Making the Connection: Using Concept Mapping to Bring the Basic Sciences to the Diagnosis

Although medical education has historically emphasized the role and importance of basic science in clinical reasoning, educators have struggled to teach basic science to optimize its use for students. Concept mapping helps students develop relationships between basic and clinical science, which can enhance understanding of the material. Educators at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine developed a weekly concept-mapping activity connecting biomedical principles with clinical signs, symptoms, and laboratory values from a comprehensive clinical case. This activity elicits cross-disciplinary discussion, illustrates content integration by the students, and enhances faculty collaboration across disciplines.