Teaching global health with simulations and case discussions in a medical student selective
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RESEARCH
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Teaching global health with simulations and case discussions in a medical student selective Nathan S Bertelsen1,2*, Michelle DallaPiazza3, Mary Ann Hopkins4 and Gbenga Ogedegbe5,6
Abstract Background: Among US medical schools, demand for Global Health (GH) programs continues to grow. At the same time, cultural competency training has become a priority for medical students who will care for an increasingly diverse US patient population. We describe a pilot period for a new GH Selective designed to introduce medical students to global medicine and enhance culturally-sensitive communication skills. Methods: As a 4-week clinical clerkship, the GH Selective was offered annually over a three-year period to a total of 33 students. Activities included clinical assignments, cultural competency and clinical skills simulations, patient case discussions in tropical medicine, journal clubs, and lectures. Faculty assessments of student performance and student evaluations of course content were focused on 6 course objectives, adapted from standardized GH objectives. Results: For each offering of the GH Selective, at least 40 faculty members and fellows volunteered over 200 teaching hours from 11 medical school departments. Student feedback was consistently positive through competency-based curricular evaluations. As a result of its successes, the course is now offered on a biannual basis. Discussion: Experiential, student-centered teaching employed in this course proved successful as an introduction to delivery of evidence-based and culturally sensitive GH. Special emphasis on working with standardized patients in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural simulations provided students with clinical skills applicable for care provided both locally and on international rotations. Conclusion: With a special emphasis on cross-cultural sensitivity, this pilot elective trained future practitioners in fund of knowledge, clinical skills, and service delivery methods in GH. Keywords: Medical education, Global health, International health, Cross-cultural sensitivity, Cultural competence, Health disparities, Tropical medicine, Non-communicable diseases, Simulation education, Ethics, Health and human rights
Background The growing field of Global Health (GH) spans every scientific, clinical, and social science discipline, and skills developed in the study of GH are relevant to all health professions and specialties [1]. Furthermore, with an increasingly mobile global population [2], today’s US physicians require training in the global burden of disease and health disparities in order to care for a diverse patient population [3].
* Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Departments of Medicine and Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, Bellevue Hospital Center, 16N1, 462 First Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA 2 Koç University School of Medicine, Rumeli Feneri Campus, Sariyer / Istanbul, Turkey Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
As a result, the demand for GH curric
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