Teaching Professionalism: Comparing Written and Video Case-Studies

Area of Science:

• Healthcare professional education
• Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) education
• Simulation-based learning

Background:

• Professionalism is a core competency in healthcare, yet challenging to impart effectively.
• Case studies, in written and video formats, are established tools for enhancing student knowledge.
• The impact of these case study formats on student behavior remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the influence of written versus video case studies on student behavior.
• To assess the effectiveness of different case study formats in a simulated professional environment.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study involving senior Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) undergraduate students.
• Random assignment to either a Written Group or Video Group for a professionalism workshop.
• Analysis of voluntary assignments and group simulations using thematic analysis and a Group Simulation Assessment Rubric.

Main Results:

• Students in both groups demonstrated theoretical understanding of addressing bullying and gossip.
• Quantitative results showed varying percentages of students discouraging/resolving issues and preventing bullying.
• The mean Adjusted Group Performance Average (AGPA) was similar between the Written (5.4) and Video (4.9) groups.

Conclusions:

• Both written and video case studies enable students to apply professionalism knowledge to hypothetical scenarios.
• A discrepancy exists between theoretical knowledge and actual behavior observed in simulations.
• The study suggests that written and video case studies do not yield differential impacts on student behavior in this context.