Carter B S, Roberts A, Martin R, Fincher R M
Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-3740, USA.
Acad Med. 1999 Jan;74(1 Suppl):S102-3. doi: 10.1097/00001888-199901000-00040.
Medical ethics is an important instructional area for both the undergraduate student pursuing a generalist education and generalist residents. With the support of a Generalist Physician Initiative (GPI) award from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Medical College of Georgia has implemented a longitudinal experience in clinical ethics spanning the four undergraduate years to make this area more meaningful and clinically relevant. This report outlines the structure and content of this four-year curriculum, which has been developed and implemented in a stepwise fashion since 1996. Course themes and students' activities during the four years are described. Since 1997, a shared curriculum in ethics--developed for residents in internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatric generalist programs--has been provided in combined interdepartmental conferences as part of a broader interdepartmental generalist curriculum. Early evaluation findings and plans for future evaluation programs are also described.
