Otago Medical School Visiting Scholar Neil Osheroff

It is important for health professionals to have a strong understanding of the biomedical sciences that underlie clinical practice.

To address this critical issue and teach the biomedical sciences in a more holistic context, many medical schools have transitioned their pre-clerkship phase from standalone discipline-based science courses to integrated blocks that combine foundational and clinical sciences. For these blocks to achieve their desired outcomes, it is critical for them to go beyond curricular integration and incorporate foundational and clinical sciences at the session level. This can be accomplished by a variety of methodologies but is most easily addressed using pedagogical approaches that emphasise active learning. In some instances, integration in these active learning sessions goes a step further to include competencies such as professionalism, communication skills, etc.

Although many schools have successfully integrated foundational science and clinical materials in the pre-clerkship phase, the overt integration of biomedical sciences into clinical courses has proven to be challenging.

This talk will discuss the importance of curricular and session-level integration of biomedical and clinical sciences, the cognitive science behind integration, and the successes and unique challenges that accompany curricular and session-level integration in the pre-clerkship and clinical phases of medical education.