The profession of medicine: a joint US–German collaborative project in medical education

Abstract

Background: International collaborations between medical institutions occur frequently in research and clinical training, but less often in undergraduate medical education. Collaborative programs in psychosocial, ethical and cultural topics are rare. “The Profession of Medicine”, an elective undergraduate course based on the “Patient, Physician and Society” curriculum at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA, was introduced in 2005 at the Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, in order to provide students with a learning opportunity in this field and to introduce an international context to student education.

Methods: The five-day course is offered to preclinical medical students twice a year and includes topics such as cultural diversity, end of life issues, mistakes in medicine, vulnerable populations, and interactions with the pharmaceutical industry. The course language is English, in a format consisting of both plenary and small group sessions. To date, one-fifth of the instructors have been from the U.S. institution. Educational methods include small group discussions, presentations by guest speakers, movie and video clips, role plays, and reading and writing assignments.

Results: The participants have evaluated the course very favourably, with average scores ranging from 1.2 to 1.5 (1 = best/agree the most and 5 = worst/agree the least). Pre- and post-course self-assessment with regard to knowledge, interest and professional attitude revealed a statistically significant increase for all course topics.

Conclusions: In sum, the integration of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine's “Patient, Physician and Society” course concept into the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin has been an effective method to develop students' professional skills and to stimulate international educational collaboration.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Regine Wood Tillmanns

REGINE WOOD TILLMANNS, MD, FACP, was Instructor of Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago until October 2006. From 2004–2006, she was an international fellow in medical education at the Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. She is now assistant professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, Texas, USA.

Anna Ringwelski

ANNA RINGWELSKI, MD, graduated from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA, in 2006. She is currently completing a residency training program in Emergency Medicine at Bellevue Hospital/New York University in New York City, USA.

Johanna Kretschmann

JOHANNA KRETSCHMANN, MS, is a clinical psychologist at a Psychosomatic Clinic in Bernau, Germany. Until recently, she was a faculty member in the Department of General Medicine at the Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, involved in program development and evaluation.

Luita D. Spangler

LUITA D. SPANGLER, PhD, received her doctorate in English Literature at the University of New Hampshire, USA. She currently teaches English at the Freie Universität Berlin and the Universität Potsdam, Germany.

Raymond H. Curry

RAYMOND H. CURRY, MD, FACP, is Professor of Medicine and Medical Education, and Executive Associate Dean for Education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA.