BACKGROUND To conduct a systematic assessment of library and informatics training at accredited Western U.S. medical schools. To provide a structured description of core practices, detect trends through comparisons across institutions, and to identify innovative training approaches at the medical schools. METHODS Action research study pursued through three phases. The first phase used inducti...

Currently, there is no internationally recognised, standard curriculum that defines the basic minimum standards for emergency medicine education. To address this, the International Federation for Emergency Medicine convened a committee of international experts in emergency medicine and international emergency medicine development to outline a global curriculum for medical students in emergency ...

OBJECTIVE To review the literature on studies comparing all aspects of problem-based learning with the conventional mode of teaching. DATA SOURCES Medline literature search (1980 through 1999) and the references cited in retrieved articles. DATA SELECTION Studies and meta-analyses that compared the newer problem-based learning curriculum and the conventional lecture-based mode of teaching u...

BACKGROUND Medical schools have been making efforts to develop their own problem-based learning (PBL) approaches based on their educational conditions, human resources and existing curriculum structures. This study aimed to explore a new framework by integrating the essential features of PBL and coaching psychology applicable to the undergraduate medical education context. METHODS A participa...

Medical education has changed in focus and methodologies since its early beginnings and more recently has become more professionalized and community oriented. This article considers some of the current international trends in undergraduate medical education in program design, curriculum structure and student selection, exploring their relevance to the South Pacific

INTRODUCTION We describe how the curriculum of community, occupational and family medicine (COFM) has evolved in response to social and educational forces and local health needs. Challenges in the teaching of the curriculum are also discussed. CURRICULUM The COFM Department aims to produce medical undergraduates and graduates with the skills to critically appraise evidence, prevent and manage...

Much has been written about the benefits and applications of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) in the literature. Curriculum developers increasingly consider PAL as a vehicle to help undergraduate healthcare students learn to teach; an outcome which has received more attention in the UK since the General Medical Council stated in Tomorrow's Doctors that medical graduates must 'Be able to demonstrate...

An undergraduate education in liberal arts is viewed by many, especially in North America, as a desirable preparation for medical school. In countries where such a pre-medicine curriculum is not available, an introduction of 'humanities in medicine' has recently been emphasized. Few, however, has entertained the idea that Medicine already possesses many elements of a liberal arts education. In ...

BACKGROUND In 1991, the General Medical Council suggested the development of a new undergraduate curriculum, on a 'core plus electives' basis. The combination of National Health Service reforms and the rising profile of academic departments of general practice had led to a consideration of general practice as an alternative teaching environment. These departments now face escalating expectation...