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Field service attachments in teaching the organization of medical care
Author(s) -
GRIFFITHS D. A. T.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1980.tb02276.x
Subject(s) - competence (human resources) , medical education , service (business) , psychology , health care , nursing , medicine , business , social psychology , marketing , economics , economic growth
Summary This paper describes the use of case or topic projects to further develop case methods of teaching in the organization of medical care, described in an earlier paper. It summarizes the design and use of Field Service Attachments (FSAs) for students during the first year of the MSc Social Medicine course of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The objectives of the FSAs were to develop competence to: (a) analyse health service problems, (b) produce potential solutions, (c) select the best practical strategy, (d) present these analyses and recommendations verbally and in writing. To ensure positive involvement by the students, and a practical benefit to the service, a number of medical administrators from all levels in the National Health Service were asked to submit practical problems, meeting specific selection criteria, for analysis by the students working in pairs as quasi consultants to each of the participating medical administrators. The attachment was programmed for one day a week over ten weeks in the second term of the first year, preceded by preparatory teaching, and run within a structured system of supervision, ad vice, and reporting‐back sessions which enabled each pair to share its experience with the rest of the class. Problems tackled varied greatly, from national policy on post natal hospital stay through assessment of rehabilitation services in a district, to upgrading strategies and operational policy for two surgical wards. The students demonstrated a very high commitment to these FSAs, their skills in problem analysis and research methods improved considerably, and the quality of their analyses and reports was considered very satisfactory by both the teaching staff and their service clients.