Virtual medical school may become a reality

Proponents see the project as a blending of e-learning and clinical training; detractors worry that development of interpersonal skills will be forfeited.

By Myrle Croasdale, AMNews staff. Dec. 2, 2002.

Online medical education is leaping into new territory via the International Virtual Medical School.

Whether the project lands on solid ground or ends up mired in a bog has yet to be determined, but there may be as much value in the effort as there is in its success.

"The suggestion is that if we don't do this, others will take over the role, and the future of medical education will no longer be [in the hands] of the medical schools. " said Ronald Harden, MD, director of the project and of Scotland's University of Dundee Centre for Medical Education. "If we don't take advantage of e-learning, we might loose our relevance."

Dr. Harden's institution, along with more than 20 U.S. medical schools, is heading up the creation of an extensive online medical curriculum.

"Schools are so competitive," Dr. Harden said. "Everyone wants the best students, the best faculty, the best endowments. It's no longer sustainable. ... The leading countries should be setting standards for medical education internationally."

While Scotland's medical schools could have tackled the project alone, Dr. Harden said bringing in others will not only make the curriculum more culturally diverse, but it should ensure broader acceptance of the program when it's finished in 2004.

Schools from outside the United States are among those contributing to the $4 million budget for the coming year. The National Board of Medical Examiners is also a supporter.

Michael S. Gordon, MD, PhD, director of the University of Miami's Center for Research and Medical Education, said he felt it was critical for his school, which has done significant work with medical simulation dummies, to participate in the electronic curriculum. [...]