["Meet the AIX-PERTs." Emergency medical care at the beginning of the medical reform curriculum in Aachen].
BACKGROUND
Extensive knowledge and skills in the basics of emergency medical care are of paramount importance for every physician and should therefore be an integral part of medical education.


METHODS
Regulations for medical licensure in Germany were revised by the administrative authorities in 2002 and as a consequence the Medical Faculty of the University of Aachen (Germany) decided to start the Medical Reform Curriculum Aachen. A multidisciplinary, problem-oriented and organ-related approach to medical education replaces the classical discrimination between basic and clinical sciences.


RESULTS
With AIX-PERT (AIX-la-Chapelle Program for Emergency medical care and Resuscitation Training), a program consisting of problem-based learning sessions was developed for introduction to the first year students. Defined teaching objectives in emergency medicine are now incorporated in undergraduate medical education.


CONCLUSIONS
The extremely positive evaluation of the new approach encouraged us to promote AIX-PERT further. In the future the effects of success of this approach will be assessed by longitudinal studies of skills and knowledge during the continuing curriculum.
Beckers
S
S
Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Universitätsklinikum der Rheinisch-Westfälischen Technischen Hochschule, Aachen. sbeckers@ukaachen.de
Bickenbach
J
J
Fries
M
M
Hoffmann
N
N
Classen-Linke
I
I
Killersreiter
B
B
Wainwright
U
U
Kuhlen
R
R
Rossaint
R
R
D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005858:Germany; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008007:Licensure, Medical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D017145:Models, Educational; D018794:Problem-Based Learning