Development, implementation and evaluation of a fourth-year medical school elective course in clinical microbiology using case-based vignettes

Abstract

Knowledge of clinical microbiology is an integral component in the management of patients with infectious diseases. Clinical microbiologists validate, implement and ensure quality control of all the tests and cultures performed in the clinical microbiology laboratory servicing hospitals and outpatient clinics. Typically, microbiology is taught to medical students by basic science microbiologists or infectious diseases physicians with minimal input from clinical laboratory specialists. Emory University School of Medicine implemented a course in the final month of the senior year of medical school to ensure that students are ready for postgraduate residency. As part of this course and emphasizing the Systems-Based Practice core competency of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (Gregory et al., 2009), one full day was allotted to the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. During this ‘Laboratory Medicine Experience’, students toured different hospital clinical laboratories and solved cases designed to stimulate discussions that emphasized laboratory medicine fundamentals as delineated by the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists (Smith et al., 2010; Molinaro et al., 2012). Using case-based learning (Srinivasan et al., 2007), an additional 4 h elective in clinical microbiology was offered 1 day after the ‘Laboratory Medicine Experience’.