"Die Medizinische Psychologie brachte uns dazu, die richtigen
Fragen zu stellen": Studentische Evaluation eines praxis- und
forschungsorientierten Seminars
Subtitle: "Medical psychology taught us how to ask
the right questions": Student evaluation of a practice- and research-oriented
seminar
Affiliations: Institut für Medizinische Psychologie,
Universität Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau- Straße 48, D-17487
Greifswald für Medizinische Psychologie, Universität Greifswald,
Walther-Rathenau- Straße 48, D-17487 Greifswald.
Note: [] Korrespondenzadresse: Priv.-Doz. Dr. Dr. Ulrich Wiesmann,
Institut für Medizinische Psychologie, Universität Greifswald,
Walther-Rathenau- Straße 48, D-17487 Greifswald. Tel.: 03834/865603, Fax:
03834/865605, E-mail: wiesmann@uni-greifswald.de
Abstract: Objectives: Starting point of our medical psychology education
concept were reflections about which professional skills medical students
should acquire. As medicine is a practical discipline striving for good
clinical practice, power of judgement and research competence are key contents
of medical education. In this study, we examined the student reception of a
practiceand research-oriented seminar. Method: In our curriculum, students examined a psychological problem
area by interacting with a simulation patient, and professionally presented a
research project on a student congress. Participants were 193 second-year
medical students who evaluated four educational objectives and eight teaching
methods by questionnaire. Results: The students felt encouraged to engage in self-reflexion.
They considered knowledge about medical psychology as rather important for
medical education, but doubted its practicability. The acquisition of
communication skills via interpersonal experiences was evaluated very
positively, while achievements in research skills were reflected upon rather
sceptically. Accordingly, interaction with simulated patients was the most and
the student congress was the least preferred teaching method. The more students
were engaged in acquiring communication skills, the more they benefitted from
simulation patients, the research project, the student congress, lecturer
instructions, and students' own seminar presentation. Conclusions: Promoting power of judgement and research competence as
well as dealing with different teaching methods are high demands on medical
students. The student reception of our curriculum encourages and support the
incorporation of interpersonal training in communicative skills as well as
working on an independently developed scientific problem into medical
psychological teaching.
Keywords: Medical education, communication training, research (methods) training, evaluation
