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35th AM (2025) - Poster Session
Medical Student Motivations for Participation and ...
Medical Student Motivations for Participation and Learning Outcomes in a Clinical Opioid Elective
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This study evaluates a clinical elective focused on opioid prescribing to understand medical student motivations for participation, learning outcomes, and areas for curricular improvement. Recognizing that pain management and substance use disorder (SUD) education in medical training is often limited—contributing to low provider confidence—the elective aims to enhance student knowledge and competence in these areas.<br /><br />Students were motivated to enroll primarily due to patient encounters during core clinical rotations in their third year. The study analyzed qualitative data from essays written by students before and after the elective. Pre-course prompts asked students to describe patient cases motivating their interest, while post-course prompts encouraged reflection on clinical issues, alternative management strategies, and methods to teach peers.<br /><br />Findings reveal that 98% of students could propose alternative clinical actions for opioid-related cases post-elective, and 84% demonstrated improved understanding of opioid pharmacology and medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Nearly half (47%) described strategies for peer teaching. Students broadly met learning goals, particularly grasping social determinants of health and pharmacological aspects of opioid prescribing. However, gaps remained in knowledge regarding chronic pain management, SUD screening, and peer education approaches.<br /><br />The elective effectively addresses key student learning needs arising from clinical experiences, suggesting its value in supplementing traditional curricula. Future iterations will focus on strengthening instruction around chronic pain management, systematic SUD screening, and fostering skills for knowledge sharing among peers. Overall, the elective is a promising educational model to enhance medical student confidence and competence in opioid prescribing and related clinical care.<br /><br />The study underscores the importance of integrating focused opioid and SUD education into medical training to address existing curricular deficits and improve future provider preparedness.
Keywords
opioid prescribing elective
medical student motivations
clinical education
pain management
substance use disorder education
medication-assisted treatment
pharmacology education
peer teaching strategies
chronic pain management
SUD screening
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