Curriculum Planning Workshop 1
The First Steps: The Structure of the Graduate Medical Course
This was the first of a series of planned curriculum workshops to define the macro- and micro-structure of the new graduate MD course commencing in 2011.
In this first workshop a major structural element of the new course was considered – the proportion of time students will spend in the preclinical phase of the course, specifically the viability of one preclinical year (Phase 1) and three clinical years (Phases 2-4).
Participants were all members of one (or more) of the five curriculum committees coordinating the current MBBS program (Biomedical Science, Clinical Science, Health Practice, Advanced Medical Science (AMS) and Medical Course Committees) and/or members of the Melbourne Medical School Executive. In addition three clinicians from each of the 4 clinical schools were invited to participate. Participants were provided with a selection of prereading materials two weeks prior to the workshop.
The workshop began with introductory presentations from members of the Medical Education Unit (MEU). The project management plan for the development of the new graduate medical course was presented for context. The process for the workshop was then outlined including details of the prerequisites, barriers and enablers for bioscience teaching in the clinical years and potential academic configurations for a phase 1 program. The workshop participants examined the characteristics of the prerequisites for the new graduate medical course (anatomy, physiology and biochemistry) and the extent to which bioscience knowledge could be delivered in the clinical context. These considerations were performed in groups that examined the content of each of the current MBBS body system and health practice subjects.
Each group then reported their discussion in the next session of the workshop. In the final session of the workshop the reports were summarised by Prof Geoff McColl.
The participants in the workshop concluded that a single phase 1 year was viable. A summary report of the workshop is now available.
