Moving a mountain: Practical insights into mastering a major curriculum reform at a large European medical university

Abstract

Aim: Undergraduate medical education is currently in a fundamental transition towards competency-based programs around the globe. A major curriculum reform implies a dual challenge: the change of the curriculum and the delivering organization. Both are closely interwoven. In this article, we provide practical insights into our approach of managing such a fundamental reform of the large undergraduate medical program at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Methods: Members of the project management team summarized the key features of the process with reference to the literature.

Results: Starting point was a traditional, discipline-based curriculum that was reformed into a fully integrated, competency-based program. This change process went through three phases: initiation, curriculum development and implementation, and sustainability. We describe from a change management perspective, their main characteristics, and the approaches that were employed to manage them successfully.

Conclusions: Our report is intended to provide practical insights and guidance for those institutions which are yet considering or have already started to undergo a major reform of their undergraduate programs towards competency medical education.

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the former Dean, Annette Grüters-Kieslich, the Vice Deans Manfred Gross, Claudia Spies, the present Dean, Axel R. Pries, and the Vice Deans Adelheid Kuhlmey, Joachim Spranger. We wish to thank Peter-Michael Kloetzel, the long-standing Chairman of the Curriculum Committee. Furthermore, our thanks go to the Curriculum and Assessment Committee. We owe our gratitude to our project management team colleagues whose help has been invaluable during “moving this mountain”: Olaf Ahlers, Irene Brunk, Jakob Hein, Julia Karner, Judith Mörschner, Jörg Pelz, Charles Christoph Röhr, Konstanze Vogt, and Jishun Zhu. We would also like to thank a number of student project management team members: Sara Katzenstein, Lennart Milles, Andia Mirbagheri, Oliver Mossakowski, and Steffen Willun. We further thank the team of the reform pilot study under the leadership of Dieter Scheffner for the invaluable pioneer work.

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

Asja Maaz, Dr. rer. medic., is Vice Director of the Dieter Scheffner Centre for Medical Education and Educational Research, Dean’s Office for Student Affairs, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. She was the vice director of the project management team.

Tanja Hitzblech, Dr. rer. medic., is head of the team “teaching formats” (simulation based medical education, communication skills training, problem based learning), Dean’s Office for Student Affairs, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. She was a member of the project management team.

Peter Arends, is head of the Department of Communication Skills Training (Medical School), Office of the Vice Dean for Curricular and Student Affairs, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane. He was a member of the project management team.

Antje Degel, MD, is working as an anesthesia specialist and is course coordinator for the implementation and development of the emergency medicine curriculum, Dean’s Office for Student Affairs, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. She was a member of the project management team.

Sabine Ludwig, Dr. rer. medic., is in charge of the German National Women’s Health Report, Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin. She was a member of the project management team.

Agata Mossakowski, MD, is working as a neurologist at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. She was a student member of the faculty board, numerous module chairs, and the project management team.

Ronja Mothes, MD, belonged to the first cohort of students who started the Model Study Course in 2010. She was a student representative in faculty committees, spokesperson of the medical students' association and also was a member of the project management team.

Jan Breckwoldt, MD, MME, is head of the department for research and development at the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich. He was a member of the project management team.

Harm Peters, MD, MHPE, is professor of Medical Education and Director of the Dieter Scheffner Center for Medical Education and Educational Research, Dean’s Office for Student Affairs, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. He was the director of the project management team.