Student BMJ Review: January 2008 issue

I am very pleased to have been asked to review the first sBMJ issue of 2008. I feel that the standard of the sBMJ is consistently high and this issue is no exception. I am a regular reader of the sBMJ as its content reflects the current issues, medical advancements and students’ experiences which are relevant and written in a way that can be understood by medical students. I feel the sBMJ provides a stimulating read to medical students both nationally and internationally.

I think the news bites section is quite interesting as it contains global medical news which is explained in a nutshell and has references which allows the reader who is genuinely interested in a story to seek more information. The same is true for the frontiers and eye spy sections. I suggest that more pictures are included in the news bites section to go with each story rather than have a big picture about one.

The news section is always an informative read as it highlights issues that medical students feel strongly about and also highlights how medical education is changing and how teaching compares in different countries. The article ‘not enough bodies’ was an interesting read for me personally as I am a medical student at Cardiff University, who pride themselves on being able to teach anatomy using cadavers. The use of cadavers is important for medical students and I don’t believe that this method can be replaced by modern ways of teaching anatomy so I read this article with interest as it highlights the struggle that UK medical schools are facing to provide this unique learning experience. It also mentions the situation in Kenya where the lack of donated bodies is due to an entirely different reason and this was a good comparison to make.

I enjoy reading the news section in the sBMJ however I believe that this section should be expanded and not restricted to one article as the articles published in this section certainly raise awareness of the issues medical schools and doctors face.

The head to head articles are always thought provoking especially the topic published in this issue about drinking whilst pregnant. Both view points are convincing which leaves the reader to formulate their own opinion given that 2 sides of the argument have been presented by experts in the field. It would be interesting to find out what the student opinion is about the subjects covered and also publish a select few.

The life section is an excellent one allowing students to share their experiences with other readers especially on the subject of electives. I found that the articles ‘do you take sugar with your tea’ and ‘trouble in paradise’ are an important reminder of why students go on electives abroad. Some students opt to go to places that they think are glamorous and the reality seems rather different when they are exposed to a situation they did not expect to face in that part of the world. The written accounts of these experiences are most helpful for medical students in their fourth year deciding where to go for their electives and including such articles will no doubt aid their decision. The other topics raised in this issue’s life section are also a good read with international relevance. The article ‘doctors and the brain drain’ is a well written article, which questioned the author’s opinion of a previous issue, on whether recruitment of foreign doctors by countries such as the UK and Canada should be referred to as poaching. Referring back to a previous article and putting a different view point across makes the article more interesting to read and this style should be encouraged and seen more often in the sBMJ.

The people section usually gives readers an insight into the thoughts and visions of high achievers in science and the medical field. Interviews with Nobel Prize winners are an asset to the people section and I enjoy reading what their thoughts are about receiving a prestigious award and what their aims are for the future as their studies reflect the exciting advancements that can be made in the medical world.

The education section is a favourite for medical students as the topics covered in this section aid what we are learning or reinforce what we have already learnt. The layout is really helpful and the boxes summarize key points which I find useful. The articles are extremely informative and go to the right level of detail which many medical students will appreciate. I found the article ‘screening explained’ useful as this topic was currently in the news, where the government is introducing screening for diseases that weren’t previously screened for, however I think that the images included with some of the articles in this section can be more scientific and relate to what the article is explaining rather than have an irrelevant image to fill the space. I find the picture quizzes really engaging due to the question and answer layout that is adopted. This is a good way to reinforce students’ medical knowledge and test themselves on conditions they may have already come across.

The papers that are included in this section are well chosen in terms of their level of difficulty however I do feel that the topics selected should relate to an article in that issue in some way rather than have it on a completely different topic. This will make the paper appeal to more readers.

The improvements that I am suggesting are with regards to the sBMJ website. I recommend that in the archive each issue of the sBMJ is put in pdf format rather than in html. This makes the whole content of the sBMJ more accessible and allows it to be downloaded. The layout of the sBMJ issue is much better than what is available online. Also accessing the references is slightly complicated and could be organised better. I think that a forum on the website would be a good idea so that all students can share their opinions and get a direct response.

Also I have noticed that a group on facebook has been created for sBMJ readers but it only has 31 members. This group can be expanded easily and could be another medium where medical students can communicate.

Overall I think that this current issue is brilliant as it contains a wide variety of interesting topics and is a great edition for the start of a year which is bound to see even more exciting advancements and changes in the medical world.

Thank you.

   

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