Curricular Reform in Musculoskeletal Medicine: Needs, Opportunities, and Solutions

Musculoskeletal medicine is not taught adequately in American medical schools and the predictable consequences are seen. Students cannot show cognitive mastery of the subject and lack confidence in this topic. To address this, the Academic Orthopaedic Society held a symposium on medical school education at its annual meeting in 2001. There, the panelists presented an analysis of the problem and proposed solutions. Specifically, it was noted that because of the autonomy of the various schools and their varied approaches to teaching, it would be unlikely that one monolithic and mandated plan could be effective on a national basis. Rather, successful reform would comprise a coalition-based effort to define learning objectives, to provide teaching materials, and to create forums for sharing resources. Recruitment of national organizations was thought to be essential. Finally, it was felt that although inadequate education is neither new nor necessarily unique among disciplines, the coming year or two, (the beginning of the Bone and Joint decade) was seen to be a particularly auspicious time for attempting curricular reform.