Updating Med Ed
What changes are needed to make medical school curriculum more appropriate for the current healthcare environment?
Published March 08, 2013
Medical educators have a tough job: teach students everything they need to know to be successful practitioners, even as the information they teach, and the world around us, changes at a rapid pace. While medical schools attempt to teach their students the most up-to-date medical information available, many feel that the curriculum (and even the basic structure of medical school) is not changing quickly enough to keep pace with changes just about every other aspect of human life: technology, social structures, research findings, and more. Check out the following Academy resources to see what changes to medical education are being recommended by experts, and possibly coming to a medical school near you.
 | Event & PodcastHealth 2.0: Digital Technology in Clinical CareAt this conference and interactive simulcast webinar on Friday, March 22, learn how digital technologies—including mobile apps, wearable sensors, robotics, remote learning, and portable diagnostic devices—are becoming an integral part of clinical care and medical education. In-person attendees will be eligible for CME credits. For a special preview of conference topics, listen to a podcast on digital healthcare technology: virtual patients, AI doctors, and more. |
 | eBriefingInnovating and Updating the Medical School CurriculumRead this eBriefing based on the inaugural event of the Academy's Translational Medicine Initiative, in which representatives from several medical schools advocate for critical updates to physician training, motivated by advances in science and technology. |
 | eBriefingPrioritizing Health Disparities in Medical Education to Improve CareLearn how medical schools can reduce health disparities—differences in health outcomes between groups that often reflect social inequalities—and promote health equality, regardless of education level, race, sexual orientation, geographic location, and other factors. |
 | EventCapacity Building in Nutrition Sciences: Revisiting the Curricula for Medical ProfessionalsJoin the Academy at this conference on Thursday, June 6, to learn the importance of teaching would-be doctors about nutrition science, including the differences between micro- and macro-nutrients, how they interact with your body, and how this information might be used to help prevent, diagnose, or treat disease. |
 | eBriefingIntegrating Student Research into the Medical School CurriculumEducators say that undertaking basic research can help medical school students sharpen the analytical, creative, and critical-thinking skills that the practice of medicine demands. Should immersion in a research experience should be a core component of medical training for all medical students, no matter specialty they plan to pursue? |
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