Use of Media in Medical Education

Running Head: USE OF MEDIA IN MEDICAL TEACHING
Use of Media in Medical Education
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USE OF MEDIA IN MEDICAL TEACHING 2
Use of Media in Medical Education
Introduction
Medical teaching is a very intricate art as well as skill. Medical teaching process requires
and demands feedback, self-discipline, eagerness, practice and hard work so as to make sure that
students or learners are on the right track. Even medical learners who have the inherent talent
have to undergo the learning process to enhance their performance. It should be noted that the
concept of medical training started many decades ago in Singapore and it has since been made
mandatory for any student aspiring to be a professional and registered medical and nursing
student. Teaching usually facilitates learning as well as motivates the learners to usually learn in
the best way possible. The aim of teaching is to develop attitudes and skills and not limited to
dispensing and delivering information. The use of media has been included in most teaching
process especially with the advent and invention of information technology not only in
Singapore but also in the entire globe. In the medical education, most teachers and educators
have adopted the use of media to enhance learning process especially with current generation of
students and learners who are techno savvy. The aim of this paper will be to critically analyze
use of media in the medical learning and education. The paper will identify one learning
intervention and analyze the use of media in that learning intervention. The paper will then
conclude by analyzing how the use of media can be improved to promote and enhance not only
the learning intervention but also in the entire medical department.
Use of media in medical education
Currently, with application of new modes of teaching as well as learning methods,
emphasis on evaluation has been changed to the use of greater communication skills, cognitive

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abilities, professionalism and IT skills (Amgad and AlFaar, 2014). Emphasis is also shifting in
medical education from medical education which is based on competency to medical education
that is based on outcomes and the assessment of workplace performance. This is where the use of
media in medical teaching comes in (McArthur and Bostedo-Conway, 2012).
Online websites and applications in which users retrieve, explore and even contribute
contents and use those which have been posted or generated by other users are popular media to
communicate as well as share data (Bahner et al, 2012). For instance, Facebook is one of the
media platforms which has over 1.2 billion users monthly and more than 73 million users per
day. In Singapore, media platforms especially social media platforms are popular with numerous
individuals checking on social media applications many times daily. With this popularity in the
media platforms in the country, numerous medical and healthcare experts, professionals and
medical teaching institutions have embraced the use of media in promoting medical education
and information. For instance, social media can be useful and important in enhancing and
promoting medical education.
Limitations on work hours for residents can restrict their ability and capacity to take part
in in-person educational sessions and conferences. Most of the media platforms may be found
temporarily as well as geographically in synchronized means, enabling for efficient storage as
well as searchable content and as well as encouraging interactivity (Brisson et al, 2015). This
may offer specific advantages and benefits over the more conventional formats of education.
Moreover, most of the medical professional learners prefer media as their basic data source and
the digital students have accepted online media as part of their education. According to El Bialy
& Ayoub (2017), Social media networks users normally interact via sharing of video messages,
audios, texts and photos.

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The use of media especially social media by the medical learners has become a popular
and famous method in engaging learners and teachers. According to Dewey and Vygotsky
principles of social construction, active participation, information sharing and social interaction
in social media activities can motivate learning. In a study conducted to evaluate and assess the
integration of Skype, Twitter, Flicker, YouTube and Facebook, in two medical courses for fourth
year students for medicine, the results showed that most students were willing and were satisfied
with the new and advanced approach medical education.