Expanding the "standardized family" across three clerkships: a model for creating an interdisciplinary core curriculum in primary care

Michele P. Pugnaire, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Frank J. Domino, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Eric J. Alper, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Abstract

Since 1995, a three-generation “standardized family,” the McQs, has been successfully implemented as a core curriculum in the third-year family medicine clerkship. In July 1999, the standardized family was expanded into two other clerkships (internal medicine and pediatrics), with the goal of creating an interdisciplinary core curriculum in primary care across three clerkships. Our experience supports that the standardized family curriculum can be implemented across clerkships and that it provides a model for developing a multidisciplinary and integrated core curriculum in primary care. The curriculum's effectiveness in attaining its primary care learning objectives will be assessed when analysis of data currently being gathered from multiple evaluation measures is completed.