When considering undergraduate general health sciences education, there is insufficient evidence that speaks to the benefits and challenges of a scaffolded information literacy curriculum. Despite some argument that the impact on students is the same regardless of how information literacy training is delivered, the call for a curriculum-integrated scaffolded training program is on the rise.

This study aims to develop an understanding of the students’ perceived confidence levels and skill levels when engaging with health information after four-years of formal information literacy instruction.

The researchers used a mixed-methods survey to learn how students’ confidence in their information literacy skills has been impacted by this curriculum. Quantitative survey questions were analyzed using a combination of statistical methods in SPSS software. Qualitative survey questions employed in vivo open coding to identify patterns and categorize themes that emerged in participant responses to open-ended questions.

The survey had a response rate of 25%. 79% of survey participants recalled feeling “unconfident” or “not so confident” about how to find information when they were in their first year of study. By their final year, all participants indicated they felt “somewhat confident” (53%) or “very confident” (47%). Additional findings from the survey and qualitative findings will be discussed during the presentation.

A mandatory curriculum-integrated information literacy program in undergraduate health sciences has been shown to have had a positive impact on students’ confidence in searching and finding information. This study provides evidence of the benefits of integrating information literacy instruction into curricula for undergraduate students.

Introduction: Narrative medicine (NM) is a humanistic approach to the health sciences that values individuals’ stories and lived experiences. This framework has been shown to improve various competencies, including communication, perspective-taking and ethical inquiry. Graphic medicine (GM) is a subset of NM that places an emphasis on the visual expression of stories.

Description: GM is one of the topics explored by McMaster University health sciences students in a course known as ‘Praxis Pathways.’ In a month-long module, students read, reflect on, and present a GM story that they find personally relevant. After a group reflection, students are given the opportunity to create a short GM piece that shares their own health story.

Outcomes: This presentation is centred in the experiences of one recent health sciences graduate who found value in NM. After completing the GM module, this student used GM to share his story growing up as a gay child. He curated his story with the intention to disrupt and bring nuance to reductive and stereotypical narratives around gay youth.

Discussion: His learning experiences and subsequent NM-based initiatives offer insight into the successes and areas of improvement for the GM module offered in Praxis Pathways. This exploration of a student’s lived experience may also shed light on the broader pedagogical considerations for NM-oriented programs delivered to undergraduate students.