Undergraduate child psychiatry teaching in Melbourne, Australia.
OBJECTIVE
The teaching of child psychiatry in Australian medical schools is under review: the content, the placement of the field within medical curricula, and the appropriate teaching and learning methods are all contested. The authors developed a 1-day program in the 9-week child and adolescent health course conducted in the final two semesters of the medical degree at the University of Melbourne and conducted a systematic evaluation of learning outcomes. The program facilitates a group process that draws students to reflect on the role of the doctor and his or her relationship with the patient-child, adolescent, family, and peers.


METHODS
Questionnaires were administered before and after the program to assess students' learning, and end-of-day and end-of-term questionnaires were used to obtain feedback from students.


RESULTS
The assessment of students' knowledge of key topics in child psychiatry immediately prior to and following the teaching day showed notable improvement on most measures. The surveys showed that the majority of students considered the day a worthwhile and useful part of their course, including a positive response to the role plays.


CONCLUSIONS
The sound pedagogical base and successful iterative development of the program has been confirmed by the immediate improvement in students' knowledge. The findings are relevant to academic psychiatrists, medical course designers, and medical educators seeking insights into teaching undergraduate child psychiatry.
Gough
Jenny K
JK
Department of Pediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Rd., Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia. jenny.gough@rch.org.au
McCallum
Zoë
Z
Bevan
Catherine
C
Vance
Alasdair
A
D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002665:Child Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*