Designing a community-based fourth-year obstetrics and gynaecology module: an example of innovative curriculum development

INTRODUCTION: This paper describes the design and evaluation of the community-based obstetrics and gynaecology module at St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry. This module sets out to comply with the General Medical Council's recommendations of encouraging students to consider the community perspective, and places less emphasis on a disease-orientated approach. OBJECTIVES: The development of the module, issues of improving student acceptance of the course, staff development and the benefits of community teaching in obstetrics and gynaecology are discussed. MODULE ORGANIZATION: The 2-week module precedes the 8-week hospital obstetrics and gynaecology firms that occur in the fourth undergraduate year. The course is organized into three components: general practice, departmental teaching, and self-directed learning. Students are allocated to general practices for their clinical teaching, for eight sessions. Seven departmental sessions are run by the Academic Department of General Practice and Primary Care. These include a review of the students' self-directed learning. EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION: Evaluation data are reported for the three components of the course. Overall the majority of students rated the module as useful, GP attachments being most favourably received. The majority of students have grasped the basic obstetric and gynaecological history and examination skills and found this useful before starting their hospital firms. Aspects of a specialist subject, such as, obstetrics and gynaecology, can be taught successfully in the community and GP tutors are, as yet, an untapped source of excellent obstetric and gynaecology teaching.     

Issues of intervention aimed at preventing prospective surplus of physicians in Japan

OBJECTIVES: In Japan, regulatory intervention aimed at preventing a prospective surplus of physicians is an important medical issue. The study committees organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) in 1986, 1993 and 1998, concluded that the number of physicians would exceed demand for their services in the future. As a result, the government planned to reduce the number of medical students. However, MHW has not been successful in the intervention so far, as shown by the fact that their initial plan for a 10% reduction in the number of students enrolled in medical school has not been attained. In this paper, we examine why the MHW policy failed. METHODS: We reviewed those forecasts performed by past MHW study committees and examined whether the government policy of controlling physician training was appropriate. Additionally, we did a preliminary projection of specialty-specific demand for physician services as a reference for future physician manpower policies in Japan. RESULTS: We found that both conflicts among various interest groups and a lack of precise projections of physician services hampered the proper formation and implementation of a physician manpower policy in Japan. CONCLUSIONS: It might be necessary to examine the appropriateness of the MHW policy in reducing the overall number of students enrolled in medical schools. As a first step in formulating and implementing a physician manpower policy, we should begin to consolidate the necessary data to conduct precise and proper projections of future physician demand.     

The development of a more equitable approach to resource allocation and manpower planning for undergraduate teaching in a UK medical school

CONTEXT: Resource allocation and manpower planning in the clinical faculty of a UK medical school. PURPOSE: To design a model, which is perceived to be fair, to determine indicative undergraduate teaching budgets to departments within the school from university resources and to specialty care groups of the main university hospital from service increment for teaching (SIFT) resources, and to aid manpower planning. METHOD: The student load for each department is measured in full-time-equivalent student numbers (FTEs) for each specialty and compared with the total load for the whole curriculum to derive each department's percentage share of available undergraduate teaching resources. Data on staff numbers available for teaching, both from the school and NHS, are also included. Student load and teaching capacity are then compared. RESULT: Undergraduate teaching resources relate to student load in the resource allocation process, and changes to the course are automatically reflected. Staff data, when compared with student load, facilitate rational planning of establishment levels to meet the teaching needs of the undergraduate curriculum. Of the respondents to a survey of heads of departments and the faculty's management board, 88% agreed that it was a better approach to resource allocation than the previous historical basis. PRESENT LIMITATIONS AND SCOPE FOR DEVELOPMENT: Data are currently entered manually but will be transmitted electronically in the future via the Web. Further consideration will be given to the possible inclusion in the model of weighting factors for different types of teaching and to how appropriate measures of quality may be incorporated into the resource allocation process. CONCLUSION: The model, despite some limitations, is a cost-effective and pragmatic management tool.     

成人药学教育中教学质量标准及课程体系的构建

通过对成人药学教育质量标准的分析，从投入、过程、效果三个方面入手，确立成人药学教育质量标准。在质量标准的指导下，分析成人药学教育课程体系现状，探讨成人药学教育课程体系的构建原则，构建具有学校特色和成人特色的药学课程体系。     

生物化学课程现状分析与改革方向

生物化学是医学重要的基础课。为加强学生素质教育，加强语文、数学等文化课学习，为高职专输送人才，在教育主管部门指导下，在课程改革方面作了大量的工作。但是经过几年的课程改革实验过程也慢慢出现了很多的问题如课程合并的不合理性、轻视医学基础课教学、课程学时分配不合理等，作者就本校的生化教学一些情况，结合中专卫校课程现状，对中专生物化学改革中出现的一些问题做粗略分析，在今后课程改革方向应向重新整合课程、强调“淡化学科”意识思想、实现医学教学模式转变、优化教学手段方法等方面发展。     

美国加州大学洛杉矶分校牙学院课程设置对我国长学制口腔医学教育的借鉴意义

本文介绍并分析了美国加州大学洛杉矶分校(以下简称UCLA)牙学院课程设置的特点,建议在我国长学制口腔医学教育中借鉴这种课程体系,将口腔医学基础课程和部分口腔医学临床课程前置;基础课程与临床课程穿插设置;加大实验室操作训练的课时投入,安排学生早期接受临床训练;将口腔医学临床课程进行分级递进设置。     

注重课程开发与设计提高学生职业能力

本文探讨了在实施中外合作办学项目过程中,通过消化吸收外方职业教育课程体系,建构相应的教学思想、教学方法和教材,加强了高职高专学生职业能力的培养.     

Instructional design dogma: Creating planned learning experiences in simulation

Human lives depend on the performance of our trainees; thus, the educational methodology used to transform our learners into experts are of paramount importance. Effective use of simulation requires educators explore and apply educational theory as they discover who the learner is, how the learner learns, what the learning needs are, and which planned learning experiences are best suited to meet the learner's specialized needs. The purpose of this article is to portray simulation as an educational strategy in the context of a curriculum, to explore emerging theories from educational psychology, and to provide concrete examples of their application in simulation-based education.     

An assessment of priority and educational value in a medical curriculum

A randomly selected group of teachers, students, first-year graduates (junior doctors in the first year of postgraduate training after their final medical school examination), general practitioners and specialists responded to a postal questionnaire designed to assess their views on the priorities in medical curriculum and the educational value attributed to its content. Comparisons were made among the five participating groups and the outcome of the assessment was compared with the existing curriculum.     

护理学基础实验课中反思性教学的应用体会

总结了16名护理学基础实验课教师在2005—2008学年进行反思性教学的体会，探讨反思性教学在护理学基础实验课中的应用。组织教师学习反思性教学理论，讨论进行反思性教学的实际方法并融入实践。在2005-2008年3届学生的教学过程中，有计划地采取了写反思日记、教学日记，组织教师间的交流与讨论，录像、录音回放，邀请专家点评听课等反思方式。通过反思性教学的应用，教师提高了职业成就感与教学经验，学生护理学基础实验课的成绩与满意度得到了提高，教学水平明显提高，取得较好的效果。