Medical-themed film and literature course for premedical students

Abstract

The authors introduced a 'Medicine and Literature' course into the premedical curriculum to help students develop clearer expectations regarding their lives as future physicians, and also to gain insight into the humanistic and social aspects of medicine. The course was developed for the entire class of secondgrade premedical students (n = 126) and consisted of one threehour session per week over six weeks. The course was composed of two main themes: (1) medicine and film; and (2) medicine and literature. Students' responses showed that this course helped them to gain perspectives on both a physician's life and medical practice, and also enhanced their understanding of the humanistic and social aspects of medicine itself. Students reported that they also valued the advantages of collaborative learning, which holds the potential for improving their skills in presentation, discussion, communication and teamwork. In Korea, introducing arts- and humanities-related courses into the medical curriculum is a recent trend, and is still in a very early stage. Although our study has several limitations, we conclude that by studying literature and films during the premedical period, students can grasp a sense of the many different issues that physicians are faced with.