A decade of reform in medical education: Experiences and challenges at Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Purpose: In this paper, we present the major curricular reform in MD program of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, the oldest and the largest medical university in Iran, initiated about a decade ago.

Materials and methods: Following a comprehensive program evaluation, many of the basic challenges of the traditional curriculum were revealed, namely, lack of pre-defined competencies for graduates, over-reliance on teacher-centered teaching methods, over-emphasis on knowledge base in student assessments, and focusing solely on biomedical aspects of patient care. In 2010, a vision statement for reform was created and approved by the University Council. The new curriculum was launched in 2011.

Results: The changes included: revising the content of the courses, assimilating horizontal and vertical integration, emphasizing clinical skills, encouraging active involvement in patient management, providing more opportunity for supervised practice, integrating behavioral and psychosocial topics into the curriculum, incorporating interactive teaching methods, assessing students’ higher levels of cognition, and strengthening workplace assessments. To evaluate the changes, data were continuously collected and analyzed from the beginning.

Conclusions: Changing the curriculum of an MD program is a laborious task which should be planned and undertaken carefully and cautiously. It is an endless, yet invaluable and satisfying endeavor toward better future.

Acknowledgments

In this article, we have presented an overview of the TUMS Medical Curriculum Reform Project, supported and funded by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). We would like to express our appreciation toward the TUMS School of Medicine staff, particularly the Educational Development Office members, for their constant collaboration and commitment, in all stages of the project.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes on contributors

Dr. Sara Mortaz Hejri, MD, PhD, AFAMEE, is an Assistant Professor at Department of Medical Education and Education Development Center (EDC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). She has been involved in designing and implementing the MD curricular reform project since 2008. She was Deputy Director of Educational Development Office (EDO) at TUMS School of Medicine while she was a PhD candidate.

Dr. Azim Mirzazadeh, MD, is an Associate Professor at Departments of Medical Education and Internal Medicine, TUMS. He has been involved in TUMS MD curricular reform since its beginning. He was the director of EDO at School of Medicine for 10 years. Now, he serves as the EDC director at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Iran.

Dr. Mahboobeh Khabaz Mafinejad, MSc, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at EDC, TUMS. At the same time, she is the coordinator of vertically-integrated themes of the new curriculum at EDO.

Dr. Maryam Alizadeh, MSc, PhD, is a graduate of medical education, works as the coordinator of teaching and learning methods of the revised curriculum at EDO, TUMS.

Dr. Narges Saleh, MD, MSc, is a PhD student of medical education at TUMS. At the same time, she serves as the Deputy Director of EDO, TUMS. She has been involved in designing and implementing the TUMS MD curricular reform (2008 till now).

Dr. Roghayeh Gandomkar, MD, PhD, AFAMEE, is an Assistant Professor at Department of Medical Education. She is the director of Evaluation Unit at EDC, TUMS.

Dr. Mohammad Jalili, MD, is a Professor at Departments of Medical Education and Emergency Medicine at TUMS. He served as the TUMS Vice Chancellor for Education from 2011 till 2017.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported and funded by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).