Biomedical subjects
Jill Gordon
Publications and source records attributed to Jill Gordon.
Progressing professionalism.
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Medical humanities: to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always.
The medical humanities are concerned with "the science of the human", and bring the perspectives of disciplines such as history, philosophy, literature, art and music to understanding health, illness and medicine. The medical humanities are designed to overcome the separation of clinical care from the "human sciences" and to foster interdisciplinary teaching and research to optimise patient care. Medical humanities have become part of the mainstream in medical education in North America and the United Kingdom, and are now integrated into many medical curricula in Australia. The Australasian Association for Medical Humanities was inaugurated in November 2004; a postgraduate program in the medical humanities began at the University of Sydney in 2003.
Are graduate entry programmes the answer to recruiting and selecting tomorrow's doctors?
OBJECTIVE: In the wake of the introduction of graduate entry programmes, this paper aims to promote discussion and debate on student recruitment and selection, with a view to achieving a better match between the medical student population and the health needs of the population as a whole. SETTING: Government initiatives in the UK and Australia have increased the number of medical school places, with a substantial proportion allocated to graduate entry students. In the UK, a government priority is to widen access to applicants from disadvantaged areas and lower socio-economic groups. In Australia, additional concerns for the government include ensuring medical services for rural and remote areas and improving indigenous health. At the same time, the governments in both countries are shifting costs in the direction of a 'user pays' system. OUTCOME: Graduate entry programmes represent a particular approach to minimising the effects of disadvantage, increasing the representation of students from diverse backgrounds, achieving a better match between the medical student population and the general population, and encouraging more flexible and inclusive selection and admissions policies. They also have certain disadvantages. It is possible to define a set of principles to increase the diversity of the medical school class with respect to both academic and personal qualities, whether in undergraduates or in graduate entrants. CONCLUSIONS: Graduate entry programmes can contribute to increased student diversity, but are unlikely to have much impact without other strategies to reinforce this aim. A nationwide collaboration could provide opportunities for research to establish more efficient and effective ways of selecting tomorrow's doctors.
ABC of learning and teaching in medicine: one to one teaching and feedback.
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Fostering students' personal and professional development in medicine: a new framework for PPD.
CONTEXT: Altruism, accountability, duty, integrity, respect for others and lifelong learning are qualities that have been identified as central to medical professionalism. However, we do not have a systematically developed understanding of what is needed to optimise medical students' personal and professional development (PPD). We need some level of agreement on how to teach and assess PPD, but traditional educational methods may not be strong determinants of students' or graduates' actual behaviour in clinical settings. AIMS: This paper considers the factors that demonstrably influence doctors' behaviour as a contribution to the development of a model for considering PPD within the broader context of medical practice. The model presented acknowledges that behaviour change comes about through a number of influences including education, feedback, rewards, penalties and participation. These elements can be plotted against the cognitive, affective and metacognitive processes that are intrinsic to learning. IMPLICATIONS: A framework that promotes the consideration of all of these factors in PPD can provide guidance for schools undergoing curriculum reform and inform further research into one of the most important and challenging aspects of medical education.
Assessing students' personal and professional development using portfolios and interviews.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Medical schools are placing more emphasis on students' personal and professional development (PPD) and are seeking ways of assessing student progress towards meeting outcome goals in relation to professionalism. The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney sought an assessment method that would demonstrate the value of reflection in attaining PPD, provide feedback and encourage students to take responsibility for setting and achieving high standards of performance. METHODS: The instruments used to assess Year 1 students in PPD are a portfolio and interview. This assessment format encourages students to explore ideas and values that are important to them and relevant to the PPD theme. A confidential interview, based on the PPD goals, is held with a faculty member who has read the student's portfolio. RESULTS: In 1997/98, 96% of students agreed that they had engaged in useful reflection on their approach to the course and 91% agreed that the experience was worthwhile. A further 76% of students agreed that they could see opportunities to modify their approach in some ways as result of this exercise. CONCLUSION: Sustained PPD is essential in equipping doctors for the varied stresses of careers in medicine. Despite, or perhaps because of, the latitude in the Year 1 assessment, both students and faculty members found the process of value. This form of assessment acknowledges that the most valid assessment formats cannot always be made reliable and that in some parts of the curriculum it is more important to demonstrate trust in students' own motivation to become competent and mindful practitioners. The fact that the portfolio and interview are the only summative assessments in the first year emphasises the importance that the Faculty places on PPD.
University of Sydney, Medical Humanities Program.
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Student evaluation of expert and non-expert problem-based learning tutors.
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