We report the design and implementation of generative AI (GenAI) -mediated formative feedback activities in undergraduate medical education, motivated by the rapidly increasing use of GenAI among university students worldwide and growing concerns about AI-generated submissions. This practical report describes an approach in which GenAI provides comments on student-written work, with the aim of supporting self-reflection rather than replacing learner effort. The intervention was introduced in two compulsory courses at a Japanese medical school: Professionalism 1a (first year) and Hygiene (third year) .　At course orientation, students received a brief GenAI literacy session outlining appropriate use, common risks, and explicit prohibitions, including the entry of identifiable information. During early implementation in the first-year course, substantial variation was observed in students' GenAI usage skills. To ensure a more consistent experience, instructors provided standardized prompts for students to use when requesting feedback on their draft reports. Students then submitted both their original drafts and the GenAI-generated feedback. Across both courses, the GenAI comments were generally appropriate and aligned with the intended purposes of the assignments, suggesting that standardized prompts can help scaffold students' formative use of GenAI. At the same time, the experience highlighted important challenges. In particular, ethical guidance regarding sensitive or clinical information will become increasingly essential as students begin to use GenAI in more authentic clinical and experiential settings. Strengthening early curricula that address GenAI literacy, responsible use, and privacy protection will therefore be a critical component of future medical education.

Cognitive apprenticeship and reflective practice are fundamental educational theories supporting postgraduate clinical training. Community hospital rotations provide ideal opportunities to apply these theories. However, community hospitals face challenges in securing educational time due to faculty shortages and heavy clinical workloads, leading to on-the-job training becoming the primary educational approach. Consequently, opportunities for structured instruction and reflection may be limited, potentially hindering the implementation of cognitive apprenticeship and reflective practice. To address this mismatch between educational needs and available resources, we implemented a remote educational conference focused on clinical questions (CQs) arising from residents' clinical experiences. Unlike traditional clinical conferences that focus on determining patient management, this initiative centers on reflective dialogue based on CQs formulated by residents themselves. By integrating experiential learning theory and reflective practice theory and focusing specifically on the latter three steps of cognitive apprenticeship, we successfully constructed an effective educational model for remote learning environments. This practice enables high-quality medical education that transcends geographical constraints and is considered valuable for future community-based medical education.

This report describes the design and implementation of a 90-minute flipped classroom workshop for physician career development. Based on Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction, the “Scientific Approach to Career Success” workshop integrates pre-learning and in-person sessions to foster deep reflection and autonomous career planning. The instructional model employs a five-stage structure -Problem-Centered, Activation, Demonstration, Application, and Integration- designed to enable learners to visualize values, analyze decision-making styles, and evaluate social networks. These activities were developed in alignment with eight career competencies based on the National Career Development Guidelines framework. Participants progressed from building a value-based career vision to formulating a realistic action plan informed by evidence and ethical considerations. The approach emphasizes the role of educators as facilitators, promoting learner autonomy and sustained development beyond the session. This model offers a systematic framework for bridging educational theory and practice, providing a promising approach for integrating structured career support into medical education.

Background: The processes through which healthcare professionals learn interprofessional communication and develop related perceptions remain insufficiently understood.　Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight healthcare professionals with over 10 years of experience. Transcripts were analyzed thematically, and changes in learning and perception were examined using the framework of communities of practice.　Results: Four themes emerged regarding learning processes: (1) observing colleagues, (2) engaging in conversations to learn patient care from other professions, (3) collaborating while mutually understanding professional roles, and (4) practicing collaborative care while maintaining professional responsibilities. Regarding perceptions, four themes were identified: (5) tools for accurate information sharing, (6) tools for fostering mutual understanding, (7) tools for enabling teams to achieve common goals, and (8) competencies essential for healthcare professionals.　Conclusion: Findings suggest that as experienced professionals deepen their participation in communities of practice, interprofessional communication evolves through a process of reinterpreting prior experiences and understandings, leading to gradual transformation and reconstruction of learning and perceptions.

Purpose: Lecture-based teaching is widely used in preclinical medical education, offering a systematic way to deliver complex information efficiently. However, its effectiveness heavily relies on the instructional behaviors of lecturers. Despite its importance, limited research has explored the specific differences between effective and ineffective teaching behaviors perceived by students. This study aims to analyze these behaviors systematically to provide actionable insights for enhancing teaching competencies. Methods: This study surveyed 92 first-year medical students to evaluate effective and ineffective teaching behaviors. A 30-item questionnaire was developed based on existing literature. Data analysis included descriptive statistics to rank teaching behaviors and chi-square tests to examine their correlations. Results: Effective behaviors included appropriate voice volume, clear pronunciation, error-free lecture materials, clear explanations of learning objectives, and humor. Ineffective behaviors were poor voice clarity, insufficient summarization, lack of follow-up session introductions, absence of online resources, and poor interaction. Significant relationships between effective and ineffective behaviors were observed in some items. Conclusion The study highlights those effective behaviors, such as recalling prior learning, utilizing materials, and engaging students, enhance learning outcomes. Faculty development should focus on avoiding ineffective behaviors for novice faculty and reinforcing effective ones for mid-career faculty to improve teaching quality in medical education.

Purpose: This study evaluated a school-based mental health program within a psychiatry clerkship to enhance medical students’ competencies in mental health literacy, empathy, communication, and adaptability. The program aimed to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical skills through experiential learning in a real-world, community-based setting. Methods: The study utilized convenience sampling to select 32 medical students from the 2023–2024 psychiatry clerkship cohort. Four focus group discussions, each lasting 60–90 minutes, provided qualitative data, which were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis in Atlas.ti (ATLAS.ti GmbH, Germany) to identify themes related to professional development. Results: Five key themes emerged, highlighting significant gains in context-sensitive communication, empathy, and mental health literacy specific to adolescent issues. The students reported increased clinical confidence, enhanced resilience through psychological techniques such mindfulness and motivational interviewing, and benefited from sustained engagement and peer support, fostering collaboration and stress management. Conclusion The school-based mental health program enhanced essential competencies in mental health literacy, empathy, communication, and practical skills for medical students. By integrating experiential learning into medical education, the program addressed training gaps, equipping future healthcare providers with the skills necessary for holistic and patient-centered mental healthcare across diverse clinical settings. The approach showed potential for broader applications in medical education to prepare students for comprehensive mental health support skills.

Simulation is an educational approach that promotes the mastery of technical skills while advancing the development of non-technical competencies, both of which are widely acknowledged as essential in clinical practice. This review aimed to synthesize findings on the impact of simulation in enhancing critical thinking and reflection among nursing and medical students. Following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), a systematic review was conducted by searching the following databases: PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus. The quality of the included studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. The protocol was previously registered in the PROSPERO registry (CRD42022371971). From 1,323 studies identified in primary research, 16 were included in this review, involving a total of 1,283 students. Of the 16 studies, seven investigated the impact of simulation on critical thinking and reported a positive effect compared to traditional teaching methods. For student reflection, only one study addressed this theme and reported a positive effect on nursing students. This review demonstrated that simulation has a positive impact on critical thinking; however, its impact on reflection remains inconclusive. Further research is essential to explore its effects across diverse populations, including those in developing countries, to maximize its educational potential in health professions education.