Medical Education Revolution: New Challenges Ahead

"It is no longer enough to look at the patient as a person but as part of a whole community. Affecting the health of communities is a powerful way of affecting individual health by keeping sickness at bay, and not just by curing the sick." This was stated by Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, President of Aga Khan University (AKU), who was the chief guest at the Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) Conference organised by the University. The primary mission of AKU is the development of quality human resources that are trained to respond to the unique needs of the developing countries.

The chief guest Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, President of Aga Khan University (AKU), addressing the gathering of students, faculty and guests at Postgraduate Medical Education Conference.

Addressing a gathering of faculty, students and guests, Kassim-Lakha said the teaching of medicine encompasses both holistic and communal aspects, and new knowledge and techniques must be adopted to save lives and improve the quality of life. He said that integrated learning was replacing narrow technical training, with the inclusion of humanities that were increasingly playing an important role in the education of a well-rounded medical practitioner. "AKU has been conscious of this, and plans for a Faculty of Arts and Sciences will significantly enhance our medical base," he disclosed.

(L to R): Dr. David Taylor, Acting Provost, AKU; Dr. Rukhsana Zuberi, Professor of Family Medicine, AKU and Dr. Rosslynne Freeman, Professor of Medical Education, AKU.

The President emphasised the need to enhance scholarly content, including research, in the PGME programmes in order to strengthen academic rigour amongst the PGME trainees. He said there was no denying that sub-speciality training at postgraduate level is important. But how much sub-specialisation should occur in medical education in a developing country like Pakistan needs to be ascertained, in order to avoid the negative aspects of sub-specialisation already witnessed in industrialised countries.

Highlighting the objectives of the PGME programmes, Dr. Mohammad Khurshid, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences at AKU, said the purpose is "not only to produce graduates who are technically skilled professionals but also to inculcate in them other attributes, such as medical ethics, communication skills, patients' advocacy, administrative skills and the ability to practice evidence-based medicine."

Dr. Rosslynne Freeman, Professor of Medical Education, AKU, described the factors responsible for the shift from traditional methods of didactic teaching towards contemporary models that emphasise adult learning. Research studies show that traditional models of medical education do not serve today's doctors well when they are faced with solving complex problems posed by modern medicine. "Tomorrow's doctors need to know how to direct their own learning, and actively participate in transforming their experiences into knowledge and skills that enable them to go beyond basic clinical competence," she explained. Knowing how to learn, she continued, ensures that doctors survive increasing demands of accountability for their continuing professional development and encourages them to become lifelong learners.

Dr. Rukhsana Zuberi, Professor of Family Medicine, AKU, spoke on teaching roles for learners, emphasising the critical teaching role that postgraduate trainees play in the education of junior trainees and students. Dr. David Taylor, Acting Provost of AKU, accentuated the utility of research methodology to trainees in enhancing their critical thinking and understanding of evidence-based medicine.

Dr. Camer Vellani, Distinguished Professor, AKU, said that trainees must be responsibly engaged in health services that are relevant to their professional development, 'for this is the basis for defining structured supervised experience, enabling assessment of their performance and determining readiness for progressive responsibility." Dr. Vellani defined reasoned and disciplined inquiry as the outcome of thoughtful consideration of one's observations and management of problems.

In her lecture, Dr. Syeda Kausar Ali, Director of Medical Education, CPSP, said that good supervision and feedback is the backbone of teaching and learning. She also commented that trainees must learn to assess and reassess their own competence.

The conference included scientific poster presentations, and three concurrent workshops were organized on the second day of the Conference, on Experiential Learning, Learning Style and Coping with Stress of Learning.

In conclusion, Dr Nadir Ali Syed, Associate Dean, PGME, AKU, emphasised the role of PGME for Pakistan and indicated the need for ongoing review and improvement of teaching strategies. "There is a need to evaluate new developments in contemporary medical education and to gauge them for their suitability to our environment. There is also a need to move away from authoritative and didactic teaching to newer methods of assisted learning process," he suggested. He also announced that workshops on this theme would be held in July in order to capitalise on the outcomes of the conference.

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