TEACHING PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS
Research on attitudes to CAM/ Proposal for an Elective course at Hadassah School of Medicine (HHUMS ) / Courses on CAM at HHUMS.
In Israel Complementary / Alternative Medicine (CAM) has become a major part of the public agenda, with almost a quarter of the adult population estimated to use complementary medicine, and many physicians now referring patients for CAM therapy.
Nevertheless, despite the substantial expansion of CAM services in Israel over the last 10 years, medical and nursing schools in Israel, providing little, if any, familiarization with these therapies.Currently no formal courses are provided by The Hadassah Hebrew University School of Medicine and interested students must therefore seek information elsewhere.
Research on attitudes to CAM at HHUMS.
In 1998 NMRU carried out a survey amongst 143 medical students on their attitudes to introducing an elective course on CAM at the Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Medicine.
The report, published in the Israeli medical journal “Harefuah” (2000), showed over 93% of the students were highly favorable to the proposal, with a majority favoring a theoretical and practical approach, and with particular emphasis on herbal medicine, homeopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine (see RESEARCH).
Courses on CAM at HHUMS; A Proposal for an elective course for medical students.
NMRU believes it is important to respond to the growing demand from medical students and other health care professionals for instruction into CAM, and therefore has devoted time and rescources to planning an elective program in CAM for students at Hadassah School of Medicine.
The aim of this course, which was submitted in 2003 to the Faculty of Medicine, is to provide meaningful information n o the role of CAM therapy in Israel using an evidence-based assessment of natural therapies, and correlating important scientific and research findings with evidence of effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness. (see INTERGRATED MEDICINE)
Since 2002, NMRU , at the invitation of various teaching faculty at the School of Medicine has however provided a number of educational sessions for students at HHUMS within the context of formal courses .These sessions have included ;
i. Workshops in Complementary / Alternative Medicine (CAM) for 4th year medical students
In Dec 2001 and 2002, as part of a course on Medical ethics for 4th year medical students at Hadassah School of Medicine, NMRU was requested to give for the first time, a session on CAM entitled “Complementary Alternative Medicine - Patient Choice for the New Millenium”.
The workshop consisted of a half day of lectures and demonstrations in which various alternative / complementary medicine therapies, including Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Herbs, Chiropractic, Reflexology, Naturopathy, Shiatsu and Homeopathy, were discussed within the context of evidence-based medicine, and also experienced by the students using a hands - on approach together with experienced therapists.
Attended by capacity audiences of over 100 participants, the workshops were rated highly successful in follow-up questionnaires, with the majority of students (98%) requesting further instruction and information on CAM techniques as part of an elective medical curriculum at Hadassah.
ii. Workshops in CAM for final year medical students
In 2002-3, NMRU was again invited to present CAM, this time within the context of the Family Medicine rotation for final year medical students at HHUMS
. Using the same format of lectures and workshops, the courses were again rated highly successful by the students, with further requests to implement these sessions into the official curriculum of the medical school.