Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
www.pharmpress.com/fact
Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 487–8
The purpose is to present the outcomes of a 2-day workshop (September 2003) in which representatives from Canada’s 16 medical schools will develop a CAM curriculum for undergraduate medical education (UME).
This educational initiative is part of an ongoing process. Phase I involved semistructured interviews and a half-day workshop with Canadian UME associate deans. Results and recommendations informed the direction of Phase II, which comprised: (1) a literature review on CAM in UME, (2) a review of policies regulating medical doctors practising CAM and/or referring patients to CAM practitioners, (3) physician interviews on degree of support for CAM education in UME, and (4) a synthesis of teaching philosophies, teaching models, learning objectives, and teaching materials focusing on CAM from all Canadian medical schools. The results of these subprojects informed workshop development.
The workshop will seek consensus with respect to: (1) vision of CAM in UME in Canada, (2) student learning objectives, (3) curriculum content and teaching materials, and (4) delivery strategies including pedagogy, learning technologies, host courses, roles and responsibilities. In addition, the feasibility of a sharable national database of teaching materials for CAM in UME, and the potential for a national network of CAM educators, will be explored. The presentation will describe areas of participant consensus and recommendations.
The workshop is an important step towards developing CAM curriculum in UME in Canada. The participation of all medical schools attests the perceived importance of this subject and is a key ingredient for success.
