Over the past decade we have attempted various iterations of the academic half-day, but recurring trainee complaints of only didactic sessions, a parallel resident-directed “Nelsons” rounds, and low attendance necessitated a reconsideration of the approach.
After discussion with the postgraduate trainees we divided the academic year into two blocks. An initial 8 week “summer program” with 24 student contact hours, focuses on the introduction to and review of common, critical care and emergency pediatric issues. The following 40 weeks has 120 student contact hours. Two thirds of the time is directed at the CanMEDS Medical Expert Core Competency. The postgraduate trainees have developed a three year core knowledge curriculum. The 200 “core” topics are mapped onto four international curricula; the RCPSC’s Objectives of Training and Specialty Training Requirements in Pediatrics using the Systems-Based Educational Objectives in the Core Program in Pediatrics, the American Board of Pediatrics – General Pediatrics Outline, and the Royal College of Pediatrics & Child Health (RCPCH) Framework of Competencies for Basic Specialist Training, and Core Higher Specialist Training in Paediatrics.
The two hour Medical Expert session is divided equally into a postgraduate trainee didactic presentation, and a collaborator case-based learning session. Six weeks prior to the scheduled session the trainee and the assigned faculty collaborator receive the core Medical Expert topic mapped to the four international curricula. The pediatric trainee develops a didactic presentation along with a two page summary. The collaborator, a resource for the trainee’s didactic presentation, develops three clinical cases that emphasize core knowledge, and attends as a Medical Expert resource person.
We are currently surveying the postgraduate trainees and faculty about this international-based core medical expert program of study.
