It has been nearly 50 years since the first full-fledged, free-standing Department of Behavioral Sciences was established as one of the basic sciences at the then new University of Kentucky Medical School. By 1971, there was, for the first time, a separate examination in the Behavioral Sciences on Part I of the National Board Examination, resulting in a dramatic growth in faculty and academic units aimed at preparing students in this emerging academic field. Being designated (and tested) as one of the so-called basic sciences, however, probably led to a perceived need and pressure to focus primarily on content, and many of the early courses and syllabi in the field drew heavily from the content (and faculty) of university social and behavioral science departments. While the immediate effect of this may have been obscured by the rapid growth and excitement generated by the expansion of faculty in the field, this fateful decision has tended to result in what might be called SUPPLY-SIDE teaching (what we know and who is available), rather than DEMAND-SIDE thinking (what is relevant and what physicians need to know) about what medical students need to learn to prepare themselves for their role as physicians.
The 2004 ABSAME conference will highlight four major areas:
1) The Institute of Medicine Report "Enhancing Behavioral Science Education
in Medical School Curricula" was released in March 2004 and the program
will look at implications of this report.
2) The role of the behavioral sciences in responding to the changing nature
and complexity of medical practice and the fact that physicians need help in
applying the generalized knowledge and skills of biomedicine to the unique problems
and characteristics of individual patients and their families.
3) Important changes in the USMLE in how social and behavioral science material
is being tested (with clinical applications, rather than simple knowledge increasingly
being featured).
4) Clinical applications will be examined where the basic and clinical sciences
have been less than successful and where the social and behavioral science holds
the key to more effective treatment and management. Specifically the program
will focus on Substance Use and Abuse, Obesity, and Smoking. In addition, teaching
the core competencies continues to be a priority.
| At the end of this conference, participants will be able to: • Assess the implications of the IOM Report "Enhancing Behavioral Science Education in Medical School Curricula" on the teaching of the Behavioral Sciences. • Define the role of the Behavioral Sciences in responding to the complex nature of medical practice and in the application of this knowledge to specific patients. • Identify the implications of current testing and competency requirements for the designing of curricula that challenge the thinking and better meet the need of learners and practitioners. • Recognize and implement the contributions of the Behavioral and Social Sciences to the understanding of issues of gender and ethnic diversity in medical education and practice. |
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• Physicians, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, nurses,
public health practitioners, social workers, and other professionals and/or
behavioral scientists engaged in medical education and practice.
• Investigators who wish to present their work to a cross-disciplinary
membership for critique and dialog.
• Medical school and residency level faculty who wish to explore and develop
teaching skills and new curricula in the behavioral sciences.
• Medical students and house staff planning a career in family medicine,
primary-care, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, or preventive medicine.
Genesys Regional Medical Center, an organization accredited by the Michigan State Medical Society Committee (MSMS) on Continuing Medical Education Accreditation, designates that this activity meets the criteria for a maximum of 16.75 hours in Category 1 Credit toward the requirement for Michigan relicensure and of the Physicians Recognition Award of the AMA, provided it is completed as designed. This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essentials and Standards of the MSMS through the joint sponsorship of Genesys Regional Medical Center and the Association for the Behavioral Sciences and Medical Education.
The Association for the Behavioral Sciences and Medical Education is approved
by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for
psychologists. The Association for the Behavioral Sciences and Medical Education
maintains responsibility for the program. ABSAME is offering this activity for
16.75 hours of continuing education credit provided it is completed as designed.
The Association for the Behavioral Sciences and Medical Education has a long history of serving as a forum in which discussions reaching across the boundaries of traditional disciplines lead to new understanding and creative solutions to the pressing issues of medical education of the day. ABSAME is composed of members from both a variety of medical specialties (including family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics and psychiatry) and the broad range of social sciences (including psychology, sociology, anthropology, education and the humanities). Submissions from these or other related disciplines are invited.