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4 Strategies for Incorporating the Behavioral and Social Sciences into Medical School Curricula
Pages 87-98

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From page 87...
... SUMMARY: There are a number of barriers to the incorporation of behavioral and social science content into medical school curricula. Some of these barriers are common to medical school curriculum change in general, whereas others pertain more specifically to the behavioral and social sciences.
From page 88...
... There is a lack of hard data regarding the proportion of the USMLE devoted to the behavioral and social sciences, but a num ber of knowledgeable individuals believe the percentage is inadequate and has decreased in recent years. The committee recommends that the National Board of Medical Examiners review the test items included on the USMLE to ensure that they adequately reflect the behavioral and social science subject matter recommended in Chapter 3 of this report.
From page 89...
... BARRIERS TO INCORPORATING THE BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL CURRICULA The development and administration of the medical school curriculum are the centralized responsibility of each school of medicine, but the curriculum is difficult to change, in part because so many individuals, departments, and committees are involved. Curriculum reform occurs when there is consensus or the need for change among faculty leaders (AAMC, 2000)
From page 90...
... In summary, curriculum development in the behavioral and social sciences often faces all of the barriers associated with institutional change in general in addition to the specific challenges associated with teaching these disciplines. Despite these and other barriers, however, the committee was able to identify successful efforts in major structural curriculum change in medical education that include the incorporation of behavioral and social science content into the curriculum.
From page 91...
... Career development awards provide salary and other support for faculty members, allowing them to pursue the acquisition of new leadership skills, develop curriculum changes, or complete research projects. These awards have been used successfully to promote curriculum change and to enhance the careers of faculty in the pulmonary and cardiovascular sciences (ACS, 2003; NCI, 2000; NIH Guide, 2000; University of Wisconsin, 2003)
From page 92...
... Establish a career development award strategy. Be cause the provision of career development awards has been an effective strategy for improving instruction and research in other health-related areas, the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research of the Na tional Institutes of Health or private foundations, or both, should estab lish a career development awards program to produce leaders in the behavioral and social sciences in medical schools.
From page 93...
... . Medical educators should strongly consider increasing their faculty development efforts to improve the skills of their faculty in writing test questions in the behavioral and social sciences.
From page 94...
... In the case of the behavioral and social sciences, this process requires faculty members who can serve as theme coordinators or champions for the incorporation of these disciplines across the curriculum. Because the process involves curriculum committee reviews and negotiation with existing course directors so they will allow time for behavioral and social science content in their courses, interpersonal negotiation skills are helpful.
From page 95...
... a customized evaluation designed by the Social Medicine Department to address its specific concerns. More empirically, a prospective pretest­posttest controlled trial -- the strongest study design for determining the effect of a curriculum intervention (Campbell and Stanley, 1966; Fitz-Gibbon and Morris, 1987; Green, 2001)
From page 96...
... For example, the Social Medicine Department at the UNC School of Medicine receives significant funding from the state legislature for medical education in the behavioral and social sciences, as well as dedicated federal resources through the Area Health Education Center Program. These direct-funding sources ensure the department's stability, setting it apart from departments at other medical schools that have cited major difficulties regarding the sustainability of their curricular changes in the behavioral and social sciences (Alan Cross, University of North Carolina; Jason Satterfield, UCSF; and Doug Post, Ohio State University, personal communication, September 2003)
From page 97...
... . Nontraditional testing methods, however, such as short essay questions, structured oral examinations, and objective structured clinical examinations, may be better suited for use in the behavioral and social sciences because they reveal, more so than other modes of testing, how the student frames problems, appraises and replies to alternative views, evaluates evidence, and defends conclusions.
From page 98...
... Some believe this is due to changes in the overall design of the exam, while others cite difficulty in writing high-quality test questions on the part of experienced faculty who lack formal training in the behavioral and social sciences. The committee does not believe it is necessary to specify a particular number of behavioral and social science questions that should be on the exam.


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