Learning A B C of Medicine
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Transcript of Learning A B C of Medicine
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7/29/2019 Learning A B C of Medicine
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LEARNING A B C OF MEDICINE
Dr.T.V.Rao MD
Curriculum of Medicine is an occasion of knowledge; one can never swim to reach the other shore,
however we have to have minimum competency. The biggest problem in medical education today isan old one: There is too much to know, and not enough time to learn it. The problem is more acute
today than it has been in the past, because of the great increase in Medical colleges without many
competent Teachers, increasing medical information and even the addition of new courses in
medical colleges. When we were students we have no university papers on ENT, ophthalmology or
Paediatrics. MBBS degree stands, it was really to know something of everything. Today students
turn to little books in Medicine as guides and while memory aids such as mnemonics, certainly can
help, it is more important that you really understand the material rather than just memorize it,
Moreover, once one understands, it becomes much easier to pick up and remember more esoteric
facts, as opposed to just trying to remember isolated bits of information. Today we never do well
with reference books despite the importance of reference texts; it can be difficult to go through
them in the short times allotted for medical-college courses. Also, the information can be so
overwhelming that it becomes difficult to see the forest for the trees, and acquire an overall
understanding. While it is important to have the reference text, the initial phase of acquiring
understanding is best achieved through the small books that help you see the big picture. Once
youre on the wards, the question is how to make the most efficient use of your time in continuing
your medical education, that the best way to learn and retain medicine is through patient
interaction. But to supplement this learning experience, it is important to do a certain amount of
critical reading. Today, the Internet provides a much quicker and more efficient way of searching for
information. By using a general or medical-specific search engine, it is now possible to findimportant, current and practical information about virtually any medical condition. Indias problem
of less competent doctors, continue to hamper the efficient medical care in spite growing number of
basic physicians, many were good in theory but lack the skills to practice and tide over many critical
situations. In built curriculum emphasises in theory of learning not proportionate to the practice. It is
certain we have to improve on learning clinical skills by our Students ,as Clinical teachingthat is,
teaching and learning focused on, and usually directly involving, patients and their problemslies at
the heart of medical education. At undergraduate level, medical colleges strive to give students as
much clinical exposure as possible; they are also increasingly giving students contact with patients
earlier in the course. For postgraduates, on the job clinical teaching is the core of their
professional development. How can a clinical teacher optimise the teaching and learning
opportunities that arise in daily practice? Every Medical graduate should be proficient; Learners are
motivated by its relevance and through active participation. Professional thinking, behaviour, and
attitudes are modelled by teachers. It is the only setting in which the skills of history taking,
physical examination, clinical reasoning, decision making, empathy, and professionalism can be
taught and learnt as an integrated whole. Despite these potential strengths, clinical teaching has
been much criticised for its variability, lack of intellectual challenge, and haphazard nature. In other
words, clinical teaching is an educationally sound approach, all too frequently undermined by
problems of implementation, due to poor quality of teachers and indifference towards responsibility
The following are observed as hindrance even in developed countries
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Challenges of clinical teaching
Time pressures
Competing demandsclinical (especially when needs of patients and students conflict);
administrative; research
Often opportunisticmakes planning more difficult
Increasing numbers of students
Fewer patients (shorter hospital stays; patients too do not cooperate with students
Patients too are our Teachers - Sir William Oslersdictum that it is a safe rule to have no
teaching without a patient for a text and the best teaching is that taught by the patient himself is
well known. The importance of learning from the patient has been repeatedly emphasised. For
example, generations of students have been exhorted to listen to the patient he is telling you the
diagnosis. Traditionally, however, a patients role has been essentially passive, the patient acting as
interesting teaching material, often no more than a medium through which the teacher teaches.
Wish to Learn how to Teach Medicine better - the best article is ABC OF LEARNING AND TEACHING
IN MEDICINE Edited by Peter Cantillon, Linda Hutchinson and Diana Wood ( BMJ )
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]