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Transformation In Biomedical Science Education For Future Physicians
Author(s) -
Lieberman Steve
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.244.2
Subject(s) - medical education , curriculum , competence (human resources) , core competency , economic shortage , health care , medicine , medical school , health science , psychology , political science , pedagogy , law , social psychology , linguistics , philosophy , marketing , government (linguistics) , business
Physician education in the US is undergoing a period of rapid change unmatched in the past 100 years. Advances in the science of learning and educational technology, rapid evolution of the American health care system, projected physician shortages, and rising student debt have spurred a new wave of curriculum reform at many medical schools as well as national initiatives by major organizations including the AAMC and the AMA. Structural changes include expansion of time for clinical education and shortening of the traditional 8‐year course of study. Pedagogical changes include use of active learning methods during faculty‐student interactions combined with independent (often online) acquisition of content, emphasis on the application of science knowledge to clinical problem‐solving rather than the accumulation of decontextualized knowledge, acquisition and demonstration of competence in patient care, and education in the delivery of health care and the health care system. Many of these changes are reinforced by national exams (MCAT, USMLE). Competency based education is diffusing from residency training to medical school and premedical programs, taking the form of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) at many medical schools. EPAs are units of clinical work (eg, developing a differential diagnosis) that learners can be entrusted to perform under progressively less supervision as they demonstrate increasing competence. Ubiquitous subsets of knowledge, skill, and attitudes (eg, biomedical and clinical science knowledge, communication) implicitly pervade the 13 Core EPAs for Entering Residency identified by an AAMC panel. In the University of Texas System, Transformation in Medical Education (TIME) is a student‐centered, clinically focused initiative to increase the effectiveness of medical education and shorten its duration. TIME consists of 4 scalable and generalizable pilot programs in which 11 UT premedical and medical programs are partnering to create 6–7 year programs built on the principles of competency based education (CBE), intentional professional identity development, and early clinical skills training to expand the time available for authentic clinical learning. The approach to CBE includes a set of collaboratively developed competencies and shared assessments of critical transition milestones (eg, biomedical science knowledge, clinical skills). The UTMB TIME curriculum features a novel 3‐year structure that fully integrates basic and clinical science education in the classroom and on modified clerkships that are organized by life cycle stages. An essential aspect is the Student Continuity of Practice Experience (SCOPE) in which students will provide care to their own panel of patients under supervision throughout medical school. Support or Funding Information The TIME initiative is supported by funding from the University of Texas Board of Regents.