As a member of the consortium of medical schools addressing behavioral and social sciences in medical education, we propose to continue the transformation of the Baylor College of Medicine curriculum to reflect an ideal balance in content among the behavioral, biomedical, and social sciences such that our graduates are not only proficient and knowledgeable medical technicians, but also effective healers. We will transform both the formal and hidden curriculum by leveraging content and processes developed in the original grant, adding new content, and continuing our efforts to transform relationships. We will expand from student-teacher relationships into the clinician-colleague domain of relationships, introducing content that emphasizes relationships of students with others in healthcare. Our efforts to create effective healers are framed as relationship-centered, focused on interprofessional relationships and education, and utilize behavioral change theories to guide our work. In addition, we will partner with the Texas A&M Health Science Center and other members of the consortium to share curricular enhancements and activities, expanding their use and reach, and to disseminate findings of educational research related to these enhancements.
Our Aims i nclude to 1) Continue and enhance curricular activities to transform core student-teacher relationships through ongoing evaluation and quality improvement; 2) Advance the transformation of the hidden curriculum regarding relationship centered care and communication in clinical settings through integration of interprofessional education (IPE), transforming relationships between medical students and other health professionals; 3) in partnership with Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC), expand the integration of the principles and values of relationship-centered care into both classroom/community-based and clinical/simulation curricular models of IPE; 4) in partnership with TAMHSC, promote and disseminate relationship-centered educational development and research, regionally and nationally; and 5) as a member of the Consortium, expand the current behavioral and social science consortium from 9 to 18 schools, continue our collaborations and national dissemination efforts, and enhance our collective evaluation under the aegis of a coordinating center. We believe that the Aims and activities we propose will better prepare our students for effective patient care in what has become a complex web of healthcare systems, providers, and diverse patients.
US demographic transformations have resulted in an aging population accompanied by increases in chronic diseases and obstinate health problems. In response to these challenges, we must educate health professionals differently so that they can more effectively address these problems. This proposal explores models of interprofessional education, between medical, nursing, pharmacy, and public health students, to improve their communication with one another and ultimately improve patient care.
