hidden curriculum can affect the medical curriculum in both negative and positive ways. A few of the curriculum-promoting effects of hidden curriculum are soft skills (interpersonal, communication, and professional behaviors often labelled as soft skills in the literature) and practical knowledge acquisition, cultural proficiency, moral growth, and professionalism. The negative or inhibitory effects include a detrimental learning environment, learning unprofessional and unethical practices, gender inequities, stress, and burnout. Strategies that should be adopted to overcome the inhibitory effects of the hidden curriculum include raising awareness among the stakeholders regarding the hidden curriculum, aligning the hidden curriculum with the intended curriculum, institutional and administrative policies, role modelling, and mentorship.ConclusionHidden Curriculum plays a very crucial role in medical education. By addressing its due importance, it can highly enhance the competence of future health professionals.

BackgroundLearning enjoyment significantly influences motivation, enthusiasm, and overall learning experiences. Past studies, lacking an objective tool for measuring enjoyment and facing diverse influencing factors, have yielded conflicting results on the enjoyment levels of instructional methods.PurposeThis study aimed to validate the Learning Enjoyment Scale (LES) as an objective tool for measuring students’ enjoyment in teaching sessions, and to apply it in evaluating the enjoyment of first-year students in Physiology lectures.MethodsWe developed the Learning Enjoyment Scale (LES) to assess students’ enjoyment during learning activities. The scale consists of two sections, each with six items rated on a five-point Likert scale. The first section yields a quantitative value for cross-comparisons between various teaching activities, and its total score is categorized as excellent, acceptable, or low. The second section is employed to evaluate specific factors known to impact the overall enjoyment score. In a cross-sectional study, we applied the LES to 112 first-year medical and dental students immediately following didactic physiology lectures.ResultsThe LES demonstrated high reliability (0.914), indicating robust internal consistency among its items. Of all participants, 55% achieved an acceptable total LES score, 40% achieved an excellent score, and 5% received a low score. Enjoyment of physiology lectures exhibited a significant correlation with several factors, including teachers’ proficiency, difficulty with the topic, active student participation, fulfillment of objectives, a low level of stress during the activity, and self-perception of acquired skills (P < 0.001).ConclusionThis study underscores the reliability of the Learning Enjoyment Scale (LES) as a valuable tool for assessing teaching activities and analyzing associated factors. The LES revealed that the lectures are well received by undergraduate students, emphasizing their enduring significance as a crucial instructional method in higher education.

The Northern Medical Program (NMP) is the most rural site of the University of British Columbia’s distributed medical school. Situated in northern British Columbia, Canada, the NMP strives for health equity by training physicians to meet the needs of northern, rural and Indigenous patients with innovative approaches to curriculum delivery which maintain comparability to the rest of the program and alignment with the assessment structure. Medical schools have a social accountability mandate to train physicians to serve the needs of rural and Indigenous peoples, to address the challenges of rural recruitment and retention, and to eliminate health inequities. Here we describe the creation of a new blended clerkship which places students in a small rural community for a 6-month longitudinal integrated clerkship and in a small urban community for a 6-month rotational clerkship. This new clerkship provides a unique opportunity for learners to learn and experience rural generalist medicine while meeting the accreditation standard of comparability. Early implementation has shown promise in enhancing rural medical education while maintaining curricular comparability, with positive reception from students and faculty.

PurposeThe evolution of health promotion has greatly served as an essential function for equitable health improvement aimed at addressing social determinants to improve health outcomes. This study seeks to determine the perspectives of eye health professionals on the use of health promotion interventions for the prevention and early diagnosis of eye diseases, with a specific focus on their views regarding the integration of health promotion into optometry education in South Africa.MethodsA quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 68 respondents employing a convenience sample. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed electronically to all respondents. Descriptive frequencies and percentages summarized categorical data, with bivariate comparisons using the chi-square test.ResultsThe findings reveal a considerable disagreement among respondents regarding the integration and emphasis of health promotion within optometry education, with minimal agreement highlighting a perceived lack of opportunities to explore health promotion as a core component of the curriculum.ConclusionIntegrating health promotion into optometry education is not only relevant but necessary for addressing the increasing opportunity to integrate health promotion to reduce preventable vision loss in South Africa, where public health needs are pressing. The lack of early and consistent exposure to health promotion, as well as the insufficient focus on policy-related education, highlights the need for a more integrated approach.

PurposeEntrustable professional activities (EPAs), essential for competent and safe clinical practice, serve as milestones to assess trainees’ readiness for independent patient care. This study aimed to develop a context-specific EPA framework for hematology residency training in China.MethodsWe employed a modified Delphi method involving 35 experts from 8 academic hospitals to establish China’s inaugural hematology-specific EPA framework. The development process comprised three key components: (1) a systematic literature review integrating international EPA models with China’s the Standardized Training System for Residents (STSR) requirements; (2) structural validation through the EQual rubric (cut-off: 4.07); and (3) a two-round Delphi consultations evaluating importance, observability, evaluability, repeatability, feasibility and entrustment-supervision levels. Expert engagement metrics and inter-rater agreement evaluated consensus quality.ResultsThe preliminary 14-item framework was ultimately refined to 12 EPAs following the exclusion of “Public Health Emergency Response” (EPA 14; mean score=3.23) and “Imparting Bad News” (EPA 13; 57.1% experts advocated removing). Key revisions involved expanding the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) competency domain to include donor selection (EPA 7) and the provisional addition then subsequent removal of “Cellular Immunotherapy Complications Management” due to insufficient standardization of assessment criteria. The final EPAs achieved unanimous EQual compliance (≥4.07) and strong Delphi consensus (Kendall’s W: Round 1 = 0.271, Round 2 = 0.529, p<0.001). Clinical entrustment-supervision levels were systematically stratified by training phase and expected competency at graduation.ConclusionThis study has established China’s first hematology-specific EPA framework by addressing gaps in global EPA models through integration of integrating local clinical demands (high patient volume, resource constraints) and multidisciplinary coordination. The framework provides a validated tool for competency-based assessment, with future steps focusing on digital implementation and nationwide validation.

IntroductionBlood exposure accidents (BEA) represent a significant risk for healthcare workers. To enhance safety awareness, particularly among medical students, the “Room of Errors” may offer an innovative and effective educational approach.ObjectiveTo assess the impact of the “Room of Errors” simulation on medical students’ knowledge regarding BEA management.MethodsA pre-experimental study was conducted at the simulation center of the Faculty of Medicine of Sousse, including 63 students in the third level of the Second cycle of medical studies (SCMS3) who completed an internship in the occupational medicine department during the academic year2023/2024. Participants attended a simulation session of “room of errors” including seven intentional errors.An “error collection” sheet was used to identify these errors. A pre-test and post-test, each comprising 5 questions, evaluated participants’ knowledge. Answers were classified as correct or incorrect.ResultsAll 63 students (100%) who participated to the simulation session were included in the study. Totally, 55.6% of participants were female, with a median age of 24 years. Participants have correctly identified an average of 5.8 errors (range: 3–7) with a median of 6 [IQR: 5–7]. Following the simulation, students demonstrated significant improvements in their knowledge compared to the median pre-simulation scores (4 [IQR: 4–5] vs 2 [IQR: 1–3]; p<10−3). The overall assessment of the tool indicated that all participants enjoyed and appreciate the error room: 64% found this learning method excellent and 22% found it good. The majority of the participants indicated that the debriefing was helpful, as it clarified specific elements, provided constructive feedback, and allowed a review of demonstrated technical skills, attitudes and behaviors.ConclusionThe “Room of Errors” promotes reflective learning and enhances BEA prevention awareness. As an engaging and effective pedagogical tool, it may contribute to improving patient and professional safety.

BackgroundOverseas study is believed to enhance health professionals’ research capacity. This positive impact has been passed down through generations of medical students via their tutors. This study aims to quantify and compare the benefits of tutors’ overseas study experience for basic and clinical medical students.MethodsA structured questionnaire was administered to medical students in Harbin Medical University (HMU) and its affiliated hospitals, whose tutors have overseas study experience. The study included 263 basic students from HMU basic medicine (Group A) and 263 age-matched clinical students from the affiliated hospitals (Group B). Data were analyzed using SPSS software.ResultsMost students believed that their tutors’ overseas study experience greatly enhanced their abilities. The total IF (Impact Factor) of articles published during their PhD study by Group A and Group B was, respectively, 4.639 and 3.791 (P < 0.05). The number of SCI papers during their PhD study and foreign language skills improvement scores by Group A and Group B was, respectively, 1.14 and 1.06 (P > 0.05). Significant differences were found between Group A and B in the mean scores for improvement in learning ability, idea renewal, research ability and international academic communication skills (P < 0.05).ConclusionOur study revealed significant associations between tutors’ overseas experience and medical students’ outcomes. Basic students with overseas-experienced tutors demonstrated higher research achievements, while clinical students reported greater perceived improvements in overall abilities. Our findings suggest that study abroad policies for medical tutors may warrant consideration, given the observed associations with student outcomes.

The reduction in clinical rotation hours, particularly in high-demand pediatric subspecialties such as Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and Pediatric Emergency Rooms (ER), has highlighted the need for innovative approaches to enhance pediatric residency education. A 2019 survey of Italian pediatric residency programs revealed that most residents receive fewer than five hours of simulation-based training annually, with 66% participating in no simulation activities. Additionally, pediatric ER rotation hours have seen significant reductions—daytime rotations decreased by 29%, while nighttime rotations were reduced by 60% over the past four years at the University of Genoa. These challenges emphasize the importance of simulation-based curricula to address gaps in clinical exposure.This study presents a gamified simulation-based curriculum developed at the University of Genoa, designed to improve both technical and non-technical competencies among pediatric residents while compensating for reduced clinical exposure. The curriculum spans five years, with Year 1 focusing on foundational skills such as airway management, vascular access, and diagnostic techniques. Year 2 introduces more advanced scenarios like neonatal resuscitation, shock management, and cardiac arrest, while Years 3–5 culminate in high-fidelity simulations involving complex trauma and crisis resource management.Throughout the program, gamification elements such as badges, leaderboards, and team-based rewards enhance engagement, motivation, and participation. These elements provide feedback and foster progression, reinforcing residents’ commitment to mastering technical skills and non-technical competencies like teamwork, leadership, and decision-making. By combining simulation-based training with gamification, this curriculum offers an innovative approach to residency education, preparing pediatric residents for real-world challenges and developing essential skills for high-stakes pediatric care.