This qualitative study explored the educational challenges faced by emergency medical services (EMS) students in managing obstetric and gynecologic emergencies. Using a Conventional Qualitative Content Analysis, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 purposively selected undergraduate students and recent graduates between September and December 2025. The mean age of participants was 22.0 ± 1.3 years. Data were analyzed through systematic coding and categorization based on the conventional content analysis approach described by Hsieh and Shannon. MAXQDA software was used to facilitate systematic data organization and management. The analysis generated 1,532 initial codes, 37 subcategories, six categories, and one higher-order category, entitled “Disconnects Between Educational Preparation and the Real-World Demands of Obstetric and Gynecologic Emergencies.” The six categories comprised challenges in educational content and approaches, barriers and deficiencies in clinical education and practical skills, communication and cultural barriers in the clinical environment, resource and support limitations, challenges in motivation and educational justice, and management and transparency challenges in educational processes. The findings indicate a need for practical educational reforms, including curriculum refinement, increased use of simulation-based and experiential learning, expanded clinical exposure, improved educational resources and supervision, and gender-sensitive communication training. Implementing these strategies may strengthen the preparedness of EMS students to provide safe and effective care in obstetric and gynecologic emergencies.
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly being used in nursing simulation and skills training. Implementation and scaling decisions require learner-centered evidence on educational value, limitations, and safety. To synthesize nursing learners’ experiences of GenAI-supported simulation and skills training and explore perceived educational value and safeguards for learning. We conducted a meta-synthesis of studies identified through MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, and citation tracking (November 2022–June 21, 2026). Eligibility criteria were structured using the SPIDER framework. Two reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and appraised methodological quality using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Findings were synthesized using Thomas and Harden’s thematic synthesis, and confidence was assessed using GRADE-CERQual. Fifteen reports representing 14 studies were included. Four analytical themes were developed: (1) accessible rehearsal and perceived gains in confidence and readiness (moderate confidence); (2) AI-mediated interaction and perceived support for communication, reasoning, and case application (high confidence); (3) perceived realism and persistent relational and technical limits (moderate confidence); and (4) verification, feedback, and reflection as perceived safeguards (moderate confidence). The perceived educational value of these activities appeared to be shaped by low-pressure practice, responsive interaction, and opportunities to evaluate generated content. Relational limitations, technical disruption, and unreliable outputs constrained these experiences. Short exposures and uneven qualitative depth limit conclusions about sustained learning. Learner experiences support considering GenAI as a supervised rehearsal partner alongside established simulation modalities. Combined with simulation guidance, the findings highlight the value of verification, feedback, and debriefing. Brief exposures and uneven qualitative depth warrant longer-term research on sustained learning, clinical transfer, and safety.
Worldwide, prosthodontics residency training faces two main problems: teaching content is not well structured, and trainees do not receive timely or useful feedback. The Modules of Employable Skills (MES) approach can organise learning content into modules, while Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) can assess performance after learning and provide immediate, structured feedback. However, previous studies have generally evaluated MES or DOPS alone, and no study has evaluated MES and DOPS as one comprehensive educational programme. This study therefore evaluated such an integrated programme within China’s Standardised Residency Training (SRT) programme. This randomised comparative study enrolled 40 first-year prosthodontic residents and randomly allocated them to either an experimental group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20). The experimental group received a 12-week comprehensive educational programme comprising six MES modules and 12 formative DOPS assessments. The control group received traditional apprenticeship training. The primary outcomes were theoretical and practical examination scores at the end of the rotation. Secondary outcomes included the competency attainment rate and teaching satisfaction. The practical examination was scored using a 100-point checklist, and the DOPS score was generated separately from the same procedure by assessors blinded to group allocation. The experimental group had higher scores than the control group on the theoretical examination (90.2 ± 3.1 vs. 82.3 ± 3.8, P < 0.001) and on the practical examination (92.5 ± 2.6 vs. 84.1 ± 3.3, P < 0.001) and DOPS score (4.3 ± 0.2 vs. 3.2 ± 0.4, P < 0.001). The competency attainment rate was also higher in the experimental group (95.0
The prolonged training required to specialize in medicine intensifies financial concerns among physicians and physicians-in-training. To assess the implementation of a personal financial wellness curriculum among pulmonary and critical care medicine (PCCM) fellows, we conducted a pilot study of an asynchronously delivered, 10-module personal financial education curriculum among 15 PCCM fellows across six institutions. Fellows completed the curriculum, module evaluation surveys, and a focus group interview in 2025. The primary outcomes were the Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM), and Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) scales. We also conducted thematic content analysis of semi-structured focus groups. Fifteen fellows from six training programs completed the curriculum. Module AIM, IAM, and FIM scores ranged from 16 to 20, indicating successful implementation. The highest scoring modules included Disability Insurance, Buying a Home, the Advantages of Tax-Advantaged Retirement Accounts, and Asset Allocation. Seven themes emerged from the interviews: (1) information simplicity/complexity, (2) prior knowledge, (3) timing of curriculum engagement/exposure, (4) curriculum organization, objectivity, and format, (5) curriculum fit, (6) curriculum specialization/customization, and (7) curriculum sharing. The multicenter mixed-methods pilot implementation study of the personal financial education curriculum delivered to fellows showed high perceived acceptability and feasibility among those who completed the curriculum. Participants valued the flexibility of the asynchronously delivered online modules, the physician-specific focus, and the absence of bias or product promotion. Participants found the course highly valuable and requested that the resource be made available to other medical trainees.
Existing studies mainly focus on the experience of participation in nursing research from the perspective of advanced cancer patients, less is known about the experience of postgraduate nursing students in recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research, particularly in the Chinese context. This study aimed to understand the experiences of postgraduate nursing students recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research. A qualitative descriptive research method was used. Data were collected between May and September 2024 from three universities in Wuhan, China. Purposive sampling was used. Twenty-one postgraduate nursing students with a history of recruiting advanced cancer patients for nursing research were recruited as participants. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study was reported using the COREQ checklist. Four themes were identified: “Interest in nursing research,” “Facing challenges and difficulties,” “Empathy and understanding patients,” and “Gaining self-growth.” Participants moved from initial interest, through confronting substantial recruitment barriers, to developing empathy and ultimately achieving professional and personal growth. This evolution highlights the resilience students developed in overcoming recruitment challenges. The experience of postgraduate nursing students in recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research is an ever-changing process with some setbacks and difficulties. Still, postgraduate nursing students can often adjust themselves in time and grow to some degree. This study focuses on exploring postgraduate nursing students’ experiences in recruiting advanced cancer patients to participate in nursing research from a new perspective. It emphasizes the importance of providing care and support to postgraduate nursing students, helping them to strengthen their professional identity in the face of difficulties, and promoting the development of cancer nursing.
