Letter from the Editor-in-Chief - Medical Science Educator - LIMSC ...

MEDICAL SCIENCE EDUCATORThe Journal of the International Association of Medical Science EducatorsMed Sci Educ 2013; 23(1S): 80-83KEYNOTEUsing the Master-Apprentice Relationship whenTeaching Medical Students Academic Skills: TheYoung Excellence ClassDavid van Bodegom 1,2 , Maurits Hafkamp 1,2 & Rudi G.J. Westendorp 1,21 Leyden Academy on Vitality and Aging, The Netherlands2 Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The NetherlandsAbstractMedical education has historically been characterized by a master-apprentice relationship. In current medicalcurricula, this didactic method is only found in the master phase when students enter the hospital forapprenticeships. We plea for a re-appreciation of this method in the bachelor-phase to ensure a proper academictraining of young medical students. We describe our experience with the Young Excellence Class (YEC) of theLeyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing, a two weekly discussion group in which medical students train theiracademic skills while discussing scientific articles under guidance of an experienced scientist. In our experiencethe results of this method are fourfold. First, the students acquire skills that cannot be learned from books orlectures alone: reading, listening, reasoning and arguing. Second, the matured students learn to guide youngerstudents in how to perform a research project and how to write a scientific report. Third, this method canconvince talented students to pursue an academic career, also in disciplines such as ageing that are at first sightless attractive for young medical students. Out of the 15 alumni of the YEC, 12 have continued in a PhD trajectoryout of which 9 in the field of ageing. Fourth, students can under guidance contribute to scientific output at thehighest level, as was shown by two students who published their research as first authors in a high impactjournal. Finally, we have shown that the didactic model can also be successfully employed at a differentuniversity. Given the successes and the ability to disseminate the method, we encourage others to also adopt themaster-apprentice approach in their scientific field and start their own Young Excellence Class.IntroductionMedical education has historically beencharacterized by a master-apprentice relationship inwhich an experienced physician teaches hisapprentices side-by-side. 1 In medieval times, thisform was common in many professions thatrequired years-long training to perfect certainskills. 2 In these professions, the master-apprenticerelationship was an appropriate didactic model andphysicians would not only transfer medicalknowledge and skills but also communication skills,ethics, logical reasoning and other essentialqualities of a good physician.After the biomedical revolution, medicine becamean academic discipline and students would not onlybe trained in clinical skills but also in academicCorresponding author: D. van Bodegom, Leyden Academy onVitality and Aging, Rijnsburgerweg 10, 2333 AA Leiden, TheNetherlands; Tel: +31 71 5240960; Fax: +31 71 5240969; email:bodegom@leydenacademy.nlskills. The didactic models evolved with it and mostmedical curricula of the world now have a bachelorphase that provides students with a basic academictraining mainly characterized by textbook learningand large scale lectures. 3 In the master phase oftheir studies, however, students undergo anapprenticeship in the hospital that still resemblesthe old master-apprentice relationship.In this article we plea for a re-appreciation of themaster-apprentice method in the bachelor phase ofmedical education, an essential period in thedevelopment of the medical student to become anacademic scholar also. The personal guidance of themaster-apprentice relationship, that is now absentfrom the medical curricula, can be a powerfuldidactic method to inspire students. In this articlewe describe our experience of the past eight yearswith a small group of students known as the YoungExcellence Class of the Leyden Academy on Vitality& Ageing, a knowledge centre in the field of vitalityMedical Science Educator © IAMSE 2013 Volume 23(1S) 80