A
department /Unit of medical education is becoming an essential requirement for
a medical school. Medical education departments are established in response to
increased public expectations relating to healthcare, societal trends towards increased
accountability, educational developments, increased interest in what to teach
and how to educate doctors and the need to train more doctors.
The functions of a department of medical
education include research, teaching, service provision and career development
of the staff. The scope of its activities includes undergraduate and
postgraduate education, continuing professional development and continuing
medical education. These activities
may be extended to other healthcare professions. Flexibility is the key to
staffing a department of medical education. Various contractual arrangements, affiliations
and support from non-affiliated personnel are needed to provide a
multi-professional team with a range of expertise.
The precise structure of the department will
depend on the individual institution. The name of the department may suggest
its position within the university structure. The director provides academic
leadership for the department and his/her responsibilities include promotion of
staff collaboration, fostering career development of the staff and establishing
local, regional and international links.
Financial support may come from external funding
agencies, government or university sources. Some departments of medical
education are financially self-supporting. The department should be closely
integrated with the medical school. Support for the department from the dean is
an essential factor for sustainability.
A
Medical Education Unit (MEU) in Bangladesh is a unit that aims to improve
the quality of medical education, and the professionalism of medical teachers. The
Medical Education Unit is intended to be educational resource centre’s for
Medical College teachers and students. The aim of the MEUs, which are
essentially a human resource consisting of a nucleus of faculty, is to bring
about a continuing improvement in medical education, at the institutional and
the national levels, in keeping with the changing health needs of the country.
Objectives of Medical
Education Unit:
- Undertake faculty development to enable
teachers to play their role as educators and promoters of medical
education more effectively.
- Enhance appropriate use of media.
- Improve the system of assessment
- Conduct educational research in
particular, in assessing the relevance of the undergraduate curriculum in
meeting the community health needs.
- Undertake planning and development of
appropriate curriculum.
- Develop,procure and share learning
resource materials (LRMs) and serve as a resource centre.
- Conduct courses for students on subjects
such as communication skills, managerial skills, health ethics and
behavioral science.
- Collaborate with the Centre for Medical
Education, Mohakhali, Dhaka and the medical education units of other
medical institutes as partners in a nation-wide effort for improvement in
medical education in the country.