Integrated hematology rotation teaching with a penalty-free competition: a prospective exploratory study of trainee outcomes

Short specialty rotations require efficient teaching strategies that support knowledge consolidation while avoiding unnecessary assessment pressure. We explored changes in knowledge and perceived teaching quality during a 2-week hematology rotation using an integrated teaching package that combined ward-round teaching, mini-lectures, case-based and problem-based discussion, and a penalty-free rapid-fire competition. Sixty trainees participated, including 30 interns and 30 standardized residency trainees. Standardized residency trainees showed significant improvement in knowledge scores (74.47 +/- 7.99 to 92.80 +/- 5.19, p < 0.001) and total Student Evaluation of Educational Quality scores (112.47 +/- 8.71 to 122.63 +/- 6.92, p < 0.001), with gains across seven domains. Interns showed no significant change in knowledge or teaching evaluation scores. Regression analysis found a greater increase in the organization/clarity domain among male standardized residency trainees than among female standardized residency trainees. These preliminary findings suggest that the integrated package was associated with better short-term outcomes among learners with clinical foundations, whereas interns may need stronger scaffolding before competition-based activities are effective. The design cannot isolate the independent contribution of the competition component.