Leicester Medical School Case Study

About Leicester Medical School

The University of Leicester is ranked in the top one per cent of universities in the world by the Times Higher Education. Its Medical School celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016 and has recently completed a £42 million build of state of the art facilities.

The way in which Healthcare Practitioners work is changing and Leicester Medical School strives to make everything clinically-relevant whilst incorporating new technologies. For example, the Medical School is the first in the UK to equip each new pre-clinical-phase student with a free iPad.

The Challenge

Medicine is obviously a sensitive issue with patient confidentiality of utmost importance.

It is crucial that workers in the sector are aware of the ramifications of how and to whom they talk about their work. In practice, the lines between private and professional lives are becoming blurred by digital and social media. The General Medical Council publishes guidance which students must read and agree to adhere to, but they might not envision the different practical implications of this guidance.

Terese Bird, Educational Designer at the University of Leicester, commented:

There are, however, huge potential benefits which can be realised by using digital communication appropriately within the medical profession. For example, it can be used as a way of tapping into the experience of a doctor who, in the past, has come across rare patient symptoms.

/n/n### The Solution

In April 2015, the Medical School first engaged with Virtual College about its interactive ‘Managing your Professional Digital Profile’ online resources. These have been created in conjunction with subject matter expert, Bernadette John, previously Digital Professionalism Lead for Kings College London.

The course incorporates fictional case studies to illustrate how individuals can make the most of digital and social media without risk to themselves or their organisation. The online course provides an opportunity to question and encourages thinking, interaction and engagement. Leicester Medical School bought licences in June 2015 to enable it to provide the course to its students.

Within medicine, it has always been important to track and provide proof. The university needs to know that it has done its duty in making students aware of digital professionalism and can provide reports, if necessary.

The Results

Within four months, nearly all first-, second-, and third-year students at Leicester Medical School completed the online ‘Managing Your Professional Digital Profile’ course.

The learning management system made it easy to provide access to resources, track student progress, and follow up with those who had not yet completed the course.

Few medical students in the UK receive similar social media professionalism training. At Leicester Medical School, all students use iPads for their studies, with learning materials and interactive apps designed for this format.

The Virtual College course was well-suited to this environment, offering interactive, engaging content developed by a medical instructor. It also allowed for easy monitoring of student engagement.

Delivering this training through e-learning was significantly more cost-effective than face-to-face instruction and integrated smoothly into the curriculum. The digital format also enhanced engagement and retention, offering students opportunities for feedback.

The use of e-learning at Leicester Medical School is expected to continue expanding in the future.