Redesign and implementation of the radiology clerkship: from traditional to longitudinal and integrative.

Abstract

The authors discuss the evolution and application of 3 radiology teaching methods-a fundamentals-of-imaging course, a combined clinical-radiology case conference, and a radiology objective structured clinical examination-to medical education at the Brigham and Women's Hospital site of Harvard Medical School. The evolution of the medical student radiology teaching program from content needs assessment to blueprint creation, through implementation, is outlined. The 3 components of the teaching program are described. The changes in format in response to feedback and challenges faced in deploying this new curriculum are detailed. Results from student surveys and the radiology objective structured clinical examination scores from recent years are also presented. As radiology assumes an increasingly central role in patient care and diagnosis, the need for effective integration of radiology teaching into medical education becomes more critical. The concepts presented here have been deemed to be successful by students and faculty members and may be applicable to other institutions.