Undergraduate Education
BASHH undergraduate medical education initiatives in sexual and reproductive health care and HIV: improving skills of future providers
Background
In 2003, a BASHH formed a short-life Undergraduate Education Working Group with the specific remit of defining the minimum acceptable level of knowledge, skills and attitudes required by newly qualified pre-registration house officers (PRHOs) to practise competently when assessing patients with sexual, reproductive & HIV associated problems and needs. The group soon expanded to include representatives from British HIV Association (BHIVA), British Infection Society (BIS) and Faculty of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care (FFPRHC). The resulting document, Core learning outcomes in sexual and reproductive health and HIV for medical undergraduates entering PRHO training has been timed to coincide with and to inform the General Medical Council’s (GMC) extensive review of PRHO training. After an official launch of the document we hope that these standards will become integral to all medical undergraduate curricula across the UK.
The enthusiasm of the BASHH undergraduate working group generated two other initiatives which directly or indirectly support the learning outcomes. The toolkit for sexual history taking in the undergraduate curriculum includes full session plans and educational theory for teaching sexual history taking in a variety of formats an settings from a one hour lecture to in depth small group work. STIFUndergrad has adapted the STIF materials and facilitation methods for undergraduate use. This has been implemented successfully as a core component of the Year Four curriculum at Barts and the London, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry and receives excellent feedback from students. Both of these resources are available to BASHH members to use in part or in their entirety to support undergraduate teaching.
We would welcome feedback on the usefulness of these resources.
Claudia Estcourt
BASHH Undergraduate Education Working Group:
Dr Jyoti Dhar, Dr Loay David, Dr Anne Edwards, Dr Claudia Estcourt (Chair), Dr David Goldmeier, Dr Paddy Horner, Dr Helen Mitchell, Dr Melinda Tenant-Flowers, Dr Nick Theobald
Acknowledgements::
The core learning outcomes have resulted from a huge team effort. We thank collaborators at British HIV Association (BHIVA): Jane Anderson, British Infection Society (BIS): Nick Beeching: Faculty of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care (FFPRHC): Chris Wilkinson, in particular for their contributions to the process. We also thank Angela Robinson for her continued enthusiasm and support for all the BASHH undergraduate education initiatives.
Several elements of the BASHH undergraduate initiatives are now ready for publication:
It is the decision of the Board and the Education Sub Committee that the Sexual History Toolkit is for access by members only.
BASHH
Consensus Statement on Essential Topics in GU Medicine for Undergraduate
Core Curriculum (March 1999) |
