AOJPCH

INAUGURAL ISSUE : Volume One - JUNE  2002 -Number ONE
     
PEDIATRIC EDUCATION: THE CONTINUING SEARCH
FOR RELEVANCE AND EXCELLENCE

Perla D Santos Ocampo, MD

Professor Emiritus, University of the Philippines Manila
Honorary President, Association of Pediatric Societies of the
South-East Asian Region (APSSEAR)
President, National Academy of Science and Technology


Abstract

We witness every day the dizzying changes happening to our world which have made curricular reforms in pediatric education a continuing imperative. The overarching goal of pediatric education is better child health through the production of physicians and pediatricians imbued with attributes of competence and excellence, relevance and compassion.
Universally accepted principles on Pediatric Education culled over a period of two decades are presented followed by recommendations and comments. These are:
Principle No. One: Competencies developed in the trainee must be responsive to the needs of the children he/she will serve.
Principle No. Two: Competencies must take into account the community profile, its existing health care delivery system and other resources.
Principle No. Three: The trainee must be imbued with desirable values and attitudes.
Principle No. Four: The trainee must be able to assume several roles beyond the science of medicine which are necessary for better delivery of child health care.
Principle No. Five: Concepts of total quality (TQ) organization and management must be utilized in enhancing relevance and excellence in both undergraduate and postgraduate pediatric education.
Principle No. Six: New paradigms in pediatric education must continuously be created to sustain a dynamic curriculum and better delivery of health care.

The paper ends by emphasizing that trainees in pediatrics both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels should become better child health practitioners now and even better ones tomorrow.

Keywords: Pediatric Competencies, Child Health Care, Curricular Reforms, Educational Principles.

Correspondence to: Professor Perla D Santos Ocampo, P O Box EA 100, Ermita, Manila 1000 Philippines
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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