The Physician Experience Teaching an Integrated Curriculum to First-Year Medical Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Curriculum Development
• Clinical Sciences Integration

Background:

• A novel medical school curriculum utilizes physician educators for first-year medical student instruction.
• Physician involvement in curriculum design, implementation, and delivery is a key feature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the experience of practicing physicians involved in a new medical school's first-year curriculum.
• To assess physician educators' satisfaction and collaboration with basic scientists.
• To gauge medical student satisfaction with physician educators.

Main Methods:

• Surveys were administered to all first-year physician instructors and medical students at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.
• Data collected included physician involvement, preparation time, collaboration ratings, and satisfaction levels.
• Student satisfaction with physician educators was also assessed.

Main Results:

• Physician educators reported a highly positive experience teaching first-year medical students, despite significant time commitments.
• Collaboration between physician educators and basic scientists received high ratings.
• Medical students expressed high satisfaction with their physician educators across various domains.

Conclusions:

• The integration of physician educators with basic scientists in early medical education is successful.
• This model provides a valuable framework for other medical schools aiming to enhance clinical science integration.
• High satisfaction among both educators and students indicates a promising educational approach.