The
current status of Medical genetics instruction in us and
canadian
medical
schools
V.C. Thurston1*,
P.S. Wale2s, M.A. Bell3, and J.J. Brokaw3.
1Dept. of Medical and Molecular Genetics, 2Office
of Medical Education and Curricular Affairs, and 3Office of
Medical Student Affairs.
Indiana
University
School
of Medicine,
Indianapolis
,
IN
46220
USA
Relatively little is known about the medical genetics courses taught in
medical schools, including exact course content, the amount of time
devoted to medical genetics, and whether a consensus exists among
educators regarding topical priority.
We surveyed 149 course directors involved in teaching medical
genetics to determine to what extent this increasingly relevant field is
covered in medical schools’ curricula.
Course directors throughout the
United States
and
Canada
were identified using the AAMC Curriculum Management and Information Tool
(Curr-Mit) or through individual medical schools’ websites.
Letters were sent to course directors requesting them to complete
our survey and return it in a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Survey results were collected over the next four months and data
were collated according to instructional method and course content.
At the time this abstract was submitted, 94 surveys (63%) had been
returned. The results of this
study revealed that faculty lectures are the most common instructional
method (84%) and guest seminars are the least common method.
Sixty-eight percent indicated that 20-40 hours were devoted to
medical genetics instruction. The
topics most commonly taught are: cancer
genetics (91.6%), biochemical genetics (90.4%), clinical cytogenetics
(88%), Mendelian disorders (88%), multifactorial inheritance (88%), and
patterns of inheritance (83.1%). Forty-six
percent of the respondents indicated that they taught a stand alone course
versus 54% who integrated medical genetics into another course.
Nearly all of the respondents taught medical genetics in the first
two years. Only 22.3% of
respondents indicated that medical genetics was integrated into clinical
teaching. Our findings provide important baseline data relative to the
recently established AAMC Medical School Objective Project: Genetics
Education Guidelines. Ultimately,
improved genetics curricula will help train physicians who are
knowledgeable, competent and comfortable discussing and answering
questions about genetics with their patients.
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