Innovations in Medical Education of the 1950s Contrasted with Those of the 1970s and 1980s

Abstract

A variety of reforms have characterized the history of medical education in this country. This paper deals with some following World War II as compared with others initiated more recently. During the 1940s and 1950s, dissatisfaction with the separation of pre-clinical and clinical training and with increases in specialization led to programs emphasizing comprehensive care of patients; these programs, confined to fourth-year students, eventually succumbed to later changes in the curricula of their respective schools. (Case) Western Reserve University School of Medicine undertook a complete revision of its curriculum, instituting interdepartmental teaching and early exposure of its students to clinical subjects. Although it has introduced modifications over the years, it has served as a model for newly established schools. The reforms of the 1970s and 1980s have focussed on the acquisition of appropriate attitudes and values, as well as medical knowledge; it is hoped that this will be achieved by problem-centered learning.