The " School of Medicine " brings together 33 Spanish universities to address the challenges in the " training " for future doctors

The School of Medicine held last Wednesday, October 28, the First “ workshop : Rethinking the Medical Education ,” a “ meeting ” event through which it sought to share with other Spanish Schools what it had learned after graduating the first class of its Integrated Curriculum. The “ quotation,” held at the “ campus ” in Madrid, focused on new ways of teaching medicine and on real-world experiences of curriculum change. Nearly a hundred participants attended, including academic leaders and professors from 33 universities—18 public and 15 private.

The starting point was a reality that affects all schools: medical Education is changing due to social, technological, and professional factors, and Schools are trying to adapt as they go. “We envision this forum as a space for dialogue to share with others what we have learned in the process of design and the implementation of the Integrated Curriculum: what we have achieved, what challenges have arisen, and how we have brought about change at internship,” explained Dean Marta Ferrer.

Alberto Puig, a “ Associate Dean ” in innovation at Harvard Medical School, openedthe “ workshop ” with an opening “ discussion paper ” on the need to transform medical “ Education ” today, focusing on the pressures that have converged over the past decade: the pace of scientific change, the way information technology has altered what a doctor needs to keep in mind, and what the learning sciences say about how students actually learn today.

What Should the Doctor of the Future Be Like?

“The medicine of the future will be more technological, precise, and effective. But it would be a regrettable paradox if, in our determination to achieve increasingly intelligent medicine, we ended up creating a less humane form of medicine,” added Leire Arbea during a session on the qualities that medical schools should foster in students to meet the needs of the healthcare system they will join. “Because behind every good medical internship there should also be a form of love: that compassionate love that allows us to recognize the dignity of others and commit ourselves to their well-being. A love that does not replace science, but rather gives it meaning.” To this end, the associate dean of innovation in education at the University of the Basque Country ( School of Medicine ) proposed the “ model ” (Comprehensive Physician Profile) developed at the university, which she illustrated with the image of a professional with a head, hands, feet, and a heart—one who combines scienc knowledge , and critical thinking; clinical skills, communication, and team work ; a commitment to society’s needs; and empathy, integrity, and a vocation for service.

Next, the Faculty team reviewed the design, the implementation, governance, and training of the faculty for the new curriculum, accompanied by several students to bring the previously discussed points to life. Afterward, the deans of the School of Medicine at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Pilar López, and at Ramón Llull University, Montserrat Esquerda, described how they have approached the transformation given their specific circumstances: innovating from within without starting from scratch, transforming a large school, or designing a new Study program.

“No single department has all the pieces of the puzzle”