scope of work education medical area
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Rural physician societies have been very helpful in addressing some of these vitally important issues associated with the life and practice of rural physicians and their families. Working together, communities, governments and medical schools can improve the education, recruitment and retention of rural physicians.
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Abstract
Most medical schools have established a medical education unit (MEU) or similar bodies in response to various reforms in medical education. Such units have a variety of titles and operate either independently or under the office of the dean. Their activities include conducting educational research, teaching and providing service and career development of academic staff. The scope of their activities ranges from serving medical faculty only to all other health professionals at either the undergraduate or postgraduate levels. Several factors contribute to the success of MEUs and their establishment is seen to have a positive effect on their medical school.
Keywords: Education, Medical. Organisation and administration; Oman
Most medical schools have well established independent medical education units or similar bodies. Such units have various titles,1 but the ones in common use are: office, division, department, centre, and unit.2 In this paper, the term ‘medical education unit’ (MEU) will be used to refer to such titles.
The development of MEUs has been triggered by several factors such as curriculum reforms, need for faculty training, new methods for student selection, advances in medical informatics, the requirements from quality assurance and accreditation bodies, and education becoming a viable faculty career track. In the UK, in response to the recommendations of Tomorrow’s Doctors,3 many such units were established and charged with the responsibility for overseeing staff development. These units took on additional roles that were crucial to introducing changes in the curriculum.4, 5
The functions of MEUs include research, teaching, service and career development of staff and the scope of their activities ranges from undergraduate to postgraduate programmes and from uni-professional to multi-professional audiences. The balance of these activities varies according to the mission and scope of the units; however, the right balance is important for their continuity and stability.6
Many MEUs started as administrative units in the medical school’s dean’s office,2 but then slowly evolved into independent academic units or departments. The staff of the unit includes a range of expertise and comes from different professional backgrounds including medical and educational with part-time or full-time commitments. Several sections can exist in the unit to fulfill its mission.
Backup and support is important to sustain MEUs. This support can come from the dean and higher administration. Financial support can come from the medical school, university, government, or external sources.
The establishment of MEUs has several positive effects on medical schools. It enhances the quality of medical education7, increases the publication of scholarly articles as well as the productivity of educational research8, 9, leading to the commitment of universities to their continuation.10 The units continue to provide important benefits to the educational mission of their institution and, by supporting the professional identity of medical education scholars, they are essential to the continued development of medical education as a discipline.
This review attempts to document the development of such units, the need for their establishment, their functions and organisational structure, thus providing useful information for those intending to establish one.