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| LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
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| Year : 2019 | Volume
: 32
| Issue : 2 | Page : 99-100 |
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A Report from the 2017 Sino-US Medical Education Symposium in Wuhan, China
Rimas Vincas Lukas1, Ivy Jiang2, Jonathan Lio2, Brian Cooper2, Hongmei Dong2, Jingyi Fan3, Renslow Sherer2
1 Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
2 Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Disease and Global Health, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
3 Department of Pediatrics, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| Date of Web Publication | 18-Nov-2019 |
Correspondence Address:
Rimas Vincas Lukas
750 N, Lake Shore Drive, Abbott Hall, 1114 Chicago, IL 60611
USA
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/efh.EfH_206_17
How to cite this article:
Lukas RV, Jiang I, Lio J, Cooper B, Dong H, Fan J, Sherer R. A Report from the 2017 Sino-US Medical Education Symposium in Wuhan, China. Educ Health 2019;32:99-100 |
Dear Editor,
The second Sino-US Medical Education Symposium held on April 15–16, 2017 in Wuhan, China, focused on assessment, curricular development, and reform. With ongoing nationwide medical education reform in China and development of competency assessments, these topics are of relevance.[1]
Presentations provided background on medical education curricula including recent reforms. Common themes were integration of basic/clinical medicine content, early introduction of doctor–patient communication, clinical reasoning in clinical internships/residency, approaches to faculty development, obstacles in residency training, information systems for evaluation, and innovative strategies to improve evaluations.
Curricular reforms at numerous schools in China were presented. Integration of basic and clinical components was reiterated. Faculty development efforts were emphasized, underlining the critical needs in improving teaching skills.[2],[3],[4] Highlights included basic/clinical science integration and development of clinical clerkships. Speakers focused on transitioning from receptive learning to active engagement and clinical reasoning. A “symptom to diagnosis” approach, which upends the traditional disease-based approach, was advocated. However, traditional pattern recognition in diagnosis was not discounted. The model of an urgent care clinic staffed with experienced faculty where students encounter a specific complaint/symptom and are required to work through it quickly was provided as an example for the clinical milieu, in which this type of thinking could be practiced and optimized.
Development of competency-based residency training models was highlighted. By emphasizing competencies required for graduation, residents can transition from observers/scribes to more autonomous physicians. Fellowship training was relayed as a framework for subspecialization which will grow in many medical education systems such as that of China. This should not occur to the exclusion of primary care, the importance of which was stressed throughout numerous presentations, but in parallel.
An explanation of the National Medical Licensing Examination in China and its ongoing evolution was presented. Challenges include difficulty organizing an examination for a large number of participants, and need for feedback from schools in this optimization process was emphasized.
Performance evaluations, including online anonymous course evaluations and structured feedback of formative evaluation results to students and residents, were strongly encouraged. Competency-based evaluations, now a component of all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited residency programs, were emphasized. Use of trained physician observers was described as a means to obtain high-quality longitudinal standardized evaluations of trainees. Limitations, including faculty time constraints, can be overcome with adequate support of such programs from medical school leadership.
Finally, the importance of faculty development, with robust leadership support, in achieving the above stated goals was provided. Faculty development, currently centered on improvement of teaching skills, has grown to be of substantial importance in most medical schools in China. The value of comprehensive faculty development encompassing social/lifestyle considerations in addition to purely educational initiatives was highlighted.
The 2017 Sino-US Medical Education Symposium was a successful exchange of ideas regarding optimization of medical education. Techniques/structures employed in one environment can serve as potential templates adaptable to other environments. Opportunities such as this symposium are invaluable in bringing together educators, policy-makers, and leadership to help foster a shared vision optimizing globalized health professional development.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Hou J, Michaud C, Li Z, Dong Z, Sun B, Zhang J, et al. Transformation of the education of health professionals in China: Progress and challenges. Lancet 2014;384:819-27.  |
| 2. | Sherer R, Dong H, Yunfeng Z, Stern S, Jiong Y, Matlin K, et al. Medical education reform in Wuhan university, China: A preliminary report of an international collaboration. Teach Learn Med 2013;25:148-54. |
| 3. | Lio J, Dong H, Ye Y, Cooper B, Reddy S, Sherer R, et al. Standardized residency programs in China: Perspectives on training quality. Int J Med Educ 2016;7:220-1. |
| 4. | Sherer R, Dong H, Yu F, Fan J, Li J, Jiang I, et al. Asurvey of graduates' perceptions on a Chinese medical school's traditional and reform curricula. Perspect Med Educ 2016;5:244-52. |
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