Design and Implementation of a Novel Behavioral Sciences Course for First Year Medical Students

[...]students often miss the relevance and importance of these concepts [6], and when under the stress surrounding exams, may “triage” material and focus on what they perceive as most relevant. The faculty wanted students to come away from the course not simply “knowing” the material, but being able to recognize how these concepts are applied clinically. [...]Team-Based Learning (TBL) was selected as the sole pedagogy for the course. The GRAT provides an opportunity for students to teach each other and correct any knowledge gaps, ensuring that all team members master the material. Reported as average percent correct (range) Academic year Class size IRAT GRAT Customized NBME examination 2009–2010 41 74.2 (63.8–87.5) 98.2 (97.0–98.8) 89.8 (82.0–99.0) 2010–2011 60 77.1 (61.3–90.0) Data unavailable 90.6 (76.6–97.4) 2011–2012 80 75.6 (43.8–90.0) 97.4 (95.6–99.2) 86.5 (71.0–98.0) At the end of the course, students took a final examination using a National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Blueprint exam.