Using complementary and alternative medicine curricular elements to foster medical student self-awareness.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the value that the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)-funded Education Project leaders placed on self-awareness objectives among their curricular activities, to identify projects' rationales for inclusion of self-awareness activities, and to describe curricular elements used to teach self-awareness.


METHODS
A survey was distributed to the NCCAM Education Project grantees in October 2006. Survey items sought to identify project directors' perceived importance of self-awareness activities in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) curricula, rationales for inclusion of self-awareness activities, and activities to foster self-awareness. Invited reports described in more depth the specific activities in three of the projects.


RESULTS
Fourteen of 15 reporting NCCAM educational projects rated activities to promote self-awareness as highly or very highly valued components, and all projects incorporated numerous strategies to enhance self-awareness. Learning objectives ranged from basic knowledge about mind-body relationships and psychoneuroimmunology, to evidence and indications for mind-body interventions, to training in self-application, to training for intervention with patients. Specific strategies that increase students' self-awareness included evidence-based CAM activities to help students recognize personal biases that may impair critical thinking; personal health experiences to expand definition of health beliefs; and mind-body medicine skills groups to personally integrate the use of mind-body techniques for wellness and stress management.


CONCLUSIONS
Incorporating some of these CAM curricular activities, didactically or experientially, may be a unique way to foster student self-awareness and personal growth.
Elder
Willam
W
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0284, USA. welder@email.uky.edu
Rakel
David
D
Heitkemper
Margaret
M
Hustedde
Carol
C
Harazduk
Nancy
N
Gerik
Susie
S
Haramati
Aviad
A
D001364:Awareness; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000193:education*; D003479:Curriculum; D004532:Ego; D006306:Health Surveys; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D011603:Psychophysiology; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires