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Rationale: Public health and preventive medicine (PHPM) has been recognized internationally as a physician specialty, but national parallels and differences exist between training contexts. This paper reviews PHPM training and employment in Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the USA. Methods: Information gathered from relevant accreditation bodies and literature searches was used to create descriptive profiles of national training demographics and structure and a narrative outlining trends and challenges facing the specialty. Results: Notable similarities and differences exist between national contexts. Key themes were differences in training strategies and practice scope, specialty stakeholders, certification structure, and funding. Recognition challenges faced the specialty across all six countries. Other challenges included unclear competencies and training strategies and a need for PHPM specialists to highlight their role in combating population health threats. Additional differences existed between comparator countries on the structure of training, funding sources for training programs, availability of training posts, and linkages with other physician specialties. Conclusion: Highlighting these themes is a first step to fostering training collaborations between PHPM specialist physicians to augment transnational action on global public health challenges and also supports PHPM physician educators with innovative solutions from abroad that might address domestic specialty challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Communication Skills Training (CST) is now mandatory for all students in UK Schools of Medicine. However, the extent to which all schools follow a similar curriculum is unclear. Aims: This paper reports the findings of a survey of CST teaching in all UK Schools and compares the findings with an earlier survey. Methods: A specially designed questionnaire survey was sent to all Schools, and this was supplemented by follow-up telephone interviews. Results: There is a high level of consensus across Schools about the aims and objectives of CST, its location within the overall curriculum, and how it is assessed. There is also a dedicated staff member specifically responsible for CST delivery in all Schools. A wide number of different specialisms also contribute to training. However, wide variations remain in CST pedagogy. In addition, several problems were identified in relation to the integration and operation of CST. Conclusions: While the paper identifies and delineates a typical or 'modal' model of CST in UK Schools of Medicine, it also emphasizes the importance of flexibility in this part of the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Student selected components (SSCs) represent a significant component of medical curricula in the UK and a new approach in medical education. Despite the prominence given to SSCs by the General Medical Council in each of its seminal papers regarding undergraduate medical education, there remains a diverse view of the purpose, outcomes, structure and assessment of SSCs. Many Schools have adopted their own perspective of SSCs and created different but often innovative courses. Aims: This article brings together the Scottish Medical Schools and their experience in organising SSCs, highlights some of the challenges and offers possible solutions to some of the difficulties encountered. Method: The SSC Director from each of the Scottish medical schools each contributed their own '12 Tips'. From these a consensus was achieved. Results: Even though the Scottish medical schools have a wide range of curriculum and timetable formats, there was a great deal of agreement in the challenges and problems encountered in their SSC programmes, as expressed through these 12 Tips. Conclusion: There is much diversity in SSC programmes at different medical schools, although there is also much commonality in the challenges that arise. We hope that this paper will promote thought and discussion amongst those involved, and be useful to those involved in curriculum and programme development and also to those new to medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how professionalism teaching might be integrated into undergraduate medical education in the United Kingdom setting. It advocates adopting an outcome-based approach to curriculum planning, using the Scottish Deans' Medical Curriculum Group's (SDMCG) outcomes as a starting point. In discussing the curricular content, potential learning methods and strategies, theoretical considerations are explored. Student selection, assessment and strategies for optimising the educational environment are also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical attachments form a vital part of the learning experience for medical students but may vary in educational value. This paper describes a project intended to improve the quality of attachments at a District General Hospital in Devon, UK after negative feedback was received from students. Aims: To improve educational quality by providing information and choice for students. Method: The intervention was to set up a wéb - based system that allowed students to view before arrival all educational opportunities available, not only in the hospital but in the surrounding district. Students were contacted by email 2 weeks before their attachment and were then able to construct their own timetable from the menu of opportunities available. Results: The system was popular with students, recruited new providers of learning opportunities and also integrated learning across primary and secondary care. Conclusions: The intervention encouraged a sense of ownership of the learning experience as well as maximising the use of available learning resources. Practice points Clinical attachments form a vital part of medical student training but vary in educational quality. Conflict may arise from a clash of "discourses" between modern medical curricula emphasising active, self-directed learing styles and a traditional, "apprenticeship" based clinical environment. Web-based technology can be used to provide information and choice to students prior to attachments, thus increasing student autonomy and acting as a "bridge" between discourses. This qualitative study in a single UK health community found that such a system was workable, popular with students and also had the effect of widening the teaching base. The system is versatile and could be adapted to many situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been recent increasing interest in reflective practice within physiotherapy education as a method for reducing the ‘theory-practice gap’ and as a means of articulating, exposing and developing knowledge embedded in practice. Several contrasting theories have been developed to explain the role, place, purpose and definition of reflection in learning and teaching; however, much of the research to date has relied on theoretical debate rather than high quality empirical evidence. The aim of this paper was therefore, to report how a group of United Kingdom (UK) based physiotherapy Professional Practice Coordinators ( n ?=?33) with their unique insight into the concept from both the academic and clinical perspective viewed and interpreted the use of reflective practice within their physiotherapy curriculum. Consent for the study was obtained via the professional body (The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists) (CSP) and data was collected via postal questionnaire. Results indicated a diversity of experience in respondents both in terms of their role as Coordinator and their training in reflective practice. There was also no clear consensus regarding facilitative models or assessment methods even though the majority of coordinators believed that reflective practice should be considered to be a central component of physiotherapy teaching strategies. The results of this survey provide a focus for further empirical research into reflective practice as part of the physiotherapy curricula, while advancing the understanding of reflective practice from a broader perspective and clarifying the benefits to students, teachers, patients and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several news updates related to electronic-learning in medical education In Great Britain. The need for handouts in a web-enhanced component of a curriculum was a topic discussed recently at the DR-ED Website. It was noted that having put material on the web, there was reluctance from staff to provide students with printed handouts. Some schools have changed from digital and paper handouts to digital only. There is a clear need for further study of how students interact with web-based material and to what extent summaries in hard copy or electronic format are necessary or advantageous and how these should be embedded within an electronic-learning programme. In Great Britain the Joint Committee of Higher Surgical Training has developed over the past two years a Website for surgical trainers and trainees to access information about the learning objectives of the training programme. The core of the site is a comprehensive description of the annual milestones trainees should achieve.

Background: The UK General Medical Council (GMC) in its regulatory capacity conducts formal tests of competence (TOCs) on doctors whose performance is of concern. TOCs are individually tailored to each doctor's specialty and grade. Aims: To describe the development and implementation of an electronic blueprinting system that supports the delivery of TOCs. Method: A case study that describes the evolution of the GMC electronic blueprint including the derivation of its content and its functionality. Results: A question bank has been created with all items classified according to the competencies defined by Good Medical Practice. This database aids test assembly and ensures that each assessment maps across the breadth of the blueprint. Conclusions: The blueprint described was easy to construct and is easy to use. It reflects the knowledge, skills and behaviours (learning outcomes) to be assessed. It guides commissioning of test material and enables the systematic and faithful sampling of common and important problems. The principles described have potential for wider application to blueprinting in undergraduate or clinical training programmes. Such a blueprint can provide the essential link between a curriculum and its assessment system and ensure that assessment content is stable over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]