There is now a context for teaching humanities in undergraduate medical education via special study modules (SSMs). This paper discusses the instrumental and non-instrumental role of the humanities in the education of doctors. Three courses are then described and compared. The most successful of the three is a SSM which had the following characteristics: it was voluntary, it was an integral par...

OBJECTIVE To objectively assess whether the medical education environment across Pakistan was at an acceptable standard and to determine factors influencing its perception. METHODS The cross-sectional study was conducted from August to November 2012 at six undergraduate medical institutions across Pakistan. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) inventory having five subscales...

Against a background of the theoretical basis for the contextual approach to medical education, this paper examines and supports the changes that are occurring in undergraduate medical education throughout the world, before putting up for discussion the suggestion that the changes have not gone far enough. Consideration is given to a model of apprenticeship learning within undergraduate medical...

BACKGROUND Leaders in medicine have called for transformative changes in healthcare to address systems challenges and improve the health of the public. The purpose of this study was to elicit the perspectives of students, faculty physicians and administrators regarding the knowledge and competencies necessary in an undergraduate leadership curriculum. METHODS A mixed-methods study was conduct...

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative and absolute importance of individual standards used by accreditation agencies throughout the world. METHOD We developed a 150-item survey that consisted of all World Federation for Medical Education standards, supplemented with additional standards used around the world. International accreditation experts rated the standard...

Curriculum integration is the "process of experiencing and understanding connections and, because of this, seeing things as a whole". In the domain of medicine it involves combining basic and clinical sciences to provide a holistic rather than a fragmented or segregated approach to learning. Problem-based learning, on the other hand is a student centered pedagogical technique used in integrated...

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a proven method to learn medicine during the first years of studies. In the clinical phase the active, self-directive student may experience difficulties in adapting to the life of professionals in health care units, where students usually have to attend and work according to preplanned timetables. Task-based learning (TBL) can serve as an intermediary in the mee...

Although there is some published literature regarding choice of Pre-Registration House Officer posts and North American Residency programmes, there is a paucity of research relating to choice of FP. This study aims to ascertain the factors influencing final year medical students’ choice of FP. This has significance, not only for students, but for those co-ordinating both undergraduate medical e...