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Introduction Interprofessional education (IPE) provides opportunities for health professional students from different disciplines to interact and foster effective collaborations in their future practices. Currently, various IPE evaluation tools are available for different healthcare settings, but many are limited to ceiling effects. Therefore, an universal IPE evaluation tool that describes students’ unique perspectives within an IPE competency-based framework is necessary. Methods Students’ IPE readiness and perceptions were measured before and after an 8-week human anatomy dissection elective. This elective is offered annually to students from seven health professional programs, where students meet weekly for 3-hours to discuss scopes of practice, clinical case scenarios and perform anatomical dissections of human donors. The Likert-based Readiness for Interprofessional Learning scale (RIPLS) and Interprofessional Education and Perception scale (IEPS) were administered before and after the elective. To address the ceiling effects seen in Likert scores, a Universal IPE Perceptions Q tool (U-IPEQ) , informed by the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative Interprofessional Competency Framework, was created. U-IPEQ has 40 statements across four domains and responses were collected after the elective, using Q-methodology. Results A total of 24 from six disciplines and 15 students from seven disciplines completed the RIPLS and IEPS surveys before and after the elective, respectively. Twenty students from seven disciplines completed the U-IPEQ at the end of the elective. There were no statistically significant differences in the RIPLS and IEPS scores before and after the elective. However, the U-IPEQ revealed two distinct viewpoints: (1) IPE Knowledge experts ; and (2) IPE Skill experts . Conclusions The U-IPEQ was able to distinguish the differences in students’ IPE learning priorities that were not obvious in the RIPLS and IEPS scores. Further refinement to U-IPEQ will be necessary to broaden its current applicability to other educational contexts.

\"Canadian Women in Medicine is an accessible collection of articles by experienced physicians and researchers exploring how systems, practices, and individuals must change as medicine becomes an increasingly female-dominated profession. As the ratio of practicing physicians' shifts from predominately male to predominately female, issues such as work hours, caregiving, and doctor-patient relationships will all be affected. Canada's medical education is based on a system that has always been designed by and for men; this is also true of our healthcare systems, influencing how women practice, what type of medicine they choose to practice, and how they wish to balance their personal lives with their work. With the intent to open a larger conversation, Canadian Women in Medicine reconsiders medical education, health systems, and expectations, in light of the changing face of medicine. Highlighting the particular experience of women working in the medical profession, editors trace the history of female practitioners, while also providing a perspective on the contemporary struggles women face as they navigate a system that was tailored to the male experience, and is yet to be modified.\"-- Provided by publisher.

Background There is growing recognition of the extent and harm of anti-Indigenous racism within public institutions, including healthcare settings. Despite efforts to expand access to Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) education programs for healthcare providers, there is limited research examining challenges and facilitators to the implementation of Indigenous-led and -delivered ICS education programs. This study sought to explore the barriers and facilitators to implementing an ICS education program within Western Canada’s largest Emergency Departments. Methods This qualitative process evaluation was guided by a Two-Eyed Seeing approach, and the research team included both Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers committed to conducting culturally safe research. An implementation team consisting of Indigenous and non-Indigenous administrators participated in an Elder-led sharing circle at the mid-point of the targeted delivery of an ICS education pilot program for nurses and allied health professionals in an urban Emergency Department in Vancouver, Canada. The sharing circle was audio recorded and transcribed, and general interpretivist study design and inductive thematic analysis approach were used. Results A total of 10 implementation team members, two from the Emergency Department and eight from Indigenous Health Department, participated in a 2-hour sharing circle hosted in May 2022. Several common challenges were identified, including external events and time constraints; program readiness and staff recruitment; and difficulty securing facilitators. Several facilitators to program implementation were also identified, including leader buy-in and cross-departmental communication; on-the-ground project management and coordination; flexible scheduling and accommodations; and facilitator and implementation team support. Conclusions These results reinforce the importance of centering Indigenous leadership in the design, implementation, and the evaluation of ICS education programs, while also highlighting the importance of allies in delivering curricula and that facilitators are supported. Efforts are also needed to ensure that programs are flexible and accommodating to address potential recruitment and attendance challenges, including through alternative educational modalities. Lastly, mandating attendance is one approach to addressing recruitment challenges, though compulsory approaches may discourage meaningful engagement. Clinical trial registration Not applicable.

Background In recent times, medical regulators have been taking measures to strengthen CPD requirements for medical practitioners. In particular, greater emphasis has been placed on CPD activities linked to workplace-based assessment, health outcomes measurement, and quality improvement. These activities require the use of health data, and eHealth data analytics is emerging as a digital solution to simplify tasks and processes. Although there is a growing interest and need for alignment between regulatory policies, impactful CPD activities, and digital health research and innovation, there is little or no research into the role that medical regulations and regulators are playing in fostering the use of eHealth data to strengthen CPD. Methods Medical regulations and CPD requirements of 5 selected countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, USA) were collected and analysed using the systematic READ approach for qualitative health policy research. Online semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 key informants from 13 medical bodies to validate findings and gather additional insights. Informants were purposively selected because of their direct involvement in policy development. The interviews were analysed using a hybrid approach of deductive and inductive thematic analysis. The COREQ checklist was used for reporting the findings. Results The documents analysed do not mention the use of eHealth data for CPD purposes or refer to it only as a potential data source for CPD completion and compliance. Participants corroborated the document analysis results and provided insights into the following themes: context and rationale of current policy choices and future policy development; roles, responsibilities, and functions of relevant medical bodies in fostering the use of eHealth data for strengthened CPD; barriers, challenges, and enablers for implementation. Conclusion Current medical regulations and CPD requirements do not foster the use of eHealth data for CPD purposes. Recommendations for future policy development are reliant on further research on key policy concepts, regulators’ internal organisational factors, and interorganisational collaboration within the CPD ecosystem. The alignment of all relevant CPD stakeholders is required to tackle existing barriers and challenges and promote digital health innovation in the CPD landscape. Medical regulators are called to play a leadership role in this scenario.

Competency-based medical education requires evaluations of residents’ performances of tasks of the discipline (ie. entrustable professional activities (EPAs)). Using neurosurgical Faculty perspectives, this study investigated whether a sample of neurosurgical EPAs accurately reflected the expectations of general neurosurgical practice. A questionnaire was sent to all Canadian neurosurgery Faculty using a SurveyMonkey® platform. The proportion of respondents who believed the EPAs were representative of general neurosurgery competences varied significantly across all EPAs [47%–100%] (p < 0.0001). For 9/15 proposed EPAs, ≥75% agreed they were appropriate for general neurosurgery training and expected residents to attain the highest standard of performance. However, a range of 27–53% of the respondents felt the other six EPAs would be more appropriate for fellowship training and thus, require a lower standard of performance from graduating residents. The shift towards subspecialization in neurosurgery has implications for curriculum design, delivery and certification of graduating residents. •EPAs define the scope of practice of a specialty at a given period of time.•National surveys of Faculty can inform up-to-date expectations of actual practice.•Competence attainment of an EPA should reflect expectations of general neurosurgery.•Shift towards subspecialized training has implications for curriculum design.

Background Paramedicine is undergoing a transformative shift as practitioners seek recognition beyond traditional emergency response roles toward being fully integrated healthcare professionals. Central to this evolution is the process of professionalisation, marked by efforts to expand scope of practice, formalise education and regulation, and achieve greater systemic integration. Despite these developments, significant barriers remain. Purpose This study explores key barriers to the professionalisation of paramedics across five developed healthcare systems, highlighting shared and context-specific challenges. Methods A qualitative study underpinned by a critical theory paradigm was conducted using semi-structured interviews. Over a five-month period (Dec 2022–Apr 2023), 15 expert stakeholders from clinical, educational, policy, and leadership roles in paramedicine and pre-hospital emergency care were recruited across five countries. Interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically with a reflexive and interpretive approach. Results Four main themes were developed: Current Barriers to Expansion– including outdated legislation, inconsistent regulatory frameworks, limited funding, workforce shortages, and insufficient integration within healthcare systems. Elevating Professional Status– focusing on the need for protected titles, standardised education, credentialing, and a stronger professional identity. Impact of COVID-19– participants reflected on the profession’s temporary visibility during the pandemic, followed by policy and funding shifts that diluted that momentum. Future Continuing and Emerging Barriers– encompassing structural and cultural resistance, lack of leadership pathways, and challenges in sustaining innovation and collaboration. Conclusion The study highlights persistent barriers to paramedic professionalisation, including fragmented regulation, uneven educational standards, and systemic underinvestment. Although COVID-19 demonstrated the adaptability and potential of the profession, sustaining progress requires targeted policy reform, stronger regulatory frameworks, investment in education and leadership, and commitment to workforce development. Recognising paramedics as integral healthcare providers is essential to advancing the profession and improving patient care.

Reports of Large Language Models (LLMs) passing board examinations have spurred medical enthusiasm for their clinical integration. Through a narrative review, we reflect upon the skill shifts necessary for clinicians to succeed in an LLM-enabled world, achieving benefits while minimizing risks. We suggest how medical education must evolve to prepare clinicians capable of navigating human-AI systems.

Background Despite the long-standing faculty development initiatives for improving teaching skills in the health professions, there is still a growing need for educators who are formally trained in educational theory and practice as health professions schools experience dramatic demand and growth. Graduate programs in health professions education (HPE) provide an avenue for health professions’ faculty continuing professional development to enhance their knowledge and skills for teaching and curriculum leadership roles. There has been a proliferation of certificate, master’s, and doctoral programs in HPE over the last two decades to respond to the growing need for well-prepared faculty educators and program leadership. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe current HPE doctoral programs in United States (U.S.) and Canada. Methods The study first examined doctoral programs in HPE identified in earlier studies. Next, we searched the literature and the web to identify new doctoral programs in the U.S. and Canada that had been established between 2014, when the prior study was conducted, and 2022. We then collated and described the characteristics of these programs, highlighting their similarities and differences. Results We identified a total of 20 doctoral programs, 17 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. Of these, 12 programs in the U.S. and 1 program in Canada were established in the last 8 years. There are many similarities and some notable differences across programs with respect to degree title, admission requirements, duration, delivery format, curriculum, and graduation requirements. Most programs are delivered in a hybrid format and the average time for completion is 4 years. Conclusions The workforce shortage facing health professional schools presents an opportunity, or perhaps imperative, for continuing professional development in HPE through certificate, master’s, or doctoral programs. With the current exponential growth of new doctoral programs, there is a need to standardize the title, degree requirements, and further develop core competencies that guide the knowledge and skills HPE graduates are expected to have upon graduation.

Learning in medical education encompasses a broad spectrum of learning theories, and an embodiment perspective has recently begun to emerge in continuing professional development (CPD) for health professionals. However, empirical research into the experience of embodiment in learning in CPD is sparse, particularly in the practice of general medicine. In this study, we aimed to explore general practitioners’ (GPs’) learning experiences during CPD from an embodiment perspective, studying the appearance of elements of embodiment—the body, actions, emotions, cognition, and interactions with the surroundings and others—to build an explanatory structure of embodiment in learning. We drew on the concepts of embodied affectivity and mutual incorporation to frame our understanding of embodiment. Four Danish and three Canadian GPs were interviewed to gain insight into specific learning experiences; the interviews and the analysis were inspired by micro-phenomenology, augmented with a complex adaptive systems approach. We constructed an explanatory structure of learning with two entrance points (disharmony and mundanity), an eight-component learning phase, and an ending phase with two exit points (harmony and continuing imbalance). All components of the learning phase—community, pride, validation, rehearsal, do-ability, mind-space, ambiance, and preparing for the future—shared features of embodied affectivity and mutual incorporation and interacted in multi-directional and non-linear ways. We discuss integrating the embodiment perspective into existing learning theories and argue that CPD for GPs would benefit from doing so.