Integration is the arrangement of teaching content in a manner that brings together concepts that are typically taught in different academic departments or courses. The terms interdisciplinary teaching or thematic teaching are synonyms used to describe an integrated curriculum.
An integrated medical curriculum enables graduates to put the information they've learned together to comprehend the big picture and treat patients or develop health care plans holistically.
Medical schools that use this method schedule these "parallel" or "concurrent" curricula so that related subjects within the disciplines are covered at the same time. For instance: similar subjects, such as the structure of the kidney in anatomy and its functions in physiology, are covered on the same day or during the same week but are nonetheless taught according to a subject-based approach, leaving it up to the students to figure out the connections.
Curriculum integration consists of adopting the SPICES model, which includes strategies such as:
- student-centered learning (S)
- problem-based learning (P)
- integrated teaching (I)
- community-based education (C)
- elective programs (E) and
- systemic approach (S)
For curriculum integration to be in line with the current health-illness perspective, such a movement from the traditional learning perspective toward the SPICES learning model is essential.
Benefits of Integrated Curriculum
- It enables learners to comprehend the course material more thoroughly.
- It teaches learners how to use the classroom acquired knowledge in a real-world situation.
Students who study medicine initially learned the basic and biomedical sciences before moving on to the clinical sciences. The main critique of this strategy is that students won't understand how basic and biological sciences are utilized in clinical practice.
Early Clinical Experience Through Integration
Basic Science learning placed in the context of clinical practice is viewed by students as being more engaging and relevant, therefore integration is crucial for medical education. Vertical integration, a method of curriculum reform, mixes early clinical experience with basic and clinical sciences. This is unquestionably a benefit.
To conclude,
Curriculum integration outlines the issue of segmented learning, which occurs when people learn pieces of a repertoire of knowledge and skills but struggle to put the pieces together as a whole. To encourage the growth and integration of knowledge, skills, understanding, and wisdom, medical education must incorporate a variety of learning and teaching methodologies.
Medical Schools teaching Pedagogy should be a prime factor during your selection procedure.
Look out for institutions with innovative 21st-century teaching pedagogies. One such accredited school is the American University of Barbados, School of Medicine (located in the Caribbean). Its USA-based medical curriculum is specifically designed to meet the license standards in the US and other countries across the world. AUB implements some cutting-edge teaching strategies such as gaming-based medical simulation, 3D medical animation, and educational softwares. The school’s well-designed, creative, and integrated curriculum improves learning and focus, which promotes advancement.
A final thought: "A balanced curriculum encourages and facilitates critical thinking," which is an extremely crucial ability for our future doctors.
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