Mainstreaming medical humanities in continuing professional development and postgraduate training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Medical Humanities

Background:

• Medical humanities are established in research and undergraduate education but lack presence in postgraduate training.
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) traditionally focuses on clinical aspects, neglecting humanities integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a medical humanities program targeting the deficit in postgraduate training and CPD.
• To introduce clinician scholars to the medical humanities within a CPD framework.

Main Methods:

• Developed a masterclass as part of a CPD series, focusing on introducing the medical humanities.
• Webcast the masterclass live to multiple hospitals across Ireland.
• Featured a panel of clinician scholars with peer-reviewed publications on the medical humanities.

Main Results:

• Successfully delivered an introductory masterclass on medical humanities to a postgraduate audience.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of integrating medical humanities into existing CPD structures.

Conclusions:

• Postgraduate medical colleges are vital for developing medical humanities in training and CPD.
• An intercollegiate platform for medical colleges in the British Isles could effectively advance medical humanities training and faculty expertise.