Source: Zhongshan School of Medicine
Written by: Tao Xinzhuo
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

Zhongshan School of Medicine (ZSSOM) invited experienced Canadian professors from the University of British Columbia (UBC), the University of Alberta and Simon Fraser University to offer a “Clinical Skills Training Session in English” in the summer of 2015. With the support and cooperation from rheumatic departments of The First Affiliated Hospital and The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) as well as Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, the two-week clinical skills training session began on September 7th. Four senior rheumatologists, Prof. Barry Koehler, Prof. Ian Tseng, Prof. Simon Huang and Prof. Charlie Goldsmith, together with three young specialists in their fellowship program, conducted the training in English and undertook the team-teaching task. About 90 students from the 8 year program of clinical medicine participated in the training.

The training covered both classroom lectures and hospital practice in rheumatology. Each lecture lasted three hours and was given in the mornings. The class atmosphere was interesting and lively. The students showed a great interest in immersing in the classroom, and enjoyed abundant interactions with teachers and witty quizzes. During the afternoon clinical session, students went through a tough western style of clinical skills practice where they talked face-to-face with the real patients, taking histories and performing physicals. Furthermore, on the basis of former course arrangement, this year, we also opened a new afternoon course, Prof. Charlie Goldsmith gave seminars about evidence-based medicine and and medical literature retrieval and utilization.
 

Prof. Charles Goldsmith giving a course on evidence-based medicine
 

Most students found themselves fascinated with the rich experience and skillful professionalism, humorous teaching styles and charming personality of the foreign teachers, particularly their bedside manners which revealed great compassion and concerns for the patients’ needs. The teachers, on the other hand, were impressed by the students’ strong desire to cultivate their medical abilities and their smooth English communication skills.

On September 18th, the clinical training session concluded with a heated group competition as an overall evaluation and demonstration of what they learned. All participants passed the test and everyone was granted a certificate jointly issued by UBC and ZSSOM. At the same time, in recognition of Prof. Ian Tseng, Prof. Barry Koehler, and Prof. Simon Huang’s outstanding teaching work and contribution to our school in the past seven years, on behalf of ZSSOM, Prof. Guoquan Gao (Vice-dean) presented them a certificate of appreciation. 
 

Prof. Guoquan Gao presenting a certificate of appreciation to Prof. Barry Koehler
 

The Clinical Skills Training Session in English, funded by the Ministry of Education in China and the SYSU specific fund, has been offered to the medical students in the major of clinical medicine every summer since 2009. After 6 years of continuous refinement, the course has established itself as the “most internationalized summer session” in ZSSOM and the “excellent imported course from abroad” in SYSU. The program is a key part of the ZSSOM project entitled “station and teach” for foreign experts, and is widely recognized by UBC and other peers at home and abroad. It not only provides valuable insight into team-teaching, English-mediated medical education, but also strengthens the interchange from preclinical to clinical studies. Students expressed their wishes to have more practical courses like this in the future.