A Study on the Development of Social Medicine Curriculum / 한국의학교육

The purpose of this study is to develop social medicine curriculum model and to propose its management device. The study developed the curriculum model and its management plan as follows; First, the social medicine curriculum can be implemented starting from the first semester of first year through the first semester of fourth year, and is splitted up into two semesters for each year of medical school. Second, a semester consists of sixteen weeks, giving two hours course per week. Third, the sixteen weeks curriculum should be composed of sub courses which lasts at least four weeks each. Forth, the elective course of social medicine is of four blocks in total, and runs from second semester of the second year through first semester of the fourth year. This means the elective courses in the first semester are opened to third and fourth year students. And the elective courses in the second semester are opened to second and third year medical students. Fifth, the minimum number of elective courses should be more than four courses per semester. Sixth, the credits for core and elective social medicine courses are one point each for any lectures or laboratories carried out in the following way; one hour course provided for sixteen weeks or two hours course provided for eight weeks. The social medicine education stands firm as one of the core subjects in twenty-first century medical education. Thus, the effectiveness and systematic development of the program as well as running it will be the most important criterion for determining the competency of a medical school.

A Study to Develop a Medical Aptitude Test in Korea / 한국의학교육

Medical aptitude tests are usually for screening students in the field of medical science by testing the capability and aptitude to study medicine. There are various medical aptitude tests with powerful predicting validity such as the Medical College Admission Test(MCAT) in the U.S., the Graduate Australia Medical School Admission Test(GAMSAT) in Australia, and the Eignungsprufung fur Medizin Studium(EMS) in Switzerland. However, in Korea, there have been no medical aptitude test developed yet. This study is primarily to develop a medical aptitude test relevant to Korean circumstances, and secondly to suggest devise specific direction in applying the test at individual medical schools. We reviewed the existing medical aptitude test of other countries through literature, and examined the feasibility of those tests by consulting experts opinion. The Medical Education Eligibility Test(MEET) developed in this study consists of four areas including biological and physical science, verbal reasoning, space perception, and writing. The advisory committee will update the contents of the MEET every year. Executing the test will be administered either by a newly established Institute for Evaluating Medical Education(IEME), or by existing institutes like Korean National health personnel licensing examination board Korea or Korean Institute of Curriculum & Evaluation(KICE). A preliminary test should be necessary to examine the validity and reliability of the MEET developed from this study later on.

The Relationship between Coping Mechanisms and Psychological Symptoms in Vitiligo Patients / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired disorder which causes body disfiguring and may provoke emotional stress, functional impairment, and psychiatric symptoms. OBJECTIVE: (1) To assess whether the psychiatric symptoms are more frequent in vitiligo patients than control patients. (2) To investigate whether the vitiligo patients with more severe psychiatric symptoms use more negative and passive coping mechanisms than patients with less severe psychiatric symptoms. To carry out this study we evaluated psychiatric symptoms, problems in daily activities, and the relation-ship between coping mechanisms and psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: A clinical study was done on 150 vitiligo patients. Other dermatology patients were used as a control group. Both groups had visited the dermatology clinic of the Severance hospital. Questionaires regarding age, sex, severity of disease, duration of disease, SCL-90(symptom check list 90), the coping list of Weisman, and items for adaptability of daily activity were recorded. Results : Male vitiligo patients showed more psychological symptoms than female patients. Vitiligo patients had many more difficulties in daily activities than the control patients. The patients who had more severe psychiatric symptoms used more negative and passive coping mechanisms than less severe patients. Conclusion : Vitiligo provoked psychiatric symptoms and difficulties in daily activities. Psychiatrically more severe patients used negative and passive coping mechanisms. Comprehensive dermatologic and psychiatric treatment may be required in the treatment of vitiligo.