From
a Discipline-Based to a Multi-Discipline-Based Organ System Sophomore
Curriculum: “The Agony and the Ecstasy”
Jay H. Menna,
Ph.D.*,
Ong Vang, B.A. , James Gibson, M.D., Ph.D., Chris Hackler, Ph.D., Micah
Hester, Ph.D., Kim Hiatt, M.D., Danvy Mui, M.D., Jeffrey Sawyer, Ph.D.,
Patrick Tank, Ph.D., Sara Tariq, M.D., David Wennerstrom, Ph.D., David
Wessinger, Ph.D., and Kirk Reynolds, M.S, College of Medicine, University
of Arkansas for Medicine Sciences (UAMS), 72205 U.S.A.
The College of Medicine, UAMS is in the process of better
integrating its basic science curriculum. In December of 2004 a proposal
synthesized by the curriculum committee to integrate the sophomore courses
along the continuum of the entire academic year, August to April, was
approved by vote of the faculty for implementation in the fall of 2005. A
sophomore curriculum subcommittee of the curriculum committee consisting
primarily of sophomore basic science course directors was constituted and
charged with temporally and topically integrating the curriculum. The
proposal stated that the curriculum would be presented in two phases with
the first phase being the fundamental principles of each course and the
second phase the presentation of the remaining curriculum in an organ
system fashion: pulmonary, cardiovascular, central nervous system,
gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, immune and hematopoetic,
skin, and endocrine. Initially the subcommittee addressed the first phase.
This proved to be an ineffective approach for without knowing the
substance of the organ system component there was no effective way of
knowing what fundamental principles should be included. The subcommittee
decided to address the organ system phase first. Each course director
submitted the title of his/her sessions consistent with inclusion in a
given organ system with descriptors and the approximate time needed for
each presentation. The sessions with descriptors were placed on
color-coded cards. The cards were then arranged in an integrated fashion
for each organ system with normal development first, abnormal development
second, reactive disease including inflammatory disease/infectious disease
and therapy third and neoplastic disease forth. At the end of the each
organ system a review session is held to concretize basic science
concepts. Near the end of the year two capstone areas will be addressed
that are multi-organ system in nature as a means of review and to enhance
the link between the basic and clinical sciences. A mine-able database of
the entire curriculum was developed. The trials, tribulations and triumphs
of the process and the resulting curriculum will be addressed in detail as
a means of helping others who are considering curriculum integration.
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