BMJ
Letters
MSc in general practice can be done over the Internet
EDITOR,--Mark Pallen calls on medical practitioners to realise the Internet's full potential.1 The medical world's first masters degree programme to be fully delivered by multimedia teaching and learning has just become available. This MSc in general practice from the University of Derby delivers many of its lessons by the Internet, and all interaction between students and tutors is by email.
Only 50 out of 30000 general practitioners in Britain are currently undertaking an MSc.2 The Royal College of General Practitioners has called for increased and innovative use of new technology to deliver learning based in the home and workplace3 4 and has criticised the lack of input by learners into the content and running of current courses.5 Smith has criticised the inflexibility and inappropriate content of those courses.2
The programme in Derby is unusual in being entirely produced by, and having as tutors, a group of working general practitioners, all but one of whom remain in full time general practice. Learners, who are in continuous contact with tutors via the Internet, are encouraged to contribute to the continuing development of the programme. The programme consists of 12 modules, including four for independent study. Subjects such as clinical reasoning, the consultation, and practice and self development are studied.
The programme's aim is to provide mastery over the job of general practice by developing the learners' thinking skills. The multimedia teaching and learning (the use of text, graphics, video, and audio in computer applications) have been developed to simulate the decision making and thinking environment of daily life in general practice. Students can play with the various theories and models that constitute the science of medicine through video and graphical interaction. Critical evaluation of these models and theories represents the hallmark of masters or postgraduate work. The opportunity to test these models in simulated situations is the great strength of multimedia teaching and learning. The programme uses electronic discussion in the exploration of some themes. Students are encouraged to develop their own assignments through the Internet.
The advantages of short periods of intense interactive study when and where the learner chooses remain to be proved. So too does whether such a programme can be run by full time practitioners for full time practitioners. We are confident that we are tapping a huge unmet need for professional development among today's general practitioners and hope to transform the culture of higher professional training in general practice.
Programme leader, University of Derby Alvaston Medical Centre, Derby DE72 2GR
John Sanfey
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Pallen M. Guide to the Internet. Logging in, fetching files, reading news. BMJ 1995;311:1626-30. (16 December.) [Free Full Text]
Smith LFP. Higher professional training in general practice: provision of master's degree courses in the United Kingdom in 1993. BMJ 1994;308:1679-82. [Free Full Text]
Royal College of General Practitioners. Portfolio-based learning in general practice. London: RCGP, 1993. (Occasional paper 63.)
Royal College of General Practitioners. Higher professional education courses in the United Kingdom. London: RCGP, 1991. (Occasional paper 51.)
Royal College of General Practitioners. A college plan--priorities for the future. London: RCGP, 1990. (Occasional paper 49.)