An Interactive, Case-Based Microbiology Laboratory Session for First-Year Medical Students.

Introduction Although in-person anatomy sessions continue to be a fundamental component of the medical school curriculum, laboratory-based microbiology sessions are increasingly replaced with virtual equivalents or removed altogether. At the University of Kansas School of Medicine, first-year medical students are introduced to medical microbiology primarily through classroom-based methods (e.g., lectures, flipped classes, and case-based collaborative learning). Methods An optional, extracurricular, "wet" laboratory session was developed as a collaboration between the clinical microbiology lab and the Infectious Diseases Student Interest Group to reinforce and build upon abstract microbiology concepts previously only covered in a classroom setting. Students worked in small groups to solve short case studies involving bacterial and fungal pathogens. Cases required students to recall clinical presentations of common infections, interpret Gram stains, perform basic biochemical tests, and make a presumptive diagnosis. Post-session surveys were used to gauge student reactions and satisfaction with the session. Results This session has been successfully held for five consecutive years and has been well received by students. In post-session evaluations, participants strongly agreed that the session enhanced their understanding of clinical microbiology concepts and valued the hands-on learning opportunity to work with facilitators through case-based discussions. Conclusions We demonstrated the feasibility and value of a hands-on microbiology laboratory session to complement traditional medical school coursework. Future opportunities include pre- and post-session assessments to better assess students' knowledge acquisition and retention following laboratory-based sessions.