Some Observations on the Teaching of Medical Psychology in Pediatrics

Abstract

In discussing the actual teaching of medical psychology as a part of the pediatrics education, the teacher should define his aims and objectives as they pertain to the particular situation he operates in and as they may be intergrated into the over-all teaching program. As an associate in the Department of Pediatric Psychiatry, Children's Hospital, Washington, D. C., I conduct a teaching conference once a week for one hour on clinical problems related to pediatric psyshiatry. The group is made up of approximately 16 fourth-year medical students from the George Washington and Georgetown medical schools, the resident (pediatric) staff rotating through the department of psychiatry, social workers, and, occasionally, nurses. It is obvious that most of the medical students in the group will never practice pediatrices as a specific specialty. However, although the conference endeavors to integrate the past and present psychiatric training of undergraduates and residents, particularly to pediatrics,