Special Section Commentary
Impatience of health professions students for health equity – Can a new definition help? Joško Miše IFMSA General Secretariat, c/o World Medical Association, B.P. 63, 01212 Ferney-Voltaire, Cedex, France. E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is concerned that students are not graduating feeling energized by their social purpose. IFMSA raises a question about the role of the definition of health in limiting the comprehensiveness of the current approach to health and health care in medical and health professions education. IFMSA surveyed medical students about medical curricula. We found that a minority of surveyed students have experienced interdisciplinary teaching, with the lowest exposure in low- and middle-income countries. Medical students are clearly stating their dissatisfaction with the lack of holistic and comprehensive approach to health and health care. Our impatience for contributing to health equity is a virtue in seeking change in curricula and broader collaboration for health. Journal of Public Health Policy (2014) 35, 411–413. doi:10.1057/jphp.2014.25; published online 19 June 2014 Keywords: health; health equity; medical education; health education; health care
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is one of the largest international student organizations in the world, with members in 110 countries across the world. For more than 60 years, IFMSA has existed to bring together the global medical student community at the local, national, and international levels to address social and health issues. We want to see a world where all medical students can make a full contribution to achieving health equity. Rudolf Virchow, the father of social medicine stated that “physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and that social issues fall largely within their jurisdiction”. Yet, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of taking a narrow biomedical view of health. Most go into medical school with the aim of contribution to social good. Yet in many settings, doctors graduate having lost focus on this original mission. Clearly something
© 2014 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy Vol. 35, 3, 411–413 www.palgrave-journals.com/jphp/
Miše
has gone awry if students are not graduating feeling energized by their social purpose. Is this because the definition of health we are being taught in the medical schools fails to include the broader concepts of health?1 As a part of the Commitment to the UN Secretary General’s Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health, IFMSA conducted a survey with the support of University of Aberdeen and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health to assess students’ views and opinions about medical curricula. Results showed that a vast majority of surveyed students felt that teaching about global health and social determinants of health was insufficient.2 In terms of content for that learning, results showed that only a minority of surveyed students have experienced interdisciplinary teaching, with the lowest exposure in low- and middleincome countries. If medical education curricula are a reflection of how health is perceived, then medical students are clearly stating their dissatisfaction with the lack of holistic and comprehensive approach to health and health care. As young professionals we know that the education system in which we trained needs to change, and it needs to change fast. We want all of those who graduate medical school to be equipped to act as agents of change for achieving health equity. This is where the impatience of youth is a virtue. We are not sitting idly by, as passive recipients of knowledge and skills; we are finding ways to empower ourselves. IFMSA, with members all over the world, is trying to fill deficiencies in the curricula, and therefore to transform the way health, and our roles, are perceived. As a Federation we are committed to interdisciplinary education. Even as future physicians we know that that doctors do not have all the answers. Still, with all this talk of interdisciplinarity, we are all too often stuck in our isolated professions and specialties. Education systems often do not encourage the kind of inter-professional interaction that is needed. That being said, we are already working closely with our student colleagues in other professions to change this. IFMSA was a founding member of the World Healthcare Students Symposium, a student-led initiative to bring together student leaders across health-care disciplines. Furthermore, in organizing a Pre-World Health Assembly workshop last year on global health diplomacy, we had everyone from medical students, pharmacists to lawyers, all preparing to work together to advance global health equity.
412
© 2014 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy Vol. 35, 3, 411–413
Health professions students for health equity
Education systems need to transform, both in the way the teaching and learning are delivered, and who is receiving it. Many of us in the medical profession are fortunate, in that we come from privileged backgrounds. Yet, evidence shows that those who enter from underserved communities are much more likely to return to serve those communities. We need to ensure that all who have the ability and desire to complete a medical education can do so. That means taking a long hard look at our profession itself and identifying what barriers we may have unwittingly created. This would ensure that health education is informed by the needs of the communities, sensitive to realities of different populations, and ready to get transformed – to embrace an inclusive and equitable approach. If we are to change the definition of health, we need to build the new generation of health-care professionals who will be equipped with holistic knowledge and skills to understand the broader concepts of health. And the best entry point for changing the attitudes and perceptions around health is medical students.
About the Author Joško Miše is President of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). IFMSA is a student-led non-governmental organization representing associations of medical students from 110 countries on social, health and development issues
Reference 1. Bircher, J. and Kuruvilla, S. (2014) Defining health by addressing individual, social, and environmental determinants: New opportunities for health care and public health Journal of Public Health Policy, doi:10.1057/jphp.2014.19 published online 19 June 2014. 2. Gopfert, A. et al (2014) Global Health Action 2014, 7: 23943, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha .v7.23943.
© 2014 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy Vol. 35, 3, 411–413
413
Copyright of Journal of Public Health Policy is the property of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Impatience of health professions students for health equity – Can a new definition help? Joško Miše IFMSA General Secretariat, c/o World Medical Association, B.P. 63, 01212 Ferney-Voltaire, Cedex, France. E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is concerned that students are not graduating feeling energized by their social purpose. IFMSA raises a question about the role of the definition of health in limiting the comprehensiveness of the current approach to health and health care in medical and health professions education. IFMSA surveyed medical students about medical curricula. We found that a minority of surveyed students have experienced interdisciplinary teaching, with the lowest exposure in low- and middle-income countries. Medical students are clearly stating their dissatisfaction with the lack of holistic and comprehensive approach to health and health care. Our impatience for contributing to health equity is a virtue in seeking change in curricula and broader collaboration for health. Journal of Public Health Policy (2014) 35, 411–413. doi:10.1057/jphp.2014.25; published online 19 June 2014 Keywords: health; health equity; medical education; health education; health care
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is one of the largest international student organizations in the world, with members in 110 countries across the world. For more than 60 years, IFMSA has existed to bring together the global medical student community at the local, national, and international levels to address social and health issues. We want to see a world where all medical students can make a full contribution to achieving health equity. Rudolf Virchow, the father of social medicine stated that “physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and that social issues fall largely within their jurisdiction”. Yet, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of taking a narrow biomedical view of health. Most go into medical school with the aim of contribution to social good. Yet in many settings, doctors graduate having lost focus on this original mission. Clearly something
© 2014 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy Vol. 35, 3, 411–413 www.palgrave-journals.com/jphp/
Miše
has gone awry if students are not graduating feeling energized by their social purpose. Is this because the definition of health we are being taught in the medical schools fails to include the broader concepts of health?1 As a part of the Commitment to the UN Secretary General’s Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health, IFMSA conducted a survey with the support of University of Aberdeen and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health to assess students’ views and opinions about medical curricula. Results showed that a vast majority of surveyed students felt that teaching about global health and social determinants of health was insufficient.2 In terms of content for that learning, results showed that only a minority of surveyed students have experienced interdisciplinary teaching, with the lowest exposure in low- and middleincome countries. If medical education curricula are a reflection of how health is perceived, then medical students are clearly stating their dissatisfaction with the lack of holistic and comprehensive approach to health and health care. As young professionals we know that the education system in which we trained needs to change, and it needs to change fast. We want all of those who graduate medical school to be equipped to act as agents of change for achieving health equity. This is where the impatience of youth is a virtue. We are not sitting idly by, as passive recipients of knowledge and skills; we are finding ways to empower ourselves. IFMSA, with members all over the world, is trying to fill deficiencies in the curricula, and therefore to transform the way health, and our roles, are perceived. As a Federation we are committed to interdisciplinary education. Even as future physicians we know that that doctors do not have all the answers. Still, with all this talk of interdisciplinarity, we are all too often stuck in our isolated professions and specialties. Education systems often do not encourage the kind of inter-professional interaction that is needed. That being said, we are already working closely with our student colleagues in other professions to change this. IFMSA was a founding member of the World Healthcare Students Symposium, a student-led initiative to bring together student leaders across health-care disciplines. Furthermore, in organizing a Pre-World Health Assembly workshop last year on global health diplomacy, we had everyone from medical students, pharmacists to lawyers, all preparing to work together to advance global health equity.
412
© 2014 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy Vol. 35, 3, 411–413
Health professions students for health equity
Education systems need to transform, both in the way the teaching and learning are delivered, and who is receiving it. Many of us in the medical profession are fortunate, in that we come from privileged backgrounds. Yet, evidence shows that those who enter from underserved communities are much more likely to return to serve those communities. We need to ensure that all who have the ability and desire to complete a medical education can do so. That means taking a long hard look at our profession itself and identifying what barriers we may have unwittingly created. This would ensure that health education is informed by the needs of the communities, sensitive to realities of different populations, and ready to get transformed – to embrace an inclusive and equitable approach. If we are to change the definition of health, we need to build the new generation of health-care professionals who will be equipped with holistic knowledge and skills to understand the broader concepts of health. And the best entry point for changing the attitudes and perceptions around health is medical students.
About the Author Joško Miše is President of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). IFMSA is a student-led non-governmental organization representing associations of medical students from 110 countries on social, health and development issues
Reference 1. Bircher, J. and Kuruvilla, S. (2014) Defining health by addressing individual, social, and environmental determinants: New opportunities for health care and public health Journal of Public Health Policy, doi:10.1057/jphp.2014.19 published online 19 June 2014. 2. Gopfert, A. et al (2014) Global Health Action 2014, 7: 23943, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha .v7.23943.
© 2014 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 0197-5897 Journal of Public Health Policy Vol. 35, 3, 411–413
413
Copyright of Journal of Public Health Policy is the property of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
