Alumni Give Curriculum High Marks
In a recent survey, Duke medical alumni rated the School of Medicine curriculum well
above average in preparing them for the practice of medicine. With 5 as excellent and 1 as
poor, alumni from the classes of 1992 and 1994 gave the Duke curriculum an average of 3.75
and 3.79, respectively.
The survey, a part of the school's annual accreditation process since 1997, is mailed
to graduates three and five years out of medical school. Alumni are asked to rate the
curriculum in 25 areas. This year 50 percent of graduates from 1992 and 60 percent of
graduates from 1994 responded. Their ratings were significantly higher than those of the
classes of 1991 and 1993, whose combined average rating was 3.48.
According to the respondents, Duke's medical curriculum is especially strong (4.25 and
higher) in the areas of research, access to medical literature, the pursuit of active
learning, opportunities to exercise leadership and educate other learners, teamwork, and
the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases. Areas for improvement, those receiving a
rating of between 2.89 and 2.36, included interacting effectively with community agencies,
understanding health economics, and exposure to managed care.
Curriculum changes implemented in the last few years address those areas, according to
Dan G. Blazer II, MD, HS'75, PhD, dean of medical education from 1992 to 1999. In 1996
Duke started offering the PRACTICE Course, which takes advantage of the many primary care
sites in Duke's managed care network to give first- and second-year students the
opportunity to practice in a primary care setting. A two-week clerkship introduced in 1995
for second-year students includes lectures on core issues in health care financing and
health care policy as well as individual projects on patient medical care and costs.
Additionally, Duke medical students are exposed to a number of innovative new programs
that are part of a University-wide initiative to partner with community agencies,
including working at school-based wellness centers, the Lincoln Community Health
Department and other public health agencies, and outreach programs for the elderly and
Durham's Hispanic population.
"Alumni ratings have gone up consistently each year among our recent
graduates," said Blazer. "Duke has taken a leadership role by extending the
reach of a major academic medical center to serve people in communities throughout our
region. As learners in this environment, our students receive direct exposure to clinical
practice in a real world setting."
