Systematic and stepwise interprofessional education in Showa University / 医学教育

　At Showa University, which consists of the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Nursing and Rehabilitation Sciences, systematic interprofessional education for the purpose of training staff who can contribute to the medical team has been introduced with the cooperation of all 4 schools and through all undergraduate years. In the lower years, students study the basics of medical team care through a 4-school joint curriculum of experiential learning （such as early exposure） and problem-based learning inside and outside of the university. In the upper years, to acquire practical skills, students study the practice of medical team care through a joint curriculum of participatory learning in hospitals and the community. Through this curriculum, I expect that the medical staff to promote patient-centered team medical care in a variety of medical fields will grow in the future.

A prototype interactive seminar on pediatric emergency practice in Yokohama / 医学教育

  We describe a prototype seminar, inspired by the problem-based learning tutorial system, on pediatric emergency practice for young physicians working in 7 pediatric emergency centers in Yokohama. The seminar was received favorably by the participants, especially as an opportunity for individual learning. We expect that the seminar will contribute to the standardization of emergency practice in these pediatric centers and the establishment of an interhospital network.

Team–Based Learning at the Duke–NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore / 医学教育

1)We visited the Duke–NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore to learn the administration and management of, and the theory behind, team–based learning (TBL), a candidate educational method to replace the problem–based learning tutorial.<br>2)TBL motivates students to prepare for and engage in discussion. The grading of performance in TBL, certain characteristics of assignments, and the use of peer evaluation all promote individual and group accountability for learning.<br>3)To obtain the maximum overall benefit from TBL and to exploit group dynamics for effective learning, well–designed assignments are the key.

Establishment of "Fujita–style" problem–based learning with an emphasis on the use of a monitoring room to support tutors / 医学教育

1)We reproduced a problem–based learning (PBL) tutorial at our school and developed our own PBL tutorial, which we call "Fujita–style PBL." This is a clinical problem-solving type of PBL, in which both a monitoring room and small–group learning rooms are used.<br>2)To maintain the present number of PBL lessons despite the limited number of tutors, one tutor supervises several groups simultaneously. Coordinators observe the progress of PBL from a monitoring room and support the tutors.<br>3)Students learn the given scenario and identify their learning issues. After they study the learning issues by themselves, the students return to tutorials to explain their learning issues. Thereafter, each group's findings are presented to the groups supervised by one tutor.

Effect of early problem-based learning tutorial education on medical students' views about learning / 医学教育

1) In problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials during the2nd year, general symptoms (fatigue, weight change, bleeding, fever, pain, and edema) were chosen as subjects.Changes in the students'way of thinking about how to learn were evaluated before and after PBL tutorials.<BR>2) After tutorials students were significantly more likely to believe that their participation in tutorials was a more effective way of learning. The students'views after tutorials on listening to lectures differed between2006and2007.<BR>3) We conclude that PBL tutorials affect medical students'views about learning.

Medical Education at the Arabian Gulf University College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, a Consortium Medical School / 医学教育

1) In 1982, the Arabian Gulf University College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (AGU), a new regional medical school based in the Kingdom of Bahrain, was established by a consortium of six Arabian Gulf countries and has succeeded in effbcting changes in medical education in the region.<BR>2) High school graduates must be nominated by the relevant ministry in their respective countries to apply to the AGU. Two thirds of the students are women.The entire curriculum is conducted in English, and the AGU provides remedial classes to improve students' English skills during the first year.<BR>3) The AGU has adopted the educational philosophy of problem-based learning since its inception.During the clinical clerkship phase, students revisit basic medical sciences with emphasis on their clinical application.The creativity and innovation of the AGU's programs in the commumity are designed to meet community needs and invite the greater participation of community faculty

The Effect of Several Problem-based Learning Tutorials on Clinical Abilities Before and After Graduation / 医学教育

We examined the effects of several problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials on the development of clinical abilities among medical students. In 1988, 2 years before our university implemented the PBL tutorial curriculum, one to three trial tutorials were used for a portion of the students in the 1st through 3rd years to identify a suitable tutorial education system for Japanese students. To examine the effects of these trial tutorials, we sent questionnaires to graduates who had participated in the trial tutorials and to those who had not. We found that graduates who had participated in the trial tutorials were more likely than graduates who had not to report logical thinking capabilities during their undergraduate years and clinical problem-solving abilities at the end of their internship. The results suggest that the use of one or more tutorials is effective in helping students develop logical thinking and problem-solving ability.

A Tutorial System in Premedical Education / 医学教育

Eight years ago the problem-based learning tutorial system was introduced for premedical education at Kinki University School of Medicine. We evaluated this unique education system with questionnaires for students in 1997 and 2000. The suitability of the problem-based learning tutorial system for medical education was 72% in 1997 and 92% in 2000. Approximately 90% students were satisfied with the tutorial system in both years, indicating that this system was widely accepted by even first-year students. However, group differences and differences due to tutors were still observed in the activities of students or the achievement of general instructional objectives or both. The content of the tutorial system and tutor training should be continuously evaluated.

Model Core Curriculum and Student Evaluation System for Entering to a Clinical Clerkship. Signs, Symptoms and Pathophysiology as the Learning Objectives for the PBL / 医学教育

Problem-based learning (PBL) tutorial follows the learning attitude of adult characterized as a self-directed learner. PBL may be applied to facilitate learning of signs, symptoms and pathophysiology that are defined in the Japanese Model Core Curriculum for the undergraduate medical education. When signs, symptoms and pathophysiology are the learning objectives in the PBL, the learners may integrate the related problems to understand the basic mechanisms of the diseases. Whereas didactic lecture-based learning facilitates systematic understanding. Thus, construction of curriculum to accommodate the Model Core Curriculum with learning objectives of signs, symptoms and pathophysiology require through consideration for the characteristics of PBL as one educational modality in the medical education.