DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL EDUCATION

Swat Medical College, Swat

Introduction:

The most prevailing trends around the globe are towards blending basic medicine with clinical either horizontally or vertically. The integrated curriculum is fusion of knowledge of different discipline in to a whole. Such inter and intra connection among the disciplines enable the learners to get best insight of medical education. Integrated curriculum is an educational system that has an impact greater than the sum of its parts. It is well coordinated with well understood and mutually supporting elements. It is necessary that all the elements/disciplines work together for enabling students so that they can reach the program learning outcomes.

 

For meeting the society demands and competing with the information and technology advancement, the implementation of a successful integrated system is utmost goal of every medical institute of Pakistan. Swat Medical College (SMC) Swat is one of them. Since its successful deployment is not as easy as it seems. Therefore, the department of medical education is reporting the current status and present a future plans with mission and objectives.

 

As a matter of fact, all five years-MBBS have been spent to and for modular curriculum and no such analysis is presented to the administrators of the institute. So, this very first report is starting from the beginning.

 

The mission statement of DME:

The mission of DME, SMC Swat is to uphold the highest professional standards in medical education, focusing on student-centered learning and fostering excellence while improving the curriculum through the provision of support, training, recognition, and awards to exceptional educators, thus ensuring the delivery of exceptional medical education.

 

Goals:

• To develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and educational research environs pertaining to the medical profession, teaching, and learning.
• To organize and execute faculty development programs and promote Health Profession Education activities.
• To renovate DME up to the standards of WFME and collaborate with the national and international institutes of health profession education.

 

Objectives.

1. Develop and implement a curriculum that aligns with WFME and PMDC standards, incorporating core competencies, learning objectives, and assessment methods.

 

2. Design and deliver student-centered learning experiences promoting active engagement, critical thinking, and the development of problem-solving skills.

 

3. Establish a comprehensive faculty development program that offers ongoing support, training, and mentoring to educators, enhancing their teaching skills and knowledge of innovative methodologies.

 

4. Implement reliable and valid assessment methods to accurately measure students' knowledge, skills, and professional competencies in alignment with WFME and PMDC guidelines.

 

5. Foster a culture of ethical behavior and professionalism among students and Faculty, providing guidance and resources to promote integrity, empathy, and cultural sensitivity.

 

6. Create and maintain a robust quality assurance system to regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the educational program, ensuring adherence to the highest professional standards.

 

7. Encourage and support research and innovation initiatives in medical education, facilitating Faculty and student involvement in scholarly activities and the dissemination of findings.

 

8. Facilitate interprofessional education and collaboration by creating opportunities for students from different healthcare disciplines to learn and work together, promoting teamwork and holistic patient care.

 

9. Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the department by implementing strategies that address health disparities, cultural competence, and the needs of diverse populations.

 

10. Engage with stakeholders and professional bodies to stay informed about evolving standards, regulations, and best practices, seeking partnerships and collaborations to enhance educational outcomes and share expertise.

 

Description of Objectives:

1. Align the curriculum with WFME and PMDC standards: Ensure that the medical education curriculum complies with the guidelines and requirements set by both WFME and PMDC, incorporating the necessary competencies, learning objectives, and assessment methods.

 

2. Implement student-centered learning approaches: Promote student-centered learning methods, such as problem-based learning, case-based learning, and experiential learning, to actively engage students in their education and foster critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and professional skills development.

 

3. Enhance faculty development programs: Establish comprehensive faculty development programs that provide ongoing support, training, and mentoring to educators, enabling them to enhance their teaching skills, stay updated with advances in medical education, and adopt innovative teaching methodologies.

 

4. Strengthen assessment and evaluation processes: Develop robust and reliable assessment methods that align with WFME and PMDC guidelines, ensuring accurate measuring of students' knowledge, skills, and professional competencies. Implement regular evaluation processes for both students and educators to identify areas for improvement.

 

5. Promote ethical and professional behavior: Emphasize the importance of ethical conduct and professionalism among students and Faculty, instilling values such as integrity, empathy, and cultural sensitivity. Provide guidance and resources to ensure ethical standards and professional codes of conduct adherence.

 

6. Establish quality assurance mechanisms: Implement rigorous quality assurance mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the educational program, ensuring continuous improvement and adherence to the highest professional standards. Conduct regular program reviews, educational audits, and accreditation processes to meet WFME and PMDC requirements.

 

7. Foster research and innovation in medical education: Encourage Faculty and students to engage in research and innovation initiatives that contribute to the advancement of medical education. Support the dissemination of research findings and best practices through conferences, publications, and collaboration with other institutions.

 

8. Cultivate interprofessional education and collaboration: Foster collaboration and interprofessional education opportunities among students from different healthcare disciplines to enhance teamwork, communication, and holistic patient care. Encourage interdisciplinary research and interprofessional training programs.

 

9. Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion: Create an inclusive learning environment that values and respects diversity, ensuring equal opportunities for students from all backgrounds. Incorporate content and teaching strategies that address health disparities, cultural competence, and the healthcare needs of diverse populations.

 

10. Engage with stakeholders and professional bodies: Collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including PMDC and professional medical associations, to stay updated on evolving standards, regulations, and best practices in medical education. Seek partnerships and collaborate nationally and internationally to enhance educational outcomes and share expertise.

 

Future plans:

By strengthening the DME via resources and administrative support, the DME will be able to achieve the aforementioned objectives. In this way the integrated curriculum will move higher the integration ladder and will have sufficient time to focus on rest of the objectives. The main focus of DME is to train the Faculty at their convenience for recognizing their weakness and strength so that the flaws in the on-going integrated curriculum can be highlighted. By resolving these and moving towards improving the learning objectives of each module, understanding, and making the tables of specification, the Faculty will be able to improve their own respective study guides. Throughout these, DME will work passively and act as facilitator till the study guides are perfectly made. Meanwhile, in collaboration of IT department and quality enchantment cell (QEC), the implementation of fair assessment and continuous feedback will be improved by DME.

 

Targets for 2023-24

1. Developing the foundational rules and terms of reference for the successful implementation of integrated system in the institute.
2. Developing a system of faculty training according to modern principles of medical education.
3. Improving the existing curriculum (e.g. by initiating the process of integration within the subjects) in accordance to the guidelines of PMDC and WFME.
   1. Working on timetabling and improving and training the Faculty for better delivery of modular contact to students.
   2. Working on learning outcomes of modules.
   3. Working of table of specification of each modules and getting a fair system of assessment.
   4. Improving the available study guides and training the Faculty for understanding the importance, role and elements of a study guide.
   5. Working on curriculum mapping of the integrated system and
   6. Strengthening the inter/intradepartmental role.
4. Implementing the existing curriculum in a structured manner by utilizing the modern system of information transfer like problem-based learning.
5. Utilizing the well-established IT department for better and proper delivery of curricular contents and student management networking.
6. Keeping the integrity of each discipline intact, training the Faculty for moving towards higher level of Harden ladder and Miller's pyramid.
7. Initiating the fair paperless feedback and improving the assessment system through module, teacher, and program evaluation tools.
8. Supporting educational research and enhancing medical writing in institution (e.g., gathering data from the feedback and disseminating it to administrators and other educationalists).
9. Improving the quality enchantment cell and implementing a more advanced quality assurance and audit system.
10. Reviewing the performance of each department in the context of development, implementation, and assessment of on-going integrated system.
11. Reviewing the workings of the Department of Medical Education in response to the needs of institutions.
12. Improving and involving other disciplines in skill labs and adding it with more advanced technology, like simulation and mannequins and integrating skills within the curriculum.
13. Participating and supporting other institutions in the development of medical education projects.
14. Motivating and training further educationists for the institution and province.

 

What do we need to improve specifically?

1. Develop Annual Calendar
2. Develop Curricular Map (short form)
3. Implement TORs by bringing reforms in MCPs.
4. Develop meeting calendar for new TOR/MCPs
5. CME Policies and Accreditation with PMDC
6. CME activities as FDP (annual map)
7. Timetable Revisits
8. Study Guides Revisits
9. Paperless Feedback Mechanism
10. Skill lab TORs and Incorporating Into The Curriculum (Revisits)
11. Research Cell
12. QEC (SAR)
13. Curriculum Committee
14. SSC
15. MCQ bank & OMR purchase
16. UMR Conference
17. SMC Journal
18. Exam cell revisit

 

Workshops, Seminars, Conferences

• Workshop On Teaching Methodologies
• Workshop On Assessment & Evaluation
• Workshop On Curriculum Integration
• Workshop on SEQs, MCQs and structure viva
• Workshop On Ethics
• Workshop On Study Guides
• Workshop On Mentorship
• Workshop On Career Counseling
• Skill training program (BLS, ACLS, PALS, ATLS)
• Writing Meaningful Learning Objectives
• Writing Test Items to Measure Learning Objectives
• Making Presentations Interactive
• Designing Effective Instruction
• Developing a Teaching Portfolio
• Computing / Medical Informatics Skills
• Integration in medical education
• Curriculum development
• Students selected components.
• Fostering the undergraduate research

 

Timeline:

• Phase-1 focuses on the gaps identification and their fulfillment, which will roughly take 6-8 months (December 2023).
• Phase-2: evaluating the on-going changes in collaboration with the curriculum committee, QEC and research cell and working on deficient areas that almost fulfill the achievement of DME goals and objectives (Jan - Dec 2024).
• Phase-3: moving towards innovative basics and clinical health education (2025 onward).