Background

Funded through an Associated Medical Services Phoenix Fellowship, this project is based in the Department of Paediatrics residency-training program. The overall aim is to advance compassionate care through a longitudinal curriculum focused on health equity, vulnerable populations and implicit bias.

Objectives

The objectives for the social paediatrics curriculum include: 1. Develop a richer understanding of the SDOH and application to paediatric practice 2. Develop advocacy skills for individual patients as well as the rights of children in the community and beyond 3. Enhance awareness of community programs 4. Examine one’s own unconscious bias 5. Develop clinical skills related to compassionate care.

Design/Methods

Social Paediatrics curriculum was researched and developed through the completion of a curriculum mapping exercise. This involved an environmental scan of current faculty teaching and mapping to Royal College requirements. Focus groups and consensus-building activities were held with faculty, residents, community experts, and patients/families. Through this work a pedagogical framework was established inclusive of: (1) academic teaching; (2) community experiences; (3) advocacy project; and (4) simulation learning. Learner assessment through a CBME-based entrustment tool has been developed with a focus on social medicine related skills.

Results

Built through faculty consensus building, curriculum mapping, and broad-based community engagement, this curriculum will be the first 3-year longitudinal implementation of Social Paediatrics learning in an Ontario residency-training program. Twenty four (24) residents and twenty nine (29) faculty members were engaged in developing curricular objectives, and over forty (40) community agencies and experts with learned and lived experience across the region have been partners in curriculum development and delivery. This method of curriculum delivery is unique as it is interdisciplinary in nature and longitudinal in scope. Residents learn from patients and families, community members, interdisciplinary professionals and academic experts alike. Additionally, models for resident assessment focus on professional development rather than the current model of remediation. Resident, faculty and community response to the program thus far has been overwhelmingly positive and a foundation has been laid for a sustainable, rigorous and diverse curriculum.

Conclusion

New approaches to developing compassionate physicians, focusing on social justice and challenging biases are encouraged by this curriculum. Through community engagement and experiential activities, traditional physician-to-physician models of teaching and learning are enriched. Traditional structures and culture must be addressed in order to see this curriculum model realized. Research into the program’s efficacy and learner assessment models will guide medical education within and beyond this social paediatrics program.