A framework for developing, implementing, and evaluating a cancer survivorship curriculum for medical students.
BACKGROUND
Cancer survivorship care is not adequately addressed in current medical school curricula.


OBJECTIVE
To develop, implement, and evaluate a modular cancer survivorship curriculum that is portable to other educational settings and is designed to provide medical students with a foundation of knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to care for cancer survivors.


METHODS
An expert consensus panel developed a set of learning objectives related to cancer survivorship to guide the development of educational modules, such as computer-based self-instructional modules, problem-based learning cases, videos, and clinical exercises. Course and clerkship chairs were directly involved in the development and implementation of the modules.


RESULTS
A cohort study with a historical control group demonstrated that fourth-year medical students increased their knowledge in survivorship issues and their self-reported level of comfort in care activities compared to similar students who did not receive the survivorship curriculum.


CONCLUSIONS
Our framework resulted in a cancer survivorship curriculum that was implemented in a modular manner across the medical curriculum that improved learning and that is potentially portable to other educational settings.
Uijtdehaage
Sebastian
S
Center for Education Development and Research, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, 60-051 Center for the Health Sciences, Box 951722, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. bas@mednet.ucla.edu
Hauer
Karen E
KE
Stuber
Margaret
M
Rajagopalan
Shobita
S
Go
Vay L
VL
Wilkerson
LuAnn
L
D015331:Cohort Studies; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D013337:Students, Medical; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends