{"id":791,"date":"2014-04-29T12:30:52","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T16:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/?p=791"},"modified":"2014-04-29T12:35:21","modified_gmt":"2014-04-29T16:35:21","slug":"case-studies-around-the-university-training-med-students-to-think-with-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2014\/04\/29\/case-studies-around-the-university-training-med-students-to-think-with-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Studies around the University: Training Med Students to Think with Authority"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medical schools have traditionally trained doctors through a combination of cramming and clinicals. But Harvard Medical School, like Harvard Law School, has recognized the value of the problem solving pedagogy and participatory learning. Since 1985, HMS has incorporated case-based tutorials into the \u201cNew Pathway<\/a>\u201d curriculum.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Harvard Medical School<\/p><\/div>\n

The tutorials at HMS are ungraded discussion groups that analyze patient stories as they unfold, explains HBS Professor David A. Garvin in his review of case-based learning<\/a> at Harvard. The multi-part cases systematically review symptoms, physical examinations, lab tests, diagnosis, treatment, and the patient\u2019s health over time. For each part, students work together to fill in knowledge gaps and set learning goals that lead them closer to answers. Ultimately, students present their findings in a group discussion before moving to the next part of the case.<\/p>\n

Tutors ensure that the learning comes from the students, asking students to articulate their logic, consider substantive dimensions, and investigate further. Tutors do not manage, steer, or orchestrate, says Garvin; instead, tutors redirect conversation during points of confusion.<\/p>\n

The teaching philosophy at HMS is a case study in its own right, offering to educators a healthy caveat against overly sculpted lesson plans and micromanaged discussion. Preliminary studies suggest that the New Pathway curriculum meets its objective to \u201cfoster a true spirit of inquiry<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

One study<\/a> of HMS students showed that compared to traditional lecture- and lab-based education, the New Pathway curriculum encouraged more students to pursue primary care or psychiatry. New Pathway students felt better prepared to practice \u201chumanistic medicine\u201d and handle \u201cpsychosocial problems,\u201d said the report.<\/p>\n

In another study<\/a>, New Pathway students reported more engagement with the material and stronger relationships with faculty, but found it stressful to navigate tutorial relationships and the vast body of medical knowledge. The authors of the report concluded, \u201cThese experiences are similar to challenges that successful clinicians must overcome during their professional socialization. Uncomfortable though these experiences may be, students exposed to them during medical school may arguably be better prepared for life-long learning and the strains of teamwork.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the stress of uncertainty, New Pathway students rivaled students of traditional medical education on measures of problem solving skill and biomedical knowledge. Self-directed learning, it seems, can<\/em> adequately prepare students for the medical profession. And the value of the problem solving approach lies not in a competitive edge, but in the culture it produces: a fulfilling, emboldening learning environment realistic about the challenges ahead.<\/p>\n

For a history of case-based learning across the university, see \u201cMaking the Case\u201d in <\/em>Harvard Magazine<\/em><\/a>. Written in 2003, this article shows how the cross-pollination of ideas transformed the case method, which, years later, returned to Harvard Law School as the case study method our program uses today. Click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a> to read more about how law schools can learn from the medical school model.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medical schools have traditionally trained doctors through a combination of cramming and clinicals. But Harvard Medical School, like Harvard Law School, has recognized the value of the problem solving pedagogy and participatory learning. Since 1985, HMS has incorporated case-based tutorials … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5482,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[88580],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-case-study-program-blog-posts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4CR8M-cL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":804,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2014\/05\/06\/case-studies-around-the-university-training-med-students-to-negotiate-acceptable-health-outcomes\/","url_meta":{"origin":791,"position":0},"title":"Case Studies around the University: Training Med Students to Negotiate Acceptable Health Outcomes","author":"Elizabeth Moroney","date":"May 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, we discussed the origins of case-based learning at Harvard Medical School, a curriculum that teaches medical students a new methodology: how to learn what they don\u2019t know. In 2001, HMS turned to case studies to address another gap in the medical curriculum: culturally competent care. Physicians must tailor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case Study Program Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Case Study Program Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/category\/case-study-program-blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"culturally-competent-doctors","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2014\/05\/culturally-competent-doctors.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":831,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2014\/07\/22\/the-problem-solving-workshop-a-video-introduction\/","url_meta":{"origin":791,"position":1},"title":"The Problem Solving Workshop: A Video Introduction","author":"Elizabeth Moroney","date":"July 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Lisa Brem, Case Studies Program Manager The Problem Solving Workshop (PSW)\u2014a mandatory first-year course at Harvard Law School\u2014has been successfully integrated into the curriculum for five years. The course is a major departure from the rest of the first-year doctrinal courses, focusing instead on hands-on participation from students and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Problem Solving Workshop Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Problem Solving Workshop Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/category\/problem-solving-workshop-blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/cUTXCD4A968\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":84,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2013\/01\/14\/the-case-development-initiative-at-harvard-law-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":791,"position":2},"title":"The Case Development Initiative at Harvard Law School","author":"Lisa Brem","date":"January 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Case Development Initiative (CDI), including Ashish Nanda, Faculty Director and Robert Braucher Professor of Practice (pictured left), Dechert Fellow Nicholas Haas (right), and Program Coordinator Rachel Gibson (center), focuses on producing cases for use in a variety of business-oriented courses at HLS. \"We're currently working on a professional service\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case Development Initiative Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Case Development Initiative Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/category\/case-development-initiative-blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2012\/01\/CDI-group-500x375.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":498,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2013\/08\/06\/conversation-starters-case-studies-for-curricular-reform\/","url_meta":{"origin":791,"position":3},"title":"Conversation Starters: Case Studies for Curricular Reform","author":"Elizabeth Moroney","date":"August 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In April, Dean Jeremy Paul of the Northeastern University School of Law and co-managing partner Alan Klinger of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan wrote for the New York Law Journal about legal curricular reform.\u00a0 Paul and Klinger outline seven improvements to current legal training, and we at the Case Studies\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case Development Initiative Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Case Development Initiative Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/category\/case-development-initiative-blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1090,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2016\/03\/23\/new-product-the-allergan-board-under-fire-a-and-b\/","url_meta":{"origin":791,"position":4},"title":"NEW PRODUCT: The Allergan Board Under Fire (A) and (B)","author":"Amanda Reilly","date":"March 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Case Development Initiative (CDI) at Harvard Law School recently debuted a new case study on the HLS Case Studies website. CDI develops role plays and case studies based on strategic and organizational issues faced by legal organizations. These cases focus on real life situations and are suitable for law\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Coates (5)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2016\/03\/Coates-5-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2016\/03\/Coates-5-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2016\/03\/Coates-5-1024x683.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1236,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2017\/11\/13\/meet-our-new-case-writers\/","url_meta":{"origin":791,"position":5},"title":"Meet our New Case Writers!","author":"morourke","date":"November 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Brittany Deitch (left) and Rachel Gordon (right) have both recently joined the Harvard Law School | Case Studies team. Brittany, a recent JD graduate, was sworn into the bar in September 2017. Her role involves writing cases tailored to the JD curriculum. Brittany was inspired to get involved with pedagogy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Experiential Learning and the Case Study Method"","block_context":{"text":"Experiential Learning and the Case Study Method","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/category\/experiential-learning-and-the-case-study-method\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of our new case writers, Brittany Deitch, left, and Rachel Gordon, right, in front of large office window","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2017\/11\/Case-Writers-3-500x338.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5482"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":797,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791\/revisions\/797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}