A practical guide to using the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) standards. WFME 2: educational program

Preparing a medical school for institutional review of all aspects of the school’s programs requires an understanding of the international standards being used and adequate preparation and planning (1, 2). This series examines each of the nine standards developed by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) (3) with practical advice on their use in both self-review and independent accreditation processes. WFME standard 2 (Educational Program) examines in detail the program offered by the medical school, the instructional methods used to deliver the program, how the program is managed and how the program is linked with subsequent stages of the medical education continuum. Evidence of a strong nexus between the research activities of the medical school and the school’s teaching mission is vital. Accrediting teams will examine carefully the school’s resource allocation model and seek evidence of effective consultation by the school’s central curriculum committee

A practical guide to using the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) standards. WFME 1: mission and objectives

Preparing a medical school for institutional review can be a challenging undertaking for any institution requiring an understanding of the international standards being used and adequate preparation and planning (MacCarrick et al. in Med Teach 32(5):e227–e232, 2010). This series examines each of the nine standards developed by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME, 2003) with practical advice on their use in both self-review and independent accreditation processes. The WFME standards and their purpose are described and the use of these standards to ‘drive’ the quality improvement agenda in undergraduate medical education is also discusse

Preparing for an institutional self review using the WFME standards - an international medical school case study.

BACKGROUND: Curriculum reform poses significant challenges for medical schools across the globe. This paper describes the reforms that took place at the medical school of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) between 2005 and 2008 and the institutional self review process that accompanied these reforms. RESULTS: Although fully accredited with the Irish Medical Council the RCSI sought additional detailed review of all aspects of its undergraduate medical program. Five medical educationalists were invited to visit the College in 2005 and again in 2008 to act as \u27critical friends\u27 and guide the self review using the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) standards which had recently been adopted in Ireland. CONCLUSION: The process of institutional self review (as opposed to more high stakes accreditation) can bring about significant reform, especially when supported by a panel of \u27critical friends\u27 working alongside faculty to help guide and support sustained curriculum reform. The WFME standards continue to provide a useful framework to consider all medical education activities within a medical school engaged in continuous renewal. Adequate preparation for such reviews is critical to the success of such an undertaking and should be supported by a comprehensive communication strategy and project plan

Non clinical rural and remote competencies: can they be defined?

This paper aims to explore what non clinical rural and remote competencies are and how they have been described in different contexts. The findings are based on searches for publicly available national (and any international) curriculum statements of rural and remote practice published by agencies relevant to rural and remote medical practice, both government and non government, across the globe. The national statements of non clinical rural and remote competencies considered in this paper suggest that these competencies can be wide-ranging. They include specific kinds of content knowledge, high level problem-solving in specific contexts, skills in managing professional identity and ethical selfawareness, as well as teamwork skills and public health management skills. The paper concludes that there is insufficient evidence to specify how different non clinical rural and remote competencies are from non clinical competencies per se. However, the models examined suggest that, far from being undefinable, non clinical rural and remote competencies can be complex and multi-faceted, reflecting the demands of rural and remote contexts. The well developed models of these competencies that exist and the strong interest in many countries in producing them, suggest their importance for not only better preparation of rural and remote practitioners, but also well-rounded medical professionals generally

Virtual patients: an effective educational intervention to improve paediatric basic specialist trainee education in the management of suspected child abuse?

Child abuse is a particularly difficult subject to teach at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Most doctors are dissatisfied with their training in child abuse recognition and management. We developed an interactive video based Virtual Patient to provide formal training for paediatric Basic Specialist Trainees in the recognition of suspected child abuse. The Virtual Patient case revolves around the management of suspected physical abuse in a seven month old child, who initially presents to the Emergency Department with viral upper respiratory tract symptoms. This Virtual Patient was used to facilitate a case discussion with Basic Specialist Trainees. A questionnaire was developed to determine their perception of the value of the Virtual Patient as an educational tool. Twenty five Basic Specialist Trainees completed the questionnaire. Upon completion of the case, 23/25 (92%) participants reported greater self confidence in their ability to recognize cases of suspected child abuse and 24/25 (96%) of participants reported greater self confidence in their ability to report cases of suspected child abuse. Basic Specialist Trainees perceived the Virtual Patient to be a useful educational tool. Virtual Patients may have a role to play in enhancing postgraduate training in the recognition of suspected child abuse

A clinical training network for Far North Queensland (supporting regionally based training)

There is currently a maldistribution of the medical workforce in Australia, particularly felt in Queensland. This is contributing to inequalities in health service access and poorer health outcomes for regional populations. We know that regionally based health professional education works. Interventions such as James Cook University Medical School, has seen a doubling in the number of junior resident staff in the region. However in Queensland alone it is estimated we need over 1000 additional accredited vocational training positions to accommodate the bulge that has been created by the increased domestic graduate numbers. Although increasing the number of regionally trained medical graduates has played a significant part of the solution towards alleviating medical workforce maldistribution, this now needs to be urgently matched with expanded postgraduate training opportunities situated in regional areas. Of particular concern are the known inefficiencies in the medical 'training pipeline'. Undergraduate, junior doctor and vocational training tend to act as silos with lack of engagement with the private and community sectors. The Northern Clinical Training Network (NCTN) is a collaboration between James Cook University School of Medicine and Dentistry and Queensland Health. The NCTN vision is an integrated pipeline of clinical education the primary purpose of which is to help address the inefficiencies in the 'training pipeline' and improve engagement with the private and community sectors. The role and governance of the NCTN will be described with a particular focus on support of medical workforce training in Far North Queensland

Quality assurance in medical education: a practical guide

Most medical education institutions across the globe come under regular review and accreditation by national and/or regional bodies. Well-known examples include the Australian Medical Council (AMC) in Australia, the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK, and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in the USA. Preparing a medical institution for institutional review or accreditation can be challenging, requiring an understanding of the international standards being used, adequate resources, preparation, and planning. This book provides a practical guide for medical educators preparing their medical education program for independant review. Use of internationally accepted standards "drive" the quality improvement agenda in medical education are described

Curriculum reform: a narrated journey.

OBJECTIVES: Curriculum reform poses significant challenges for medical schools across the globe. Understanding the medical educator's personal and lived experience of curriculum change is paramount. This paper illustrates the use of narrative inquiry as a means of exploring the author's own evolving professional identity as a medical educator engaged in planning and leading curriculum reform and in understanding the meanings she and other medical educators attribute to their roles as agents of change in a medical school. CONTEXT: In 2002 it was decided to radically reform a school of medicine's (SoM) traditional 6-year medical degree course (converting it to a 5-year, integrated, case-based programme). This followed a decade of adverse external reports by the national accreditation agency. The 2001 accreditation report was the most significant catalyst for change, and drew attention to the School's need for a 'collective will' to introduce a series of specific curriculum reforms. To support this reform, a new curriculum working group (NCWG) supported by a dedicated medical education unit (MEU) was established. In late 2002 the author joined the School as the director of that unit. METHODS: This paper draws on a 3-year study which captured the stories of the curriculum planning project between 2002 and 2005, as well as stories of curriculum reform from past deans of the same medical school dating back to 1965. Narrative inquiry is used as a means of probing the author's own lived experience as coordinator of the new curriculum project and the experiences of key members of the NCWG, including the dean, and of former deans from the same medical school over its 40-year history. CONCLUSIONS: Through a living, telling and retelling of the story of curriculum change, narrative inquiry has a role to play in both elucidating the individual lived experience of curriculum change and shaping the evolving professional identity of the medical educator as an agent of change