The current class of first-year students at UCLA’s David
Geffen School of Medicine are the first to be taught under a newly
structured curriculum, which places emphasis on integration in
medicine.
After one semester, the curriculum is getting mixed reviews from
both students and faculty.
But the scales tip in favor of the decision to revamp the way
classes are taught.
Prior to the change, students took separate semester-long
physiology and pathology courses, learning in each class the
relevant knowledge on a specific organ, such as the heart.
Now, professors from each respective department are working
together to comprehensively teach all aspects of the heart ““
physiological, pathological and otherwise ““ in about two
weeks.
The change was made to better prepare medical students for the
real-life challenges of the profession.
“(When you’re a doctor) you aren’t presented
with a patient that hands you a little sign that says,
“˜I’m biochemistry of x, y, z and my problem is
something.’ You have to listen to a lot of things and try to
integrate them,” said Sally Krasne, a professor in the
Department of Physiology and a co-chair of one of the committees
that designed the new curriculum.
The new curriculum helps to eliminate redundancy among medical
classes, said Armand Fulco, biological chemistry professor.
Another positive tip in the scale, Fulco said, is the increased
incorporation of clinical examples in which students diagnose and
suggest therapy for patients that are based on real cases.
“(We are) trying to integrate the clinical aspects of
basic sciences with the basic sciences themselves,” he
said.
In compliance with the new structure, faculty had to condense
their lectures. But Edward McCabe, professor and executive chair of
the Department of Pediatrics, feels that this allows professors to
teach essential medical knowledge in a more effective manner.
“I’m actually teaching more and providing more
information than we were able to in the past,” he said.
After the switch, professors from different departments began
teaching courses organized into cohesive themes, known as Blocks,
which emphasize a more direct correlation to diseases.
“Look at lipid biochemistry,” Fulco said, referring
to the science that deals with diabetes and high cholesterol.
“Many students consider it kind of boring, but it isn’t
when you can relate it to a certain disease state.”
As part of the Blocks, UCLA doctors are brought into lectures to
provide real-life examples, and to explain how the information the
students are learning relates to patient care.
David Samimi, the first-year student representative in the
Medical Education Committee, polls students on how they like the
curriculum and reports positive feedback.
“This forward-looking, integrated curriculum is a much
more intuitive and better way to learn,” he said.
His fellow medical students express similar support for the
change.
“I like it because clinical correlations keep us updated
on what we’re going to be studying and how we’re going
to be treating patients,” said Wanda Wong, a first-year
medical student.
However, some students are worried that the shortened lectures
may not adequately prepare them for the three-part United States
Medical Licensing Exam, also known as the Boards. The first part of
these tests is taken at the end of the second year of medical
school.
“I’m just a little afraid come Board time we
probably missed something and we didn’t get everything
we’re supposed to,” said first-year medical student
Alain Nguyen.
But Krasne thinks students will still be adequately prepared for
their Boards. She says the exam tests integration of medicine, not
just small facts.
“Medical students are crammed with too much material. Most
of what isn’t immediately applied is forgotten anyway,”
Krasne said.
Samimi expresses a similar opinion.
“With the new curriculum they are trying to make it more
clinically focused and cut out a little bit of the fat,” he
said.
“(It) gives us more time to focus on other aspects that
are going to make us great doctors,” Samimi added.
The medical school will be able to quantitatively determine how
effective the new curriculum is when the first-year students take
their Board exams next year.