For the fourth consecutive year, medical students at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) had the opportunity to participate in an AUA Guidelines Video competition organized by Idaho Urologic Institute (IUI).

Over the last several months, groups of second-year medical students worked together to demonstrate their proficiency in producing patient-friendly content in the form of informational videos pertaining to current urological guidelines, including a comprehensive critical evaluation of current literature.

“This year’s competition was vigorous, and it was difficult to choose a winner,” said Dr. Joseph H. Williams, physician and founding member of the Idaho Urologic Institute and Surgery Center of Idaho. “It was an excellent learning experience for the medical students and their physician mentor.”

The entries were judged by a panel of physicians at IUI, including Dr. Williams and Drs. Cynthia Fairfax, Lisa Parrillo, and Dawn King. The participating students were recognized during a ceremony on Monday, Nov. 14.

Participating students were tasked with creating two educational videos — one geared toward physicians and one geared toward patients — that focused on their chosen topics. The winning team included Student Doctors Kurt Schwieters, Nicholas Bell, Gordon Calhoun and Brady Hoggarth. Their project focused on male urethral stricture.

The group who took second place was comprised of Student Doctors Olivia Paulsen, Marie Discenza, Jessica Hoolihan, and Maureen Magdalinski. The future physicians chose to focus on interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome for their project.

This is the fourth year ICOM students have participated in this competition. Both winning teams received a financial award for their efforts and credit IUI for offering a rewarding research experience for ICOM students.