As the healthcare landscape evolves, so too does the way medical schools prepare doctors for the realities and challenges ahead--even if the specifics are unknown. The University of Michigan Medical School is one of many schools around the country that has phased out the model used for the past century to make way for greater emphasis on skills such as teamwork and communication, according to an article from Kaiser Health News.
"We shouldn't even try to predict what that system's going to be like," said Raj Mangrulkar, the school's associate dean for medical student education. "Which means we need to give students the tools to be adaptable, to be resilient, to problem solve, push through some things, accept some things, but change other things."
To enhance communication skills, for example, students pair off to role play negotiating the price of a used car or reaching agreement on who should get credit for an imaginary medical journal article.
In contrast, most of today's practicing doctors were never taught specifically how to collaborate with patients or colleagues, and instead stuck to a "two plus two" approach that emphasized classroom memorization and clinical shadowing. Today, however, there is not only too much medical information for anyone to memorize and keep up with, but it's easily accessible by smartphone or tablet. This shift, according to Mangrulkar, means that schools also have to alter their priorities to prepare doctors for an ever-changing healthcare environment.
Tomorrow's physicians must be better equipped to not just treat patients, but understand how the healthcare system works. Thus, the American Medical Association has funded changes to programs at 11 medical schools around the country through an initiative called Accelerating Change in Medical Education.
To learn more:
- read the article
- read about the AMA's initiative