A decade of reform in medical education: Experiences and challenges at Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Purpose: In this paper, we present the major curricular reform in MD program of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, the oldest and the largest medical university in Iran, initiated about a decade ago. Materials and methods: Following a comprehensive program evaluation, many of the basic challenges of the traditional curriculum were revealed, namely, lack of pre-defined competencies for graduates, over-reliance on teacher-centered teaching methods, over-emphasis on knowledge base in student assessments, and focusing solely on biomedical aspects of patient care. In 2010, a vision statement for reform was created and approved by the University Council. The new curriculum was launched in 2011. Results: The changes included: revising the content of the courses, assimilating horizontal and vertical integration, emphasizing clinical skills, encouraging active involvement in patient management, providing more opportunity for supervised practice, integrating behavioral and psychosocial topics into the curriculum, incorporating interactive teaching methods, assessing students' higher levels of cognition, and strengthening workplace assessments. To evaluate the changes, data were continuously collected and analyzed from the beginning. Conclusions: Changing the curriculum of an MD program is a laborious task which should be planned and undertaken carefully and cautiously. It is an endless, yet invaluable and satisfying endeavor toward better future.