Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model
Published on: October 31, 2010
Development, implementation, and evaluation of a student-initiated undergraduate medical education elective in HIV
Derek Chew1, Denise Jaworsky, Julie Thorne
1University of Toronto, ON, Canada. derek.chew@albertahealthservices.ca
Background:
The literature indicates that medical students require more comprehensive HIV training.
Aim:
Medical students at the University of Toronto developed and implemented the preclerkship HIV elective (PHE) with the aim to increase trainee HIV knowledge, address important issues in HIV care, and prepare students to serve affected populations.
Methods:
Developed in partnership with the Ontario HIV Treatment Network and in consultation with local AIDS service organizations and the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, the PHE was inaugurated in November 2008 as an elective supplement to medical curriculum content. Eighteen second-year medical students participated in the PHE, consisting of lectures, small group sessions, clinical observerships, community placements, reading assignments, and an HIV counseling and testing workshop. Participants completed a self-assessment of HIV knowledge prior to starting and after PHE completion.
Results:
Self-assessment scores of HIV knowledge among PHE participants significantly increased from 78.1% (pre-PHE) to 90.2% (post-PHE) (p = 0.0016). Common themes from feedback on participant satisfaction included enthusiasm for small group sessions, clinical observerships, community agency placements, and the diversity of topics covered.
Conclusions:
Student-run initiatives can supplement medical curriculum content and program feedback may be used to advocate for curriculum changes. Factors influencing success include student leadership and interest, community partnerships, and faculty mentorship.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
01:18Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results from...
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
01:25Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.