Clinical Educators Faculty Development Module (On-Demand)-Struggling and Failing Students

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker discusses how medical schools can support struggling and failing students rather than punish them. Using case examples, they describe common problem areas: repeated COMAT failures, failing COMLEX Level 1 while still in clinical training, and repeated Level 2 failures with added pressure from leave-of-absence limits and graduation timelines. They explain that students usually fail for four broad reasons: personal factors like stress, motivation, and time management; external factors such as housing, family pressure, and lack of support; academic factors including a demanding curriculum and test-taking challenges; and institutional factors that schools can improve through better policies and support. The presentation also introduces the GRIT scale as a way to assess resilience and guide intervention. The main message is to identify struggling students early, approach them with compassion, and connect them to available academic and personal support resources.

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Struggling and Failing Students Recording

Keywords

medical students

academic failure

student support

resilience assessment

GRIT scale

medical education policies