70 1608-9359 Medical Education Development Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences 2994 Teaching Methods The Importance of Communication Skills in Medical Education Mirza Soleymani Mahdokht Talebi Mohammad Ebrahim 1 12 2013 13 9 782 783 15 11 2013 07 12 2013
2989 Curriculum Development Letter: The necessity to include “stem cell therapy” in the educational curriculum of medical students Niknejad Hassan Yazdanpanah Ghasem Peirovi Habibollah 1 12 2013 13 9 780 781 12 11 2013 16 11 2013 2870 Educational Management Contributing Factors in Attainment of Teaching Competency for Nursing Instructors: A Qualitative Study Ashgholi Farahani Mansoureh Rafii Forough emamzadeh ghasemi hormat sadat 1 12 2013 13 9 766 779 27 08 2013 03 11 2013 Introduction: Acquiring teaching competency by nursing teachers is the basis for their capability in proper transfer of knowledge to their students and consequently quality improvement in nursing care services. This article as a part of a qualitative study, investigated the factors influencing attainment of teaching competency by nursing teachers. Methods: This qualitative study was performed from May 2011 until February 2012 by grounded theory approach. Using purposeful sampling method, 11 nursing teachers were selected from schools of nursing and midwifery of Tehran province. Data was collected through 16 semi-structured in-depth interviews. All interviews were recorded and then transcripted. Data collection and analysis were performed simoultanously using comparative analysis for analyzing data. Results: Data was categorized into two main categories of internal and external factors based on mutual connotations. Internal factors included individual characteristics, performance features, and educational experiences of the teacher. External factors included organizational and environmental situations. Each factor, having its own dimensions and features, entailed some challenges for nursing teachers to attain teaching competency. Despite these challenges, nursing teachers’ interest in nursing profession and their viewpoint toward the concept of competency played the most important role throughout their competency attainment process. Conclusion: Individual characteristics of nursing teachers and their viewpoints toward nursing and teaching competency concept, affect these teachers’ experiences in attaining teaching competency. If nursing teachers consider individual factors positively, the role of social, environmental, and organizational barriers will act marginal in competency attainment process and nursing teachers will go through successfully. Therefore, paying attention to these factors in nursing faculty development could lead to helpful consequences in nursing education improvement 2704 Clinical Teaching Dental Environmental Stress among Clinical Dentistry Students in Zahedan School of Dentistry Ramazani Nahid Nazari Abdolssadegh 1 12 2013 13 9 753 765 31 05 2013 13 10 2013 Introduction: Studying dentistry is associated with high levels of stress. The aim of this study was to compare dental environmental stress among clinical dentistry students of Zahedan in terms of some demographic variables within different years. Methods: In this cross–sectional study, 177 clinical students of Zahedan Dental School were selected through census. A demographic data form, modified dental environmental stress questionnaire (validity and reliability confirmed), along with general health questionnaire were distributed among students in the first semester of 2012-13 academic years. Then based on a four-point Likert scale, averages of scores were calculated. Data was analyzed using ANOVA, Independent Samples Test, and Pearson Correlation. Results: The mean score of stress was 2.38±0.44 of the maximum of 4 and no significant difference was observed in mean score of stress for students in different years of study (P=0.057). Significant statistical differences were found in mean score of stress based on different variables of gender, age, track of university entrance, career choice decision (dentistry), and first choice of admission (P<0.05). Mean score of stress showed a significant correlation with GPA and general health (P0.05). Conclusion: The findings reveal the need to reduce stress especially among female students, students younger than 25 years, students with a high GPA and continous track of university entrance. Students who chose dentistry due to parental pressure as well as students whose first choice of admission was not dentistry, and students with higher general health require attention in this field. 2751 other Study Skills and Factors Influencing it among Health Sciences Students of Urmia University of Medical Sciences Didarloo Alireza Khalkhali Hamidreza Rahimi Bahlol Allahyari Timour 1 12 2013 13 9 753 762 29 06 2013 14 08 2013 Introduction: Studies show that in addition to intelligence and emotional characteristics of learners as well as quality of education, study skills and strategies play an important role in learners’ academic achievement especially for university students. The aim of this study was to investigate study skills and factors influencing it among health sciences students of Urmia University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive cross sectional study, 340 health sciences students were selected using census. Data was collected via Study Skills Assessment Questionnaire of Counseling Center of Houston University (SSAQ-CCHU). After the questionnaire was translated and its reliability and validity was confirmed, it was used to assess students’ study skills. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Mean score and standard deviation of study skill scores were 172.5±23.2 out of 240 among students under investigation. Study skills were reported to be weak among 5(1.2%), moderate in 295(86.8%) and good among 40(12%) students. Among different areas of study skills, the highest scores respectively belonged to time management, concentration, and memory that were considered to be in the good level, and other areas were put in subsequent levels. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between study skills scores with students' family accommodation status (p=0.02, t=2.15) and their academic level (p=0.03, t=1.47). Conclusion: Although study skills for majority of participants showed a moderate level, but it was far behind good/desirable level. Therefore, improvement and promotion of study skills among university students require for designation and implementation of educational programs regarding study strategies and to be considered by academic institutes and education centers. 2670 Teaching Methods Learning Styles of Iranian Nursing Students based on Kolb's Theory: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Study Mohammadi Iman Sayehmiri Kourosh Tavan Hamed Mohammadi Ehsan 1 12 2013 13 9 741 752 08 05 2013 18 10 2013 Introduction: Learning can be improved by identifying students’ most common learning styles and employing appropriate teaching methods. The aim of this study is to determine students' learning styles and their most preferred styles based on Kolb's theory via a systematic review and meta-analysis study. Method: In this systematic review, the key words of learning styles, nursing students, Kolb theory, and their possible combinations were searched in databases(PubMed, Google Scholar, SID, Medlib, IranMedex, and Magiran). Out of 67 articles retrieved, 10 were finally entered into meta-analysis process. The heterogeneity index among studies was estimated and it was I2=96 percent. Regarding the statistically significant index of heterogeneity of the studies (P=0.0001), in order to investigate 4 learning styles, random effects model was employed to integrate the results of studies. Results: After collecting and analyzing articles, data of 1334 nursing students was scrutinized. The results of integration indicated that students’ rate of employing each learning styles was as follows: converger style 25% (Confidence Interval (CI): 95%, 23%- 27,), diverger style 14% (CI: 95%, 13%-16), assimilator style 17% (CI: 95%, 15%-18), and accommodator style 12 %( CI: 95%, 10%-13). Conclusion: The foremost learning styles of nursing students respectively are converger, assimilator, diverger and accommodator. It is suggested that teachers pay more attention to these learning styles in their teaching and employ teaching methods appropriate with them. 2695 Educational Technology Infrastructure and Faculty Member Readiness for E-learning Implementation: The Case of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences Darabiamin Maryam Yazdi Zohreh Darabi Masoud Fayezi Shabnam Bahrami Elham Sarchami Ramin 1 12 2013 13 9 730 740 25 05 2013 31 08 2013 Introduction: Education is a key element for society development. Introducing new methods of education, information and communication technology have influenced learning and teaching procedures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the infrastructures and faculty members’ preparedness of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences for implementing e-learning. Methods: In this descriptive study, a 5-point Likert scale was categorized in 5 domains including cultural, technological, knowledge, student acceptance, and availability. Then it was distributed to 70 medical faculty members. A checklist was used to assess preparedness of technology infrastructure, strategic plan, organizational chart, content preparation equipment, and resources. Results: Mean scores of readiness for launching e-learning program were respectively 3.36±0.37 for cultural domain, 2.7±0.49 for technological domain, 3.69±0.38 for knowledge, 3.30±0.66 for student adoption, and 1.96±0.77 for availability. E-learning acceptance was significantly higher among females. Eighty percent indicated infrastructures of availability and 90% noted human resource as the most critical problems among infrastructures. Conclusion: In general the level of admitting e-learning in university is desirable, however weakness in some infrastructures including human resource, availability, and fair allocation of financial resources are identified as barriers to launch e-learning. According to the positive attitude of faculty members to this method of learning, it seems that e-learning could be successfully applied by focusing on above-mentioned shortcomings. 2694 Clinical Skills Evaluation The Relation of Attachment Styles, Emotion Regulation, and Resilience to Well-being among Students of Medical Sciences Bigdeli Imanollah Najafy Mahmood Rostami Maryam 1 12 2013 13 9 721 729 23 05 2013 31 08 2013 Introduction: Psychological well-being, reflecting positive mood, vitality, and interest in milieu, is a part of quality of life psychology. Attachment styles could be theoretically linked to well-being through stress appraisal patterns that include emotion regulation and resilience. Researchers believe that attachment, resilience, and emotion regulation have generally been identified as important determinants of psychological health or specifically spoken, psychological well-being. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of attachment styles, emotion regulation and resilience with well-being among students of medical sciences. Methods: In this descriptive correlation investigation, study population included 200 medical sciences students of Semnan University selected through convenience sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires of attachment styles, emotion regulation, resilience and wellbeing. Data was analyzed using Pearson correlation and regression. Results: A significant positive relationship was observed between secure attachment (0.42) and reappraisal (0.37) to psychological well-being (p<0.05). In addition, the relationship of suppression (r=-0.42, p<0.05), preoccupied attachment (r=-0.23, p<0/05), and fearful attachment (r=-0.17 p<0.01) with well-being is significant and negative. Moreover, the results of stepwise regression analysis showed that suppression first and then secure attachment, reappraisal, resilience and fearful attachment style respectively have a significant role in predicting psychological well-being and predictor variables explain totally (0.34) of variations in psychological well-being (p<0.0001). Conclusion: The results indicate that attachment styles, resilience, and emotion regulation are proper predictors for psychological well-being. Therefore, forming strong networks of social support and interpersonal communication through academic programs is highly recommended to enhance students’ psychological well-being and mental health. 2595 Clinical Teaching Comparing the Effect of Face to Face and Group Discussion Teaching Methods on Quality of Life Improvement among Patients Suffering from Multiple Sclerosis zendehtalab hamidreza 1 12 2013 13 9 711 720 10 03 2013 05 10 2013 Introduction: The ultimate goal of care programs for patients with MS is to improve their quality of life (QOL). Nowadays, a variety of methods are used for providing health-oriented programs. This study was conducted to compare the effect of face to face and group discussion teaching methods on improving the quality of life among patients suffering from MS. Methods: This quasi-experimental two group study of before-after intervention type was conducted on a convenient sample of 70 patients who visited Mashhad MS Society within 2011-2012. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups (n=35). Their QOL was assessed using standard questionnaire of SF-36 which its reliability and validity have been confirmed in previous studies. Then intervention was completed by performing either face to face or group discussion teaching. One month later, QOL was assessed again. Data was analyzed using independent and paired t-test, chi2 at 95% significance level. Results: Before intervention, total score of QOL was 41.6±4.7 (out of 100) for face to face group and 40.8±4.5 for group discussion group. These scores showed a significant increase after intervention (56.3±5.1 and 50.4±4.7, respectively). According to the results of independent and paired t-test, the scores for different subscales of QOL significantly increased in both groups after intervention and this increase was higher for face to face group (P<0.05). A significant difference was observed in QOL according to age and employment status. This is while no significant difference was observed in QOL in different states of educational level, marital status, and gender (P <0.05). Conclusion: Provided availability of sufficient resources, face to face teaching self-care programs prove more helpful compared to group discussion programs for chronic disease sufferers such as MS. 2686 Educational Management The Association of Emotional Intelligence with Academic Achievement and Characteristics of Students of Kashan University of Medical Sciences Adib-Hajbaghery Mohsen Lotfi Mohamad Sajad 1 12 2013 13 9 703 710 21 05 2013 12 09 2013 Introduction: Emotional intelligence can be considered as one of the leading factors influencing different aspects of life. It leads individuals to percept their feelings for appropriate decision making and fields for future accomplishments. Considering inconsistencies on the role of emotional intelligence in academic achievement in different studies, this study aimed to investigate the association of emotional intelligence with academic achievement and some characteristics of students in Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 students of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Data was collected through a two-part questionnaire including demographic data for the first part and Farsi version of Cyberia-Shrink emotional intelligence survey for the second part. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: No significant correlation was found between emotional intelligence (mean score= 98.27±16.32) and academic achievement. Moreover, no significant difference was observed between female students’ emotional intelligence mean score (95.90±14.19) and that of males (100.81±18.10) (p=0.07). Although no significant relationship was observed between field of study and emotional intelligence, mean score was higher but not significant (p=0.529) among nursing and midwifery students (99.68±13.99) compared to other groups. Conclusion: Students under investigation obtained almost 59% of the attainable score for emotional intelligence. However, no significant correlation was observed between emotional intelligence score and academic achievement. This could be due to the characteristics of the current academic achievement tests and dependence of these tests on cognitive performance specially memory and learning capacities. This is while emotional intelligence is more related to individual’s success in interpersonal communications. In spite of all these, students’ familiarity with emotional intelligence could lead to their compatibility with setting. Therefore it is recommended to pay attention to emotional intelligence.