Integrated Curriculum Development in Medical Education

Kang, Pock Soo

Abstract

The term 'curriculum' refers of a series of planned activities which are intended to bring about specific learning outcomes in the students. Subject-centred curriculum, integrated curriculum, competency-based curriculum and problem-oriented curriculum are employed in medical schools. Among them, the subject-centred curriculum is the most widespread model for medical education. When the subject-centred curriculum is discussed, large doses of scientific fact ad theory and isolated fragments of knowledge and information, together with instruction, are provided through discrete courses and independent medical disciplines that cover such classical subjects as anatomy, physiology, internal medicine and surgery. The emphasis is on learning the disciplines rather than their application to the practice of medicine. Faculty and students began to question the relevance of content and meaningful learning. As knowledge grew, it became impossible for the body of medical knowledge to be contained within one discipline. These factors led to a demand for the integrated medical curriculum. Integration is the combining of different parts to from a whole, which is meaningful. To integrate is to make whole or complete by the organization and bringing together of separate parts. In terms of curriculum development, the term 'integration' usually relates to the organization and teaching of subject matter in the form of horizontal integration or vertical integration in order to achieve meaningful and relevant experiences for the learner. The integrated curriculum attempts to fuse independent disciplines into a more unified whole. It is recommended that the innovative curriculum such as integrated curriculum or problem-oriented curriculum should be adopted to renovate the existing conventional discipline-based curriculum in established medical schools.