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You might think that in this super digital age, card games designed to make medical education more interesting and interactive sounds a bit out of date. When you meet Paulius Mui, its co-creator, you might not think so.

When the Russian moved to the United States from Lithuania with his mother at the age of 14, he was already an explorer. Not so much in the geographical sense-although he has done many such things-but he is an explorer of life.

The combination of curiosity and entrepreneurial propensity allowed him to try everything from real estate agents to taxi drivers, from waiters to wedding photographers.

But being an executive assistant at the Harvard Medical School Primary Care Center proved a revelation: "I think medicine is restricted by its rules," he said. "But I also think there are some limitations that can stimulate creativity, and I see this in primary care."

For Mei, whose mother is a nurse, medicine has always been on the periphery as a career. "I have tried many times not to go to medical school. But I know the challenge of medical school is there."

As soon as the challenge emerged, Mui discovered Virginia Commonwealth University's family medicine program, especially the Family Medicine Scholar Training and Enrollment Program (fmSTAT).

"We are lucky that he chose VCU," said Judy Gary, assistant director of medical education in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health of the VCU School of Medicine and co-director of fmSTAT. "I think I have never met someone so curious and willing to explore the possibilities. He told me that the process is often more important than the result."

By the end of the second year of medical school, May's enthusiasm helped cultivate the idea of ​​card games, which is a new way to understand medicine.

"At that time you have learned most of the book knowledge, the basics of medicine, and then you take this test to see how much you can remember," he said.

"It's stressful. I will learn, but I will also try to make it interesting."

When working with patients, he observed the importance of connecting the pieces of information they presented. "There are some clues you have to figure out. It can be done in many different ways."

So began the arduous work of collecting words containing basic clinical concepts, which eventually became a 280-card game table round. He shared the origin story of the game on multiple podcasts, including the "Short Jacket Podcast" produced by the Carver School of Medicine at the University of Iowa.

Just as a nursery rhyme reminds us that "foot bones are connected to leg bones", the Table Rounds card gives medical students the opportunity to prove to other players that copper is related to liver cirrhosis. Or bilirubin. Or Wilson's disease.

The game was launched earlier this year and spread organically through the distribution of virtual cards and hashtags and additional social media exposure via Twitter. The first expansion pack of the game includes obstetrics and pediatrics.

Mui opened a new podcast "The Voice of the Round Table", which helped him connect with people working on similar concepts all over the world. He has accepted multiple invitations to attend, including in the upcoming 2021 Family Medicine Education Alliance.

May became an advocate for the profession in the early days of medical school because he took advantage of the opportunities provided by the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health—and created some of his own.

Among them, he founded the family medicine newsletter The Pulse, and produced the podcast "Family Medicine Lens" to share his exploration of family medicine.

"I think I live to work," he said, "although it doesn't feel like work. This is where I realize myself, find consistent things, and pursue them. Our purpose is to make connections."

As a participant in the medical school's competency-based graduation pilot program, May graduated within three years and is now his second year of training in VCU's Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Internship Program.

During the first year of hospitalization, he was elected as the resident director of the Virginia College of Family Physicians. In this position, he created Residency Spotlight, a publication featuring residents across the state, and initiated monthly virtual meetings for residents.

"Paulius is very generous and encourages others," Gary said, "and always wants to share his passion for family medicine."

What's the next step? May has been thinking about this. It will definitely be integrated into medical education innovation, and it is likely that no one else has thought of it.

"He is truly unique," Gary said. "I believe he will become a true leader in our professional field."

The medical school originally published this story under the title "Educational Innovation: Learning Medicine Can Be Creative, Collaborative, and Simple Fun"

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