PHILOSOPHY
AND APPROACH
The mission and vision of the MD program are achieved through
The Impact Curriculum, which hopes to bring about transformation and impact at
two levels:
- At the
individual level, it provides learning opportunities that will transform young
men and women into physicians who excel in all domains of medical education,
strongly grounded in moral and professional values.
- At a broader
level, its graduates will positively impact their patients, colleagues,
society, or the scientific and medical community as a whole, consistent with
their roles as healers, scholars, educators and advocates of patient and social
welfare.
The Impact Curriculum is founded on four pillars:
- The science of medicine
- The art of medicine
- The professional formation of the individual physician
- The socio-cultural and moral context of medicine
Each of these pillars is the basis of an educational thread
that runs throughout the 4 years of undergraduate medical education, as
discussed below.
The Impact Curriculum is based on various theories of
learning and on research in the field of medical education. Thus, the learning
program:
- is student centered: respects students’ autonomy,
builds on their experience and knowledge,
and recognizes that students have different learning styles
- is goal-oriented, relevant, practical, and motivating
- is standardized yet flexible
- considers the impact of the hidden curriculum on
student learning
- stresses the personal growth, development, and the
self-examination and self-improvement skills of students
- stresses the importance of reflection as a key to
effective learning
- appreciates the value and effectiveness of learning in
small groups and teams
- realizes that assessment drives and reinforces
learning
The Impact Curriculum is designed
with a view that the admitted medical students are highly motivated, serious,
and responsible adults who have knowingly chosen a career that requires
sacrifice, dedication and hard work, and who regard medicine not only as a
career but as a calling. They are chosen from among a highly competitive group
of peers. Within the Impact Curriculum, competitiveness gives way to
collaboration, teamwork and collegiality. The design of the curriculum
reflects AUBFM’s respect for the maturity, choices, attitudes and achievements
of its students.
Realizing that students enter medical school with the
principal goal of becoming accomplished physicians, the Impact Curriculum is
designed such that science-based clinical education is the driving force
throughout the medical program.
The Impact Curriculum views students as integral components
of the community of practice at AUBFM and AUBMC. Over the 4 years of medical
education, the students gradually progress from an initial limited involvement
to become central participants in this community. Throughout this time, they
learn by observation, participation, reflection and discussion.
Mentorship and role modeling are of paramount importance in
cementing the formal education that students receive. Furthermore, the Impact
Curriculum recognizes that the learning, growth and development of students are
shaped by the relationships and interactions among members of this community,
their practices and routines, and the policies, culture, and “language” of the
institution. The Impact Curriculum can only flourish in a community that
shares its values and in an environment that upholds them.
Years 1 and 2:
During the first 2 years:
- Clinical
material is presented in the context of basic scientific, social, ethical and
public health principles and perspectives.
- An integrated,
organ-system based approach to education is employed, heavily impregnated with
clinical applications and experiences and problem solving exercises, and
includes contact with real or simulated patients. This approach engenders depth
of understanding in students, and allows them to better apply the knowledge gained
to dealing with clinical situations and problems during years 3 and 4.
- The educational
approaches accommodate different learning styles in students and include:
- Lectures and
Voice-over-PowerPoint recordings (VOPs), which introduce topics, cover content,
discuss complex phenomena and mechanisms, or integrate information
- Interactive in-person sessions: where faculty guide
students in exploring complex concepts introduced in the lectures/VOPs and
applying the knowledge gained through problem solving, using probing questions
and cases.
- Laboratory sessions: with actual experiments or
demonstrations that reinforce lecture content. Case discussions are frequently
integrated in lab sessions also
- Small group learning sessions (e.g. case-based
discussions, team-based learning) in which students collaborate to deal with
complex issues, solve problems, negotiate meaning and establish more intimate
contact with academic staff. This allows students to practice their
communication skills in an environment that fosters mutual respect and
tolerance.
- Independent work, which promotes autonomy,
self-confidence, creativity and self-learning skills.
Years 3 and 4:
During Years 3 and 4, learning arises from, and is embedded
within, the daily clinical experiences of the students as individuals or teams.
The knowledge and skills learned during Years 1 and 2 are further developed in
a deliberate and spiral manner that reflects the increasing complexity of the
knowledge and tasks required of the students. Thus, learning in these years is:
1. Patient-based: Bedside and ambulatory
teaching/learning, through rounds and clinical conferences, are the starting
point for all educational activities
2. Student-centered: Autonomous and group learning
become the dominant approaches; lectures and formal teaching are less relied
on.
3. Standardized: It employs structured and simulated
exercises that cover essential topics (not uniformly encountered in practice),
and that reinforce basic science, social, ethical and epidemiological
principles, to provide uniform content and experiences to the students.
Throughout the 4-year program, emphasis is placed on:
- Active learning,
critical thinking and problem solving by students, and reflection,
self-direction and self-assessment, thus developing the students’ life-long
learning skills. In this context, teachers are considered not merely as
transmitters of knowledge, but as facilitators who guide and orient students,
provocateurs who challenge, stimulate and provoke the students to create
meaning from their experiences, and mentors who advise and act as role models.
- Alignment of
assessment modalities with the educational objectives.
- Providing
feedback to students through both low-stakes assessment - to ensure success and
increase motivation, and through high-stakes assessment - to maintain standards
and ensure competency.
Receiving
feedback from students about the educational program through course, clerkship
and instructor evaluations, and other means when appropriate (e.g. town hall
meetings, Student Curriculum Committee reports, end of year workshops or
retreats).
Finally, the Impact Curriculum offers students an alternative
scholarship track where they have the opportunity to engage in original
scholarly work within a field of their interest, and in some cases, work
towards a dual degree (MBA/MD, MS/MD). This approach recognizes the diversity
of talents, interests and potential among students, enhances their
independence, self-discipline and creativity, and enriches the environment of
learning within the medical school.