Who am I speaking on behalf of?

• 6 years of being a medical student - hybrid course

• 2 months into internship

The downgrading of Basic Sciences?

- a student’s perspective

Teaching the Art AND the Science of Medicine

The dual importance of raw knowledge and the ability to put it

into action

What Will I talk About?

• Content

• Feedback

• Apprenticeship

Current Opinion

• Academics

• Clinicians

• Heads in books

• Dinosaurs

What do the students think?• The medical student organisations

• Australian Medical Students Association

• Local Medical Student Societies

• No Policy

Do students have an opinion?• Yes

• Growing Awareness

• Major item on AMSA agenda for their first Council meeting of 2005 in March.

• Personal opinion combined with the perspectives of others

Content

• “Hard” vs “Soft” Science

• 20 years ago

• The pendulum has swung

Where Do I think the pendulum lies?

• Too far in favour of “soft science”

• Soft science is important

• There is not enough anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology

How much should there be?

• Too much of a good thing

• Bring back more hard science

• Does this have to be at the expense of soft science?

Feedback

• Non-graded passes vs marks

• Formative vs Summative

• "When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative." - Robert Stakes

What is my opinion?

• “Where none admire, tis useless to excel”

• Basic competencies vs encouraging and rewarding excellence

• Basic competencies AND encouraging and rewarding excellence

MORE FEEDBACK

Is there anything on which all stakeholders agree?

Apprenticeship

• Medicine needs mentoring

• Is this taking place to a sufficient level?

• No

Why?• Individuals or system?

• System failure

• Service delivery is taking priority over teaching

• Applies to teachers and students (junior doctors).

Whose responsibility is this?

• State Departments of Health

What needs to be done?

• More money

• More time

• Recognition

• Protection

• Quantification - of both time and money

OUTCOMES

• RECOMMENDATIONS

• LISTENED TO BY THE RIGHT PEOPLE

• Listen vs hear

The Right People?

• AMC

• CDAMS

• Academics in the MEUs

Thankyous

• David Hewett

• Ted Cleary

• Matthew Hutchinson

• All attendees

Recommendations: Content

• That this conference recognises the value of subjects such as communication skills and ethics.

• That the MEUs increase the level of hard science taught in their curriculums. That this takes place while still maintaining an adequate level of soft sciences

Recommendations: Feedback

• That more assessment is provided to medical students.

• That this should consist of a mixture of summative and formative assessment.

Recommendations: Apprenticeship

• That the state Departments of Health need to invest more money into the education of medical students and junior doctors.

• Quantification

• Recognition

• Protection