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A Lot's Changed in 40 Years... Sort Ofby Ron Gilmore 
Stephen Greenberg, M.D. In the 1960s most folks cooked popcorn on the stove in a lid-covered pan or store-bought products like Jiffy Pop™. Today, it's all about the microwave. What's changed? A lot and nothing. Popcorn is still popcorn, but the methods are like Kitty Hawk and Cape Canaveral. The same can be said for medical education, at least as far as new BCM Senior Vice President and Dean of Medical Education Dr. Stephen Greenberg is concerned. Greenberg's diverse academic and clinical background—including having served as associate dean for graduate medical education and chair of medicine at BCM—has provided him with a thorough understanding of what medical students need and the direction in which health care is moving. "There are many differences between when I began studying medicine in the late 1960s as compared to today, but there are also many similarities in the basics of what it means to be a physician," he said. "It's important to always look forward because medical schools have a responsibility for how medicine will be practiced. Future physicians will increasingly work in teams across the health professions," said Greenberg. "It's the future model for disease management." Greenberg knows something about creating models. In the mid-1990s, he was involved in redoing the educational curriculum at BCM, instituting changes that have been emulated nationally. Today, some of those innovations are ready for another look-see, and he has no qualms about continuing to reevaluate programs. He cites as one example a fourth-year course on the mechanism and management of disease, a course once lecture-based that is now geared to small group discussions. He hopes to expand the research opportunities for medical students. "The things you learn in research apply to good patient care: close observation, evidence-gathering and data, writing up your findings, and making judgments on your data," said Greenberg. Then and Now
Students of an earlier era in class When Greenberg began medical school, Medicare had just been enacted, Star Trek debuted, and laptop computers were only a dream. "It's true, there are a lot of differences," he said. "We had more required class hours and hands-on laboratory experience and less outpatient experience (most medical procedures were done in the hospital)," he said. "Today's students should get a real feel for how outpatient medicine is practiced." Technology? No comparison. Today's students have access to devices and machines that would have been sci-fi for Greenberg's classmates. "Technology is moving so rapidly, and students know that throughout their careers they will need to continue to retool and learn new technology, just as all physicians must," he said. Already there are simulated surgeries for suture practice, 3D- and robotics-based training, a host of ultrasound-guided devices for many specialties, and even a change in the basic tenet that medical students "train on patients." "That concept may not hold true much longer," said Greenberg. "Most physicians in training will need to demonstrate some facility in a simulation before drawing blood or intubating patients." Students in the new millennium will need a thorough understanding of the genetic basis of disease and will be tuned in to global healthcare. "Students will have to be extremely well-versed in genetics such as understanding how genetics affects the administration of certain medications," he said. They will also more than likely be involved with international medical care on some level. Greenberg believes that the U.S. has a responsibility to share its expertise on an international level. One hundred years ago Europe was the destination for top medical training, but today it's the U.S. Remembering What's ImportantPerhaps one of the biggest influences on new century physicians will be the continued role that the Internet will play in patients' awareness of their options. Greenberg believes that the medical field will "have to come to grips" with how to work effectively with patients in such an environment. Despite technological advances, radical changes in healthcare delivery, and the marvels—and frustrations—of the World Wide Web, Greenberg is reassured by one constant in the medical universe—the doctor-patient relationship and the need for life-long learning. "The learning experience, the physical 'real-time' interaction between patient and doctor is an essential aspect of medicine that has not—and must not—change," he said. The physician-patient relationship is, he believes, a fundamental component of the healing process. "As new technologies emerge and as new basic discoveries are translated into innovative ways of treatment, physicians will have to be able to change and update their practices," said Greenberg. "Baylor College of Medicine will be the 'educational home' for our graduates throughout their careers and provide them with opportunities to update and retool as these advances are made. It was exciting starting in medicine 40 years ago, and it continues to be just as exciting for me today." |
Patient CareHealthy Living for a Thousand, Alex ResearchFighting Obesity one Molecule at a Time Doctors are from Jupiter, Patients are from Saturn EducationA Lot's Changed in 40 Years... Sort Of Community ServiceAlumni & DevelopmentBuilding BCM and Biochemistry History Following Father's Bedside Manner More than a Street Sign: Advocates for Medicine College NewsAn Artist in the Medical Arena
Educating the Next Generation of Leaders
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Volume 2, Issue 3, Fall 2006 |
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| Last modified: December 21, 2006 |