Survey results and a recommendation for a change in U.S. medical physiology curricula

Both the recent advances in molecular biology and the dilemma of teaching a larger volume of more detailed material to students from a declining, weaker applicant pool necessitate a critical reappraisal of the medical physiology curriculum and pedagogy. An extensive survey of the physiology curricula in 107 U.S. medical schools conducted during the 1986-87 academic year revealed that physiology was taught as a separate course, averaging 100.1 lecture hours, 24.0 laboratory hours (usually dealing with cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology), and 25.6 conference hours. The physiology courses offered by the schools surveyed averaged 21.8 weeks in duration and were taught by an average of 13 faculty (72.5% with Ph.D. degrees, 21.8% with M.D. degrees, and 5.4% with both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees). The evolution of the physiology curriculum has been slow; as a result the need for change is great. Physiology departments must give a high priority to reorganizing and revitalizing teaching. Additionally, the physiology curriculum must be critically examined. There is an urgent need to reevaluate course content, decide the fate of the student laboratory, and develop new, innovative teaching techniques. The ubiquity of these problems among medical schools suggests that they be addressed at a national level.