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Dissertation Information for Julie Johnson McGowan

NAME:
- Julie Johnson McGowan

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Education

SCHOOL:
- University of South Carolina (USA) (1991)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: The informed physician: Methodological differences in life-long learning between graduates of innovative and traditional curricula

Abstract: Rationale. Because medical information is increasing at an exponential rate and technological advances are outpacing many physicians' abilities to use them, it is virtually impossible for any physician to know all that is needed for successful medical practice at the time of graduation. "The GPEP Report," in addressing this issue, determined that "Acquiring Learning Skills" should be one of the primary goals of medical education. This research was designed to ascertain whether any differences in life-long learning skills exist between graduates of innovative and traditional medical school curricula and whether the length of time following medical school has any impact.

Research design. Five medical schools in the United States have had innovative curricular programs for at least seven years. These schools were matched with five traditional curriculum schools and a stratified random sample of 1985, 1988, and 1990 graduates were selected. A total of 846 letters with questionnaires were mailed, with one follow-up. The response rate was 48%.

The survey instrument contained 31 Likert-type items divided into six scales dealing with sources and methods of accessing information. A 19-item "orientation to change" scale was also included. Comparisons between innovative and traditional curriculum graduates were made for each of the seven scales. Comparisons for the scales were also made across years of professional experience.

Results and conclusions. The only statistically significant differences between graduates of innovative and traditional curricula were found in the use of pharmaceutical company information and the importance of continuing medical education, both valued more highly by innovative curriculum graduates. In looking at the scales across years, 1985 graduates of both curriculum types valued teaching as a learning mechanism to a greater extent than did 1988 or 1990 graduates.

While the literature indicates that students enrolled in innovative curricular programs are more satisfied with their educational experiences and use information resources more efficiently and effectively than their traditional curriculum counterparts, any differences in sources and methods of information access tend to diminish during their clinical clerkships and residencies.

MPACT Scores for Julie Johnson McGowan

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2010-09-29 15:56:44

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