gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: The demand for future doctors in Germany to have comprehensive training that includes not only medical expertise but also other skills, such as professional behavior, is growing. However, German medical faculties currently lack specific opportunities and examples of how to teach this competence beyond the basic taxonomy of remembering and understanding [1].

ArHyPaRE is an established education project at University Hospital Bonn that teaches professional behavior by combining topics of occupational safety, hygiene, patient safety, law and ethics. But there is currently no course during the practice year. This is often a critical transition phase between a guided and supervised student role and a semi-autonomous clinician role. Our objective is to introduce and test a new course for these students, which aims to teach them how to apply, analyze, and evaluate professional behavior during the last year of their graduate studies.

Methods: To establish the new course for students during their practice year, we used Kern’s Six-Step Approach [2]. First, we compared learning objectives on professional behaviors that are taught in the current course with those prescribed by the NKLM to determine general needs. Based on this comparison, we selected topics that have been insufficiently covered. A first sample of learners (i.e., medical students) and other stakeholders were surveyed to identify topics related to professional behavior that should be taught during practical placement. Drawing upon on their evaluations and suggestions, we selected the topics and refined corresponding learning objectives. An education strategy was then defined and the concept for each teaching session was drafted. The concept of constructive alignment was used to develop a student-friendly format [3]. After implementation, we will analyze feedback and evaluations to improve the teaching concept and establish a permanent course.

Results: This report details our progress and experiences in the development and initial implementation of this new module. In particular, we focus on adaptations and refinements to the pilot learning session. We used evaluations from a range of stakeholders, with particular emphasis on student and teacher evaluations. We present the analysis of the evaluation and the resulting revision of the learning concept.

Discussion: To provide successful and effective learning experiences for medical students in their first practical year, sustainable learning formats are necessary. We developed a short course format that aims to support students in their role as professional physicians and equip them to handle challenges related to patient safety, occupational safety, hygiene, and ethics in their daily clinical practice.