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Trends in Medicine

5 Ways Medical Educators Can

Use AI and Other Technologies
Lisa D. Ellis | July 21, 2023

Most people today have heard about ChatGPT, a form of generative artificial intelligence (AI) that
uses a chatbot to “converse” with users by creating content that responds to their questions or
prompts. For medical educators, this emerging technology can bring real value to their
classrooms and clinical teaching activities—but only if they understand how best to embrace the
potential while sidestepping the risks and challenges of generative AI.

“Teaching with technology is an important topic right now. With the growing popularity of social
platforms, virtual reality, simulation, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence (AI), many
medical educators have pressing questions about what these advances might mean for their
future and how to leverage them most effectively,” explains Jeremy Richards, MD, MA, FACP,
ATSF (/node/1636), who serves as chair of the department of medical education for Mount
Auburn Hospital. Richards is also the program director of Harvard Medical School’s Training to
Teach in Medicine (/node/2806), a six-month certificate program that prepares clinical educators
from around the world to instruct the next generation of medical professionals.

A Growing Role in Medical Education for Emerging Technologies

Richards points out that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been growing
acceptance of using technologies like Zoom and Teams to facilitate remote medical education
through both live and pre-recorded sessions. But many clinician instructors are less familiar
with other emerging technological tools and unaware of how to use them effectively in medical
education.

That’s why as the technology options continue to grow, educators need to augment their own
knowledge of the latest offerings so they can utilize them for the best results—from engaging
learners in the course material in a more concrete way and offering hands-on training in a
virtual setting, to navigating the potential challenges AI and other emerging technologies pose.

How Medical Educators Can Use AI and Other Technologies 

Richards shares five recommendations to help educators embrace and apply the latest
technologies effectively.

1. Leverage social media platforms to engage learners. Popular social media platforms provide
a forum through which to share medical education, in part because the brief format of posts
can encourage teachers to break down their content into bite-sized chunks, which can be
easier for students to digest, Richard says. Social media platforms also make it easy for users
to interact with the information and with peers, creating the opportunity for deeper dialogue.
In addition, teachers can use social media channels to provide students with easy-to-access
links to reading lists, studies, and other helpful resources.
Another important way educators can use social media channels is to host virtual classrooms,
real-time chats, and polls that engage participants and capture their views. Richard says that
many of the popular social media platforms have a robust following from the medical
community, likely due to the ease of use and the ability to interact with different forms of
content and with colleagues and peers.
2.  Utilize virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to offer training opportunities. Both
VR and AR have become more mainstream in recent years. VR uses a special headset or
glasses to produce a computer-generated environment that feels realistic to the viewer, while
AR enhances a real-world setting by superimposing virtual elements experienced directly
through a smartphone or other device. “Even though it can be challenging to get headsets and
to build the software required to experience VR and AR, the benefits these technologies bring
to medical students can be well worth the effort involved,” Richard says.
For instance, you can use VR and AR to create a virtual operating room (OR) and allow
students to practice “operating” using special tools that mimic the feel of conducting a live
surgery. “Instead of practicing operating on a mannequin as we did in the past, the VR
experience can transfer that exposure into something that looks and feels like a real person.
This is a much more immersive experience and brings deeper value to the student,” Richard
says. 
3. Create simulations for experiential learning. In the simplest terms, simulation refers to
using aids to create a set of artificial conditions that medical students can use to build and
practice their clinical skills. For instance, the educator may create a simulated exam room and
“patient” that enables students to engage in a host of scenarios and try different actions
without fear of harming or upsetting a real patient. Simulated experiences are often
videotaped so the educator can debrief with the students. Richards adds that simulation
doesn’t replace real-life experiences but, rather, can be another resource to enhance them and
increase the student’s competency in key skills. Furthermore, while simulation-based medical
education is usually associated with high-tech mannequins and simulation centers, “low
fidelity,” low-cost simulation scenarios can be leveraged to create effective and engaging
experiences for medical learners. 
4. Understand the value of blockchain technology. While most people associate blockchains
with cryptocurrency technology such as Bitcoin (the blockchain is the element that
permanently records cryptocurrency transactions), you may not know that it is also a
component that can be used in medical education. A blockchain is a database that links pieces
of information together in a unique way that can’t be modified. The information is stored in
multiple locations, and all of the blockchains must match in order to be valid. This type of
built-in security is important for things like formal medical exams since students are unable
to alter the questions or modify exam content or answers, Richard notes.
5. Use generative AI (such as ChatGPT) wisely. There have been growing concerns among
medical educators about the risks of students using ChatGPT and other forms of AI to do their
homework and to help them with exams. But rather than being afraid of this rapidly emerging
 technology, Richards stresses that educators should accept its presence and figure out how to
use it in the most effective way. 

​“In the 1990s, with the evolution of the internet, professors were terrified that students would use
this new technology to find answers instead of going to the library to look up information in
books. There are now similar concerns with generative AI,” he explains. The key is
understanding what this technology can and cannot do and embracing its capabilities.

“This will allow us to help the students use AI in a way that will continue their learning process,”
he says. For example, rather than trying to stop students from using AI to compile large amounts
of information quickly, educators can create exams that build on the type of content that AI can
provide by asking nuanced questions that require analysis and application of knowledge, rather
than regurgitation of facts. This will require students to use critical thinking skills to apply the
basic knowledge provided by AI in a more sophisticated context.

Preparing for the Future of AI

While it can be easy to be intimidated by the rapid pace of growth of AI and other emerging
technologies, Richards says that it’s important for educators not to feel overwhelmed. “Take a
step back and look at what these tools are and how they are currently being used.” Once you
understand what the latest technologies bring to the table, you can determine how to embrace
them in the coming years to enhance your teaching. This will ultimately bring exciting new
capabilities to how we, as educators, teach the next generation of medical professionals. 

References

Richards, Jeremy MD, MA, FACP, ATSF, Chair, Department of Medical

Education, Mount Auburn Hospital; Program Director, Training to Teach in
Medicine, Harvard Medical School Post-Graduate Medical Education.

https://postgraduateeducation.hms.harvard.edu/certificate-
programs/training-teachers/faculty