Nursing

Up close and personal: Med students get better connected to patients

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, June 2, 2006

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Harvard Medical School is revamping its curriculum in an effort to better train doctors to understand illness from a patient's perspective and get a more in-depth look at patients' lives. Changes to the program will be gradually introduced over the next three years.

As part of the new structure, first year students will take courses on medical ethics and professionalism, health policy, and the effect of social and economic conditions on disease. Instead of completing one- to three-month rotations at different hospitals, third year students will now stay in one hospital and follow some patients the entire year, so that senior doctors can better spot students' strengths and weaknesses. Twice-monthly conferences will allow students to discuss their patients' medical issues, as well as ethical dilemmas, family problems, and health insurance problems.

Source: The Boston Globe



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