Developing and Implementing Integrated Modular Curriculum for Pre-Clinical Sciences in Medical Institutes; Current Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

In the complex world of medical education, the Iterm “integration in undergraduate medical curriculum” has different meanings for different institutes. The reason is that this concept needs to be understood in the pragmatic paradigm. Pragmatism is defined as “a reasonable and logical way of doing things or of thinking about problems that are based on dealing with specific situations instead of ideas and theories”. By the time of this writing, faculty members of most public and private sector colleges have been exposed, either directly or indirectly, to integration in the undergraduate medical curricula. A common understanding of integration is teaching the sciences together in systems-based modules and assessing these concepts in blocks. This is a very basic idea as the curriculum is a much broader concept.

According to Kern, the first step should be Problem Identification and Needs Assessment when developing curricula. For most institutes, the need for integration is there because it is a newer, in-vogue method, and the older traditional curriculum is no more applicable. Though true to some extent, due to recent developments in medical education, newer teaching and assessment methodologies are much better and should be adopted but decisions on what to adopt must be based on practical considerations. The students of the older “traditional” curricula have
achieved heights of success so simply saying that the older system is flawed would not be true. Needs assessments should be conducted diligently by the curriculum committee keeping in view the availability of trained medical educationists, the readiness of administration for change, the level of faculty training, and the acceptability of students for change.