Opinion - Bring back the ‘old school’: an opinion to improve modern undergraduate education
Students Richard A. Hickman and William Anderson give their thoughts on how to improve undergraduate medical education.
UK undergraduate medical education is forever changing, with some emphasis now shifted away from the preclinical sciences toward subjects such as sociology and communication skills. There are several problems with this modern syllabus. Firstly, most undergraduates get far less teaching now than previously, in biochemistry, physiology and anatomy, with biology practicals significantly curtailed and compulsory dissection not even existing in some institutions. Instead, these students are forced to study predominantly from lectures and books [1,2,3]. The reduction in emphasis of these topics and the limited modalities in which to learn these areas could be partly why some consultants regard medical student’s knowledge more superficial than before [4,5]. Secondly, the lack of exposure to practical research provides little appeal to successfully recruit clinical academics. Such experiences are found in most graduate entry and intercalated students; a minority of UK medical students. Is this lack of awareness another reason for the diminished number of clinical academics? [6]
We are pleased at our own medical schools for providing optional modules/activities in specific preclinical disciplines that allow students to explore these topics in more depth, sometimes with exposure to practicals. In Warwick, dissection is part of the core curriculum of the medical course; Birmingham has dissection as an optional area of study. WA found it was dissection that he found most useful in learning anatomy; similar views are heard in those who choose to dissect in Birmingham [7].
We believe an expansion of biomedical science teaching with more practical elements is necessary to improve the confidence of our clinical teachers. Such implementation could improve undergraduate knowledge of relevant preclinical science and entice more students to select an academic career, thus sustaining the next generation of future medical education.
Richard A. Hickman, BMedSc (Hons.)
5th year intercalated medical student, University of Birmingham, UK
RXH422@bham.ac.uk
William Anderson, BSc (Hons.)
2nd year graduate entry medical student, University of Warwick, UK
All authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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3. Burton JL, Underwood J. Clinical, educational, and epidemiological value of autopsy. Lancet. 2007 369:1471-80.
4. Waterston SW, Stewart JJ. Survey of clinician’s attitudes to the anatomical teaching and knowledge of medical students. Clin Anat. 2005; 18(5):380-4.
5. McKeown PP, Heylings DJ, Stevenson M, McKelvey KJ, Nixon JR, McCluskey DR. The impact of curricular change on medical students’ knowledge of anatomy. Med Educ. 2003. 37(11):954-61.
6. Aldridge J, Fitzpatrick S. Clinical academic staffing levels in UK medical schools. URL: http://www.chms.ac.uk/documents/ClinicalAcademicStaffSurvey2008-Medicine_001.pdf
7. Heetun M. Anatomy dissection: RIP? sBMJ. 2007, 15:45-88.
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