scholarly journals Integrating the basic sciences in medical curricula: focus on the basic scientists

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Dominguez ◽  
Ann C. Zumwalt
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Clinical Application ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Basic Sciences ◽  
Curricular Integration ◽  
Practical Solution ◽  
Medical Curricula ◽  
Science Educators

Basic science educators are not trained as clinicians, yet are expected to adjust their content to mesh appropriately with its clinical application. While achievable, this is a challenge that requires intentional effort on the part of the basic science educators. A practical solution to facilitate curricular integration is to create experiential opportunities for basic scientists to observe the clinical application of their content and to pair these initiatives with training in effective medical education practices.

Low Attendance by Basic Science Educators at Medical Education Meetings

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 306-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Weaver ◽  
Gary C. Rosenfeld ◽  
N. Kevin Krane ◽  
Jay Menna ◽  
Julie B. Walsh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Science Educators

scholarly journals Integrated curriculum: a contemporary innovation strategy in medical education

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 51-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. E. Osadchii
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Vertical Integration ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Integrated Curriculum ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Horizontal Integration ◽  
Basic Sciences ◽  
Team Working ◽  
Science Disciplines

In its traditional form, medical education begins with learning basic science disciplines, with subsequent transition to clinical training. The basic sciences are taught as a series of separate academic courses, with no coordination applied at the inter-disciplinary level. During past decades, the integrated curriculum has become increasingly popular as a novel instructional strategy that promotes contextual learning in medical practice. The curriculum breaks down the barriers between basic and clinical sciences (vertical integration), interconnects teaching of various basic science disciplines (horizontal integration) and facilitates the acquisition of critical thinking, problem-solving and team-working skills through collaborative learning. The vertical integration is encouraged with training in clinical and communication skills starting in the first semester, teaching basic sciences at the interface with medical problems and involving clinicians in giving lectures on applied anatomy and clinical physiology. In order to facilitate the horizontal integration, basic science disciplines are taught concurrently within interdisciplinary units aligned around the body organ systems. This contributes to a better understanding of complex interrelations between structure and function and stimulates wider insights into mechanisms of the disease. The integrated curriculum supports conceptual learning rather than simple memorisation of fragmented factual knowledge. As such, it relieves the information overload imposed on students due to a rapid growth of medical knowledge in the contemporary world. With the integrated curriculum, the main emphasis is placed on problem-oriented learning guided by an experienced tutor in a small group of students. In this setting, a realistic medical case is used as a trigger for discussion aimed at linking basic science concepts with the clinical problem. Through collaborative problem-solving, students develop a clinical reasoning and team-working skills. Overall, problem-based learning puts forward a student-centred approach in a sense that students themselves are primarily responsible for identifying relevant learning objectives and self-guided acquisition of medical knowledge. This raises their motivation in learning basic sciences and markedly improves the perception of learning environment. In summary, the integrated curriculum offers a number of benefits to medical students and appears to provide an effective instrument in developing professional competencies required in clinical work.

scholarly journals Assessment for learning: a needs analysis study using formative assessment to evaluate the need for curriculum reform in basic sciences

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 482-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reem Rachel Abraham ◽  
Faith Alele ◽  
Ullas Kamath ◽  
Annamma Kurien ◽  
Kiranmai S. Rai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Clinical Application ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Clinical Relevance ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Basic Sciences ◽  
Science Knowledge ◽  
Analysis Study ◽  
Basic Science Knowledge ◽  
Clinical Questions

A needs analysis study for curriculum reform in basic sciences was conducted at Melaka Manipal Medical College, India, by means of a formative assessment method, namely Basic Science Retention Examination (BSRE). Students participated in a BSRE, which comprised recall and clinical multiple-choice questions in six discipline areas. They also rated the clinical relevance of each question and provided responses to three open-text questions about the exam. Pass rates were determined; clinical relevance ratings and performance scores were compared between recall type and clinical questions to test students’ level of clinical application of basic science knowledge. Text comments were thematically analyzed to identify recurring themes. Only one-third of students passed the BSRE (32.2%). Students performed better in recall questions compared with clinical questions in anatomy (51.0 vs. 40.2%), pathology (45.1 vs. 38.1%), pharmacology (41.8 vs. 31.7%), and biochemistry (43.5 vs. 26.9%). In physiology, students performed better in clinical questions compared with the recall type (56.2 vs. 45.8%). Students’ response to BSRE was positive. The findings imply that transfer of basic science knowledge was poor, and that assessment methods should emphasize clinical application of basic science knowledge.

scholarly journals Friendship or vicarious relationship? Exploring the intricacies faced by basic sciences in integrated curricula

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-79
Author(s):  
Dinesh Kumar ◽  
Aneesh Basheer
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Basic Sciences ◽  
Curricular Integration ◽  
Integrated Curricula ◽  
Effective Integration

In response to the evolving needs and reports on medical education, many medical schools have been pursuing curricular integration. Contrary to Abraham Flexner who persuaded that teaching of medical sciences, from basic to clinical, should be a critical component of the discipline based curriculum, ‘integration’, in its purest sense unifies separate areas of knowledge which quenches the needs of adult learners. However, most medical schools struggle with integrating their curricula owing to the confusion derived from diverse definitions and multiple learning theories. A common criticism of integrated curriculum is that students will not see the relevance of basic sciences and this significantly minimizes the role of basic sciences in medical education. The crux of integration is achieving the balance of clinical and basic sciences in a manner that best serves the student to maximize student engagement and knowledge retention. In this paper, we made an attempt to address the contextual issues existing in medical schools, the changing role of basic sciences in present day medical education and the optimal strategy to achieve effective integration of basic sciences. We propose that a dynamic interconnectedness happening at various levels is more important to achieve effective integration rather than mere deliberate unification of individual disciplines.

scholarly journals Autophagy: from basic science to clinical application

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Van Limbergen ◽  
C Stevens ◽  
ER Nimmo ◽  
DC Wilson ◽  
J Satsangi
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Application ◽  
Basic Science
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