Building a virtual community of practice for medical students: The Global Emergency Medicine Student Leadership Program.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Andres Patino, Emory University; Ashley Pickering, The University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore; Andrés Patiño, Emory University; Stephanie C Garbern, Brown University Providence Rhode Island USA.; Dania Abu-Jubara, Loyola University Medical Center Maywood Illinois; Alexandra Digenakis, University of North Carolina School of Medicine Chapel Hill; Anthony Rodigin, Sutter Delta Medical Center Antioch; Michaela Banks, Louisiana State University New Orleans; Kimberly Herard, Emory University; Stacey Chamberlain, University of Illinois at Chicago; Elizabeth L DeVos, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-12
• Publisher: Wiley Periodicals LLC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 The Authors. JACEP Open published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Emergency Physicians
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12591
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: e12591
• End Page: e12591
• Keywords: educational models; medical students; medical education; mentoring; global health; distance education; emergency medicine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) facilitate distance learning and mentorship by engaging members around shared knowledge and experiences related to a central interest. The American College of Emergency Physicians and Emergency Medicine Residents' Association's Global Emergency Medicine Student Leadership Program (GEM-SLP) provides a valuable model for building a VCoP for GEM and other niche areas of interest. This VCoP facilitates opportunities for experts and mentees affiliated with these national organizations to convene regularly despite barriers attributed to physical distance. The GEM-SLP VCoP is built around multiple forms of mentorship, monthly mentee-driven didactics, academic projects, and continued engagement of program graduates in VCoP leadership. GEM-SLP fosters relationships through (1) themed mentoring calls (career paths, work/life balance, etc); (2) functional mentorship through didactics and academic projects; and (3) near-peer mentoring, provided by mentors near the mentees' stage of education and experience. Monthly mentee-driven didactics focus on introducing essential GEM principles while (1) critically analyzing literature based on a journal article; (2) building a core knowledge base from a foundational textbook; (3) applying knowledge and research to a project proposal; and (4) gaining exposure to training and career opportunities via mentor career presentations. Group academic projects provide a true GEM apprenticeship as mentees and mentors work collaboratively. GEM-SLP mentees found the VCoP beneficial in building fundamental GEM skills and knowledge and forming relationships with mentors and like-minded peers. GEM-SLP provides a framework for developing mentorship programs and VCoPs in emergency medicine, especially when niche interests or geographic distance necessitate a virtual format.