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Classroom Exploration of General Education in Emerging Medical Sciences from a Positivist Perspective

Author(s)

Zhaoxia Xu1, Jinhong Chen1, Jian Zhang2,3, Weifen Zhang2, Lihong Shi1,*

Affiliation(s)

1School of Rehabilitation, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, China 2School of Pharmacy, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, China 3School of Graduate, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

In the year 2021, the institution introduced The Logic of Discovery as a general education course in the medical sciences curriculum. The course adopts a positivist epistemology, tracing the historical development of pharmacological discoveries, starting with Shennong’s investigation of plants for medicinal use and concluding with intelligent pharmaceutical development, with the objective of promoting the medical student’s ability to integrate and innovate across disciplines. The chapter Evidence-based medicine: Transforming the black box of drug mechanisms into a white box, represents a pivotal point in the course structuring, allowing for conceptual continuity between preceding and subsequent modules. The training utilized the historical development of diagnosis and treatment of diabetes as an integrated case study, which linked the journey of traditional empirical medicine to modern evidence-based practice. Using an exploratory, evidence-seeking pedagogical orientation, elements of civic-ethical education and the medical humanities were integrated to construct problem-based learning (PBL) instructional pathway of historical tracing-logical deconstruction-competency immersion-translational application. This facilitated cultivation of core competencies among medical students through systematic classroom practice and inquiry.

Keywords

Positivism; Medical Education; Core Competencies; Classroom Teaching

References

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