Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020 May 1;91(5):448-452. doi: 10.3357/AMHP.5531.2020.
Aerospace Medicine is a small medical specialty. With the increasing need for aircraft pilots, continued low Earth orbit NASA operations, and the emergence of commercial spaceflight, there is a necessity for recruiting and educating the next generation of Aerospace Medicine specialists. This study was designed to create and validate a short Aerospace Medicine curriculum. Medical students at the University of Texas Medical Branch were recruited to attend a series of six 1-h meetings covering Aerospace Medicine career options and key Aerospace Medicine topics. A survey addressing student demographics, interest in a career in Aerospace Medicine, and knowledge of key Aerospace Medicine topics was administered at the beginning and end of the curriculum. Interest in pursuing a career in Aerospace Medicine pre- and postcurriculum was compared with an independent -test. The knowledge-based portion of the survey was also evaluated using an independent -test. There were 23 participants who were recruited and filled out the initial survey and 15 participants who attended the final meeting and filled out the postcurriculum survey. Mean interest in pursuing a career in Aerospace Medicine did not change significantly (75.45% before involvement in the curriculum and 83.08% after participation). Knowledge of foundational Aerospace Medicine topics increased from 64.25% before involvement in the curriculum to 73.33% at the end of the study. There was an average of 12 participants at each meeting. This demonstrates the utility of this curriculum as an educational tool for medical students. Future efforts will focus on dissemination of the curriculum nationally and internationally.
航空航天医学是一个很小的医学专业。随着对飞机飞行员的需求不断增加，美国宇航局在近地轨道的持续低地球轨道运行，以及商业太空飞行的出现，有必要招募和培养下一代航空航天医学专家。本研究旨在创建和验证一个简短的航空航天医学课程。德克萨斯大学医学分校的医学生被招募参加一系列六次 1 小时的会议，涵盖航空航天医学职业选择和关键航空航天医学主题。在课程开始和结束时，对学生的人口统计学、对航空航天医学职业的兴趣以及对关键航空航天医学主题的知识进行了调查。在课程前后，对从事航空航天医学职业的兴趣进行了独立检验。使用独立检验还评估了调查的基于知识的部分。有 23 名参与者被招募并填写了初始调查，有 15 名参与者参加了最后一次会议并填写了课程结束后的调查。对从事航空航天医学职业的兴趣平均值没有显著变化（课程参与前为 75.45%，课程参与后为 83.08%）。对基础航空航天医学主题的了解从课程参与前的 64.25%增加到研究结束时的 73.33%。每次会议平均有 12 名参与者。这表明该课程作为医学生的教育工具具有实用性。未来的工作重点将是在全国和国际范围内传播该课程。
