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Results for “Curriculum”

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At least 847 records · Page 47Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

Identifying the need for curriculum change. When a rural training program needs reform.

OBJECTIVE: To identify what changes should be made in the University of British Columbia's rural family practice training program curriculum to help graduates be better prepared to practice. DESIGN: Two cross-sectional surveys via mailed questionnaires: one designed to measure physicians' self-reported preparedness for practice and the other to measure the importance of various rural family medicine components. SETTING: Rural training program graduates and preceptors representing rural communities in British Columbia. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine graduates of the rural training program between 1982 and 1991 and 14 community-based rural training program preceptors representing eight communities throughout the province participated in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of graduates of the rural program who reported themselves to be underprepared on each family practice item and preceptors' mean scores for the attributed importance to rural practice of each item on this questionnaire. RESULTS: A list of curriculum areas most in need of reform was created. This list included trauma, counseling skills, radiology, vacuum extraction, fracture care, exercising community leadership, cost-effective use of diagnostic tests, using community health resources, obtaining hospital privileges, ophthalmology, dermatology, otolaryngology, personal and professional growth, relationships with other physicians, and personnel issues. CONCLUSIONS: Using both the level of graduates' self-reported underpreparedness and the attributed importance of elements of rural practice, as indicated by the preceptor survey, we developed a list of the areas of the rural training program curriculum most in need of reform.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

The dilemma of required curriculum for emerging technologies in primary care.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A core curriculum for procedural training in family practice is desirable. However, opinions differ as to which of many emerging technologies should be taught. This lack of agreement is due in part to the political and financial burdens of securing hospital privileges, the scheduling burdens of expanding an overcrowded curriculum, and a generational barrier between physicians who feel that technology enhances the biopsychosocial model versus those who feel otherwise. Nevertheless, as emerging technologies are shown to have established value in primary care, the core procedural curriculum will continue to evolve.

Curriculum↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Evaluation of the implementation of an educational curriculum: optimal interventions for the adoption of an educational program of health in elementary schools].

A multiple case study design is used to explain the level of implementation of a "Heart Health" curriculum by grade four teachers of eight schools in a Montreal multiethnic and underprivileged district. An interview and logbook examine the following variables: 1) personal characteristics of the teachers; 2) organizational characteristics of the schools; 3) characteristics of the program; 4) collaboration between the health and educational sectors; and 5) curriculum level of use and fidelity of implementation. The results show in particular that the personal characteristics of the teachers and the characteristics of the program explain the level of implementation of the Heart Health curriculum.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

PubMed1998

New "horizontal" curriculum in family medicine residency.

PROBLEM ADDRESSED: Opportunities for residents in a family medicine program to experience continuity of care with a group of patients and to be immersed in the role of a family physician were thought by faculty to be insufficient. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM: To enhance residents' experience of continuity of care with a group of patients; to create a model for training that better simulates clinical practice; and to position core family medicine experiences as the central and continuing focus of the residency program. MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM: The new curriculum replaces block rotations in family medicine with "horizontal" experiences comprising 3 half-days of patient care and 1 half-day seminar each week for all residents through both years of the program. The remaining time in first year is spent on the major disciplines--medicine, pediatrics, emergency, and obstetrics--for which a horizontal family medicine-centred experience has also been introduced. The second-year curriculum is flexible and largely self-directed. Initial evaluations indicate improved continuity of care of family practice patients and broadened clinical exposure for residents. The program has been fully accredited by the College. CONCLUSIONS: A horizontal curriculum in family medicine, designed to address perceived deficiencies in the traditional block rotational model of training, can be developed and implemented in an urban teaching hospital.

Accreditation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Interdisciplinary rural health training for health professional students: strategies for curriculum design.

Interdisciplinary rural health program offer a promising solution to the challenge of preparing graduates for rural practice, with the ultimate goal of promoting better health care for rural populations. This article focuses on the three-year experience of a model interdisciplinary rural health curriculum implemented in eastern North Carolina. Ten strategies are presented as a framework for the design and implementation of an effective practice-based curriculum for interdisciplinary rural health training. Allied health educators should examine existing curriculum models to build upon their strengths and explore new models to meet evolving delivery system and consumer needs.

Allied Health Personnel↗

PubMed1998

An overview of the medical informatics curriculum in medical schools.

As medical schools incorporate medical informatics into their curriculum the problems of implementation arise. Because there are no standards regarding a medical informatics curriculum, medical schools are implementing the subjects in various ways. A survey was undertaken to amass an overview of the medical informatics curriculum nationally. Of the responding schools, most have aspects of medical informatics incorporated into current courses and utilize existing faculty. Literature searching, clinical decision-making, and Internet are the basic topics in the current curricula. The trend is for medical informatics to be incorporated throughout all four years of medical school. Barriers are the difficulties in faculty training, and slow implementation.

Curriculum↗

PubMed1999

Curriculum Development in Environmental Science: A Case Study on Paradigm and Institutions.

/ The case of "Environment and Development" at Leiden University, the Netherlands, offers an example of developing a new environmental science curriculum in a conservative, disciplines-oriented university context. The core of this history is the long-term struggle of environmental science to evolve from the level of doing applied interdisciplinary studies and establish itself as a distinct body of knowledge with its own theory level, i.e., a discipline of its own. The struggle itself as well as its final outcome, a "bidisciplinary" curriculum in which both environmental science and one social science are expressed as disciplines (hence not environmental science as a mere "field of application") may be of value in other "classical" universities, too. KEY WORDS: Environmental science; Curriculum; Interdisciplinarity; Universities

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Hand dominance and performance in a laparoscopic skills curriculum.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the influence of hand dominance on skill acquisition during a basic laparoscopic skills curriculum. METHODS: A total of 27 surgical residents (5 postgraduate year 3 [PGY-3] and 22 PGY-2 residents) participated in a 4-week laparoscopic skills curriculum. The residents were pre- and posttested on six laparoscopic tasks during weeks 1 and 4. During weeks 2 and 3, the residents attended a proctored practice session. The results were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA), (with significance determined by a p value less than 0.05. RESULTS: The posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores. On the pretest, lefthand-dominant (LHD) surgeons (n = 4) performed significantly better than righthand-dominant (RHD) surgeons (n = 23). In the analysis of individual task pretest scores, LHD surgeons performed significantly better on pattern cutting and vessel loop application. Posttest analysis of overall performance did not show significant differences between the RHD and LHD surgeons. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in a laparoscopic skills curriculum improved overall performance. The LHD surgeons demonstrated better initial performance, but posttest comparison showed no difference between the two groups.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Implementation of the laparoscopic simulator in a gynecological residency curriculum.

BACKGROUND: In view of the current emphasis on increasing patient safety and quality control in laparoscopic surgery, there is a growing need to improve laparoscopic training. This study was conducted to investigate if and when residents reached performance standards for basic laparoscopic skills on a boxtrainer and to analyze the current state of implementation of laparoscopic simulators in a gynecological residency curriculum. METHODS: Residents across all 6 years of residency (postgraduate year [PGY] 1-6) were tested once on our boxtrainer by performing five inanimate tasks (pipe cleaner, rubber band, beads, cutting circle, intracorporeal knot tying). A sumscore for the five tasks was calculated for each participant (sum of all scores). Scores were calculated by adding completion time and penalty points, thus rewarding both speed and precision. These data were compared with scores of laparoscopic experts, which were set as performance standards. RESULTS: Of the participants, 111 were residents (7 PGY1, 27 PGY2, 29 PGY3, 28 PGY4, 14 PGY5, 6 PGY6) and 8 were experts. At the end of residency, PGY6 residents reached the performance standard for all tasks except intracorporeal knot tying. It was not until PGY5 that residents reached the performance standard for the pipe cleaner task; PGY1, for rubber band; PGY5, for beads; PGY4, for circle cutting; and PGY6, for sumscore. Throughout residency PGY6 had a mean total of only 3.6 h of simulator training experience. No correlation was found between this previous voluntary simulator training experience and performance on our boxtrainer during this study (sumscore), and between previous voluntary simulator training and total laparoscopic procedures performed. In a combined multivariate analysis, sumscore performance remained significantly associated with the number of laparoscopic procedures performed by residents when they were working as as a primary surgeon (p = 0.002), and not with the cumulative hours of simulator training during residency prior to participating in this study (p = 0.15). CONCLUSIONS: In a current Dutch gynecological residency curriculum, residents do not reach all performance standards for basic laparoscopic skills on the boxtrainer. We conclude that the voluntary simulator training program has a substantial risk to fail and that the implementation of the laparoscopic skills simulator in the current residency curriculum is in its infancy.

Female↗

PubMed2005

Influence of a problem-based learning curriculum on the selection of pathology as a career: evidence from the Canadian match of 1993-2004.

Since the introduction of problem-based learning (PBL) to North American medical education more than 30 years ago, there have been a number of analyses of its educational outcomes. Several authors have suggested that PBL may influence medical students' career choices. The balance of opinion in the pathology literature appears to assume that PBL curricula limit students' contact with pathologists and hypothesizes that PBL may impair recruitment into pathology residency programs. To evaluate this latter hypothesis, evidence from the 1993-2004 Canadian residency match was considered. During this period, 8 of 13 English-language medical schools in Canada changed from a non-PBL to a PBL curriculum; 1 had been using a PBL curriculum even before the 1993 start point and 4 remained using a non-PBL curriculum throughout the period under consideration. The proportion of medical school graduates ranking pathology first in their residency application match is compared between PBL and non-PBL medical schools. On average, 1.1% of non-PBL graduates and 1.2% of PBL graduates ranked a pathology residency program first. In general, there were proportionately slightly more pathology recruits from non-PBL schools at the beginning of the 1993-2004 period and slightly more pathology recruits from PBL schools toward the end of the period. In the absence of a nationally or internationally recognized standard for what constitutes a PBL school, this analysis must remain somewhat subjective. However, it does indicate that graduates from PBL schools are approximately as likely as those from non-PBL schools to rank pathology first in residency applications.

Canada↗

PubMed1998

Computer-based management of content in planning a problem-based medical curriculum.

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney has undertaken a major educational change from a traditional didactic 6-year, undergraduate entry programme to a 4-year problem-based programme to which only graduates are admitted. We have used two computer-based tools which proved invaluable in developing and managing the content of the new curriculum. The first, developed using a commercial database and made available on the Faculty's Intranet, provided a means for eliciting appropriate problems, organizing content fields and searching the information. The second, based on a spreadsheet, provided a means of displaying agreed content on implementation grids, both for self-directed learning and conventional teaching sessions. Both provided ready access for scrutiny, interactions, review and planning by staff and they greatly enhanced the process of understanding the nature of the new curriculum, and thus in reassuring staff about the change. By merging the two tools, a definitive curriculum database is emerging.

Decision Making, Computer-Assisted↗

PubMed2000

Use of scheme-based problem solving: an evaluation of the implementation and utilization of schemes in a clinical presentation curriculum.

CONTEXT: The University of Calgary has implemented a new curriculum which is organized according to 120 ways in which patients may present to a physician. Students are taught scheme-based problem solving rather than the more typical hypothetico-deductive or search and scan approach to problem resolution. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine the extent to which faculty and students were implementing and utilizing scheme-based problem solving. METHOD: All classes taught within the new clinical presentation curriculum were surveyed at the year end. Participants included four classes of first-year students and three classes of second-year students. Using a 5-point scale, students responded to survey items regarding scheme implementation and utilization. RESULTS: Data were analysed using MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) and revealed significant differences among classes in both first- and second-year students. Increments in scheme implementation and utilization by instructors and students were observed, although instructors' utilization of schemes lagged behind that of students. A levelling effect to the benefits of schemes for problem solving was also evident. First-year students reported schemes to be very useful for learning and organizing new information. CONCLUSION: Although it has taken time to implement curriculum change, the student response to schemes has been favourable. Faculty development and further generation of pictorial/spatial representations for all schemes, to ensure that all clinical presentations provide pathways that students can use for both learning and problem solving are recommended. Whether students who utilize schemes are more successful problem solvers is not yet known but will be the subject of study as soon as scheme delivery is predominant.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Essential components of a medical student curriculum on chronic pain management in older adults: results of a modified delphi process.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop expert-based guidelines for a medical student curriculum on chronic pain evaluation and management in older adults. METHODS: A modified Delphi approach was used to survey an interdisciplinary panel (N = 12) with expertise in pain assessment, pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain management, and medical student education. A list of core knowledge/attitudes/skills (KAS) competency items was developed based upon a comprehensive literature review and clinical experience. The expert panel was then asked to consider the degree to which each item should be included in a pain education curriculum, using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree with inclusion of item). Items with a mean>4.0 (agree) and a standard deviation (SD) <1 were retained, while others were discarded. Retained items were refined, and new items were added based upon panel suggestions. The new KAS list was again scored by the expert panel, and items with a mean <4.0 and SD <1 were discarded. RESULTS: The original KAS list contained eight pain assessment knowledge, seven pain management knowledge, 12 pain attitudes, and 14 skills/abilities items. The final list, presented in this paper, consisted of 11 pain assessment knowledge, seven pain management knowledge, 12 pain attitudes, and 12 skills/abilities items. DISCUSSION: We have developed curriculum content guidelines for educating medical students about the evaluation and management of chronic pain in older adults. Once curricula are developed, their efficacy, in particular their influence on patient outcomes, must be evaluated.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

The effects of an early intervention music curriculum on prereading/writing.

This study evaluated the effects of music sessions using a curriculum designed to enhance the prereading and writing skills of 25 children aged 4 to 5 years who were enrolled in Early Intervention and Exceptional Student Education programs. This study was a replication of the work of Standley and Hughes (1997) and utilized a larger sample size (n = 50) in order to evaluate the efficacy of a music curriculum designed specifically to teach prereading and writing skills versus one that focuses on all developmental areas. Both the experimental (n = 25) and control (n = 25) groups received two 30-minute sessions each week for an entire school year for a minimum of 60 sessions per group. The differentiating factors between the two groups were the structure and components of the musical activities. The fall sessions for the experimental group were focused primarily on writing skills while the spring sessions taught reading/book concepts. Music sessions for the control group were based purely on the thematic material, as determined by the classroom teacher with purposeful exclusion of all preliteracy concepts. All participants were pretested at the beginning of the school year and posttested before the school year ended. Overall, results demonstrated that music sessions significantly enhanced both groups' abilities to learn prewriting and print concepts. However, the experimental group showed significantly higher results on the logo identification posttest and the word recognition test. Implications for curriculum design and academic and social applications of music in Early Intervention programs are discussed.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2003

Assessing students' performances in a competency-based curriculum.

Brown Medical School embarked on planning a competency-based curriculum in 1989. The curriculum was fully implemented in 1996, effective for the MD class of 2000. To graduate, a student must (1) demonstrate mastery of the medical knowledge base, (2) achieve beginning and intermediate levels of proficiency in nine key abilities, and (3) attain an advanced level in the ability called "problem solving" and three other abilities that the student chooses based on his or her interests. The nine abilities are effective communication; basic clinical skills; using basic science in the practice of medicine; diagnosis, management, and prevention; lifelong learning; self-awareness, self-care, and personal growth; the social and community contexts of health care; moral reasoning and clinical ethics; and problem solving. As a major educational innovation, the new competency-based curriculum has been successfully woven into the fabric of the medical school learning environment. In this article, the authors describe how faculty go about assessing students' performances relative to the nine abilities.

Academic Medical Centers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Transition to a Web-supported curriculum.

Stimulating faculty to adopt an innovation of online learning in a registered nurse (RN) completion program was the focus of a faculty retreat seminar to launch a transition to a Web-supported curriculum. This article follows the planning and implementation that initiated curriculum transition to a Web-supported format using Roger's innovation-diffusion framework. Web-supported courses include an online component in combination with face-to-face instruction. The factors that influence innovation adoption, specifically relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability, framed the discussion of principles. Approaches used to garner faculty involvement in the curriculum transition are discussed, and highlighted are considerations for teaching the utilization of course management software, along with faculty preparation for initiating online learning for the first time.

Attitude to Computers↗

PubMed2004

Evaluation of the teaching strategy of cardiovascular system in a problem-based curriculum: student perception.

It is generally acknowledged that an integrated approach to teaching cardiovascular system (CVS) is clinically relevant. However, very little attention has been paid with respect to student perception of teaching CVS in an integrated problem-based curriculum. A questionnaire on the feedback and perception of medical students (n = 60) to their learning experience of CVS exposed early in the problem-based integrated curriculum at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) was used. The average percentage scores of positive student responses to items related to knowledge was 62.7%, to integration was 87.3%, and to skills was 77.1%. A significant positive correlation was observed among skills and knowledge (r = 0.408, P = 0.002), skills and integration (r = 0.506, P < 0.000), and integration and knowledge (r = 0.294, P = 0.028). The lowest individual percentage score related to knowledge items was given to the role of resource sessions in understanding difficult concepts (32.7%). Interestingly, 90.7% of the students were aware of the presence of gaps in their knowledge. On the other hand, 92.7% of students expressed their satisfaction with the study experience of CVS in the integrated problem-based approach. These results indicate that students overall achieved satisfactory learning outcome during the study of CVS in the problem-based integrated curriculum at AGU. The study also points out issues where improvement and fine tuning of the educational system can take place.

Education, Medical↗

PubMed2004

Computer-based testing: initial report of extensive use in a medical school curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Computer-based digital technology offers many opportunities in medical education. One type of digital technology, computer-based testing (CBT), has potentially wide application in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. DESCRIPTION: This articles describes the development of CBT in an undergraduate medical curriculum. EVALUATION: An early step in evaluating CBT is to be sure that the exam format is measuring the examinees' knowledge and not their comfort level or confidence with the technology. It is, therefore, important that the CBT reproduce or accommodate traditional test-taking behavior. CBT also provides for a number of enhancements not easily achieved with traditional paper-and-pencil exams. These include easier control and editing of exam items, better incorporation of testing into the learning environment using specific feedback, and enhancing the questions by incorporating multimedia. CBT does present some unique challenges in testing security, and this article discusses the approach to the security issues. In addition, before initiating CBT into a medical curriculum, the institution must understand the technical and infrastructure requirements for CBT. CONCLUSIONS: By providing a 5-year experience with CBT in the medical curriculum, this article hopes to facilitate discussions among medical educators in its appropriate application and evaluation.

Clinical Competence↗