Do you think medical education can be reformed? How? August 6, 2008

This is a question I asked on the Medical Education Evolution community page. Here are some interesting answers from famous educators and medical professionals:

• Yes. Content + continuous holistic approach to whole medical education from the very first study day + teaching/learning methods + diverse and complex use of ICT as a tool + networking. To decrease – memorization, to increase – independence learning methods. Key starting point – to educate teachers (digital immigrants) of medical students (digital natives) “how to teach” (new methodology, didactic, sociology, psychology of new teaching/learning) and to shift them to the higher level of thinking and understanding of new generation approach to information and ICT. New role of teacher = partner of students + lifelong learner + facilitator/moderator of medical education. (Dusan Mesko)

• Yes, I think most institutions can be reformed. A few ideas that I think could help would include (but not be limited to):
  1. Collaboration among those with diverse expertise
  2. Appropriate use of technologies (e.g., technological, social) to connect people, harvest ideas, create impetus for change
  3. Change-positive educational structures (Jillian M. Ketterer)

• 1. Actively involve students physically and mentally in learning
  2. Increase clinical sciences in year 1&2
  3. Increase the use of interactive technology. (Deirdre Bonnycastle)

• Medical education is in a constant state of reform. Over the past 20-30 years we have seen the rise of problem-based learning and now are witnessing the first wave of e-learning and the use of web 2.0 tools to encourage collaboration. (Dean Giustini)

• Yes, through competent and visionary leadership, open mindedness towards the best practices worldwide, mentality change, and evolving from a model of rote learning and knowledge transmission to one of competency based learning. Medical education fails if we know everything about one very rare disease, but don’t know how to take a proper history, how to reason and integrate knowledge and emotions, and to be proficient in basic procedural skills.
  The top countries in medical education must work closely with the less advanced ones in exporting best practices and fostering adoptions towards the latter, while allowing them to develop their own research and expertise. (Tiago Villanueva)

• Absolutely. I think an important place to start is at the level of the mission of medical education, which is ultimately to support patients’ health, so really in a basic way, starting to change the philosophy to being patient-centered instead of faculty-centered, research-centered, academia-centered (all these things are important and necessary, but they are supports for improving the health of patients, families, communities) (Ted Eytan)

Others think differently:

• Yes. Very carefully. You wouldn’t want to step on those tenured PhD’s toes (Steve Murphy)

• Yes. Neutron bombs. (David Masuda)

Further reading:

• Medical Education Evolution: A Growing Community
• Medical Education Evolution: Time for a change