Postgraduate Options Research Articles

Flexner, Educational Reform, and Pharmacy

Across academy, colleges and schools of pharmacy are scrambling to reimagine, recreate, modify, or completely overhaul their doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree curricula. This push to change has been termed in a variety of ways including but not limited to educational renaissance, reform, transformation, and/or reengineering. (1) Several factors have been implicated as drivers of these sometimes minor but often major changes to including influence of rapidly evolving technologic advances, changes to Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education standards for accreditation of PharmD programs, and evolutions in secondary and undergraduate education. Pharmacy is certainly not only health care profession dealing with change and curricular disruption. Many medical schools are moving to three-year accelerated programs and grappling with ever expanding bodies of medical research, integration of clinical and basic sciences, and need to ensure that graduates have not only knowledge but also practical skill set necessary for next stage of training or practice. Nursing and physical therapy programs have recently introduced clinical doctorates as either elective post-graduate options or entry-level degrees. Health care colleges across spectrum are also managing mandates to increase both quantity and quality of interprofessional education within respective curricula. In 1910 Abraham Flexner first proposed some of most widespread and pervasive changes to health care education when he argued that medicine should more strictly adhere to scientific principles and standards in both research and teaching. (2) Interestingly, Flexner was not a physician, researcher, or medical educator but rather product of a liberal arts education. He was born in Kentucky where he founded and operated a college preparatory school before he became engaged with Carnegie Foundation. Despite a lack of health care training, Flexner was able to alter course of medical education well beyond his 364-page 1910 report. Flexner's reach was not limited to medicine. In as early as 1908, he criticized common teaching practices in his book The American College. He made a profound and perhaps foretelling statement when he wrote, lectures enabled colleges to handle cheaply by wholesale a large body of students that would be otherwise unmanageable and thus give lecturer time for research. (3) At my home institution, we have been engaged in a complete overhaul of our own PharmD We are in midst of launching second semester of this reenvisioned degree program. As class of 2020 continues to move from professional year to professional year, new courses will be taught and existing courses will become obsolete. In interim our faculty members are conducting two concurrent curricula often referred to as the old curriculum and the new curriculum. At this point in our trajectory, and after some serious reflection, it seems an appropriate time to take inventory of what we (I) have and have not learned: * Change is hard. Hard for faculty, students, and staff. Despite common logic and opinion, it is even hard for those who are purposing or driving change. …

Medical education in Ecuador

Background: Ecuador, the smallest of the Andean countries, is located in the northwest portion of South America. The nation's 14.5 million people have a tremendous need for high quality primary care.Aims: To describe the profound advances as well as the persistent needs in medical education in Ecuador that have occurred with globalization and with the modernization of the country.Methods: Through an extensive search of the literature; medical school data; reports from the Ecuador Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Education; and information from the National Secretary of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation (SENESCYT), the medical education system in Ecuador has been thoroughly examined.Results: The National System of Higher Education in Ecuador has experienced significant growth over the last 20 years. As of 2009 the system boasts 19 medical schools, all of which offer the required education needed to obtain the title of Physician, but only 12 of which offer postgraduate clinical training. Of these 19 universities, nine are public, five are private and self-financed, and five are private and co-financed.Post-graduate options for medical students include: (1) Clinical specialization, (2) Higher diploma, (3) Course specialization, (4) Master's degree, and (5) PhD degree.Conclusion: The rapid growth of Ecuador's system of medical education has led to inevitable gaps that threaten its ability to sustain itself. Chief among these is the lack of well-trained faculty to supply its medical schools. To ensure an adequate supply of faculty exists, the creation of sufficient postgraduate, sub-specialization, and PhD training positions must be created and maintained.

Postgraduate options: Academia misses the mark

Careers advice offered at US institutes is lacking for doctoral students disillusioned with the prospect of an academic career.