Topics-Based Teaching of Applied Physics in Undergraduate Medical Education

10.6145/jme201717

Shang-Lung Dong；Yeu-Sheng Tyan

medical education ； students ； physics ； teaching methods

Journal of Medical Education

21卷4期（2017 / 12 / 01）

162 - 170

英文

Background: In recent years, the academic credit system of undergraduate medical education at some universities has simplified in Taiwan. Therefore, the course contents and teaching methods of physics courses must be readjusted to meet the needs of medical schools. This study examined the application of topics-based teaching of applied physics in undergraduate medical education at Chung Shan Medical University. Methods: The 18-week course offered 2 required credits, involving a total of 126 enrolled first-year medical students and 6 representative topics in physics. The course first introduced physics principles under each topic and then used medical applications as examples. These were then supplemented with multimedia teaching, demonstrations, or group practical exercises in which students operated medical equipment. To evaluate whether the design of the course fulfilled the needs of the School of Medicine, a pre-course and a post-course feedback questionnaire were distributed. Results: After the course, the number of students who enjoyed taking physics courses increased by 20%. In comparison, before the course, only a small fraction of students believed that physics courses could be related to medical topics; there was a substantial increase of 82.4% in those who made that connection afterward. In addition, there was an increase of 29.2% in the number of students who were willing to take other physics courses in the future. Conclusion: This study integrated the principles of physics with medical topics through topics-based teaching and the use of clinical medical equipment, effectively enhancing the interest of medical students in physics-related knowledge.

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