| The AAMC Medical School Objective Project has identified key competencies medical students should possess upon graduation that will align medical education with evolving societal needs, practice patterns, and scientific developments. New curricular areas corresponding to these competencies are geriatrics, evidence-based medicine instruction, professionalism, complementary and alternative medicine, cultural competence, medical informatics, and computer-based instruction. Similarly, the Institute of Medicine has identified critical areas in medical student education in the future and the skills and knowledge needed in clinical practice. These include the use of information technology to support clinical decision making and manage practices; working within teams and learning to improve efficiency and quality; communication and support skills to function as patients’ partners, especially in managing chronic conditions; population-based care; and self-evaluation (reflective practice, lifelong learning, and accountability). Community service should be an integral part of educational experience, not an add-on; students and physicians should understand the social context of care. | |
