Intellectual Property Rights: Open Access

Abstract

Curriculum Integration in Medical Education: A Theoretical Review

Hani S Atwa and Enas M Gouda

Integration seeks to break down the barriers between the subject areas in order to provide students with better learning opportunities that facilitate the development of knowledge that is relevant and meaningful to clinical practice, deep and retrievable, and amenable to alteration, updating, and development as a part of an ongoing process of lifelong learning.
The subject of curriculum integration has been under discussion off and on for the last half century, with a resurgence occurring over the past decade. The "explosion" of knowledge, the increase of state mandates related to myriad issues, fragmented teaching schedules, concerns about curriculum relevancy, and a lack of connections and relationships among disciplines have all been cited as reasons for a move towards an integrated curriculum.