Training our Medical Students

Dr.T.V.Rao MD
We are in a complex world of change, we elders call it as generation gap, many times we point to the lacuna of our students, rather than their abilities. I one for to believe Modern generation of students are bright, intelligent and can learn many matters faster than many us when we are students. The reasons being they are born in a better world of technology and opportunities. We teachers just finish our task or lecture and do not think beyond, and look at the University results, and we think we have done our Job. Every learned teacher has a task to empower our students as the world wants a change and we have to empower the students which constitute a competency-based curriculum that defines the knowledge, skills and personal and professional values we expect of all of our graduates. A competency-based curriculum rests on sound practical, time-tested principles of good educational practice. Many American and other advanced Institutes believe that following criteria has helped the students for progress in their career Effective communication one should truly agree that communication is the criteria which builds the confidence in our patients, the competent graduate demonstrates effective verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills in a wide range of activities, including patient care, consultation and teaching. The graduate should have the communication skills to establish rapport with and the ability to counsel patients and their families. I think it is first aspect in training our students, when we conduct seminars we really build in confidence in students to build in self empowering our students Physician (Student)-patient communication -Builds rapport with patients; demonstrates both verbally and non-verbally interest in patients medical and psychological well being -Effectively and efficiently gathers relevant patient history -Counsels patients on disease processes and plan of care understandable terms Employs effective listening skills: -Uses active and responsive listening skills, accurately interpreting both verbal and nonverbal messages while facilitating effective communication The competent graduate develops the skills to obtain a comprehensive history, conduct a thorough physical examination, perform basic clinical tests and interpret data in a spectrum of patient care settings. The students should learn from the therapeutic choices advised by the mentors, the teachers should be able to explain and communicates the pathophysiologic and pharmacologic rationales for the chosen therapy and expected outcomes at a level appropriate for faculty, staff, patients and families.

A final year MBBS graduate must have competency to think and decide about the common clinical disorders presented on the bed side, as the competent graduate is able to diagnose, manage and prevent a spectrum of health problems. This competency involves formulating an assessment and care plan for individuals and extending it to families and communities. Diagnoses the common health problems of patients -Interprets a patient's history, physical examination and laboratory data appropriately -Based on history, physical examination and laboratory data formulates an appropriate differential diagnosis and problem list -Based on differential diagnosis and problem list, selects appropriate further diagnostic testing. While learning the gap should be less between the teacher and students as competent graduate understands the need to continually expand and enhance ones knowledge and abilities to best serve patients. The graduate is intellectually inquisitive and competent. The graduate seeks out and evaluates information from the full spectrum of resources continually updating ones knowledge of best practice guidelines. We the teachers should become competitors in learning. The ethics we teach to our students may not be believed by our students unless we practice it ourselves, Commits to carrying out professional responsibilities and adhering to ethical principles -Demonstrates compassion and integrity -Demonstrates sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse patient population including diversity in gender, race, age, sexual orientation and religion. Every Doctor must fit into the Society for the survival and to accepted by the community, Community Medicine most stresses the curriculum but often neglected by the Students when they are young. Do remember Community Promotes better health for patients and the community -Supports and participates when possible in community activities and policy development to provide opportunities for better health choices -Supports actions to improve the quality of community health -Encourages health care interventions designed to enhance the total wellbeing of individuals, families and communities. Understands health and disease from population perspectives -Appreciates the value of population-based public health program, polices and individual health care services -Uses analytical methods to support critical reading of the medical literature -Finds and uses information sources on community health issues

-Integrates knowledge of epidemiology, statistics and evidence based medicine to analyse population health status. Ethics continues to be safe pathway for many of us I wish with ethics we can avoid many conflicts The competent graduate recognizes the ethical dimensions of medicine and health policy. The graduate formulates, defends and effectively carries out a course of action that takes into account. The ethical complexity of the health care setting. The graduate respects patients values and beliefs, and is able to reconcile them with alternative options while maintaining ethical integrity. At the end of the training, the competent graduate demonstrates an understanding of and reflects on the complex processes involved in the evaluation and treatment of a patient. The graduate can incorporate the previous eight competencies into a holistic approach to medical care. The teachers should be able to document the competency of the students just on few theoretical question and more on solving the human problems, ethics and ability to take risks and challenges ( Based on modern though of teaching in Major Health Institutes in USA Email doctortvrao@gmail.com