Medical education is an evolving field globally. Due to recent changes in the global healthcare agenda, including the mobility of healthcare professionals, public health emergencies, aging populations and the need for more socially accountable healthcare, medical education has to keep pace. As such, there is a need for continuous improvement and quality assurance of the educational agenda of future health workforce backed up by the needs of key stakeholders and data based on best practices around the world, applied to a local context.
Medical Education Centre, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine has been established to address some of these changes from institutional perspective. It provides a frame for the educational staff, the students and other key stakeholders who are interested in the improvement of medical education at UPJŠ Medical faculty. It will serve to support the educational activities from individual up to systemic level as a result for institutionalising the agenda of medical education as a best practice worldwide.
This strategic document aims to guide the development of the Medical Education Centre and provide a framework for the development of activities encompassed through annual working plan of the centre. It is based on quantitative and qualitative data relevant to medical education at UPJŠ Faculty of Medicine as well as in the context of medical education in Slovakia. The main resources used to develop this strategy were the UPJŠ Faculty of Medicine long term goal for years 2014-2024, the Academic Quarter of an Hour project by the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education.
Values of the Medical Education Centre:
As a newly established workplace that aims to be the point of reference to questions related to medical education, the Medical Education Centre aims to follow the following values:
- Excellence: Commitment to maintaining high standards of excellence in medical education and practice of the Medical Education Centre.
- Innovation: Embracing and promoting innovation in teaching methods, technology integration, and curriculum design.
- Professionalism: Fostering a culture of professionalism, ethical behaviour, and responsibility among students and faculty.
- Transparency: Promoting transparency in decision-making processes, policies, and communications.
- Collaboration: Encouraging collaboration among students, faculty, and staff to enhance the overall educational experience.
- Sustainability: Integrating principles of sustainability into the operations and practices of the Medical Education Centre.
- Accountability: Holding all stakeholders accountable for their roles in achieving the goals and maintaining the values of the Medical Education Centre.
Mission and Vision of the Medical Education Centre:
The mission and vision serve as guiding principles that shape its purpose and direction. The mission outlines the Medical Education Centre’s fundamental purpose, defining why it exists and the core values that drive its actions. On the other hand, the vision provides a forward-looking perspective, describing the department’s aspirations and long-term goals. Together, these statements create a roadmap setting the tone for decision-making, goal-setting, and overall strategy. The importance of a clear mission and vision cannot be overstated; they provide a cohesive framework that aligns stakeholders, inspires collective effort, and ensures that the medical education centre remains focused on its ultimate objectives.
Our mission is to be a frame for all teaching staff of the UPJŠ Faculty of Medicine within the framework of providing knowledge, skills and attitudes in medical education, educational research and cultivating the culture of education as a unique agenda of the medical faculty. As part of supporting curriculum development, we are trying to create a competency-based education system. Through collaboration and a student-centred approach, we strive to form leaders in the education of future healthcare professionals who will be equipped with the skills to address the changing challenges of a dynamic healthcare environment.
Our vision is to be a renowned centre for medical education, recognized for participating in the production of graduates who are not only clinically proficient but also leaders in healthcare transformation. Through the culture of medical education and continuous learning, educational research, inclusiveness and services, to be at the forefront of the medical education agenda in Slovakia and in the world. Through national and international cooperation, initiate the development of medical education as an integral part of the medical faculty’s agenda.
The pillars of MEC Strategy 2024-2027:
The strategy of the Medical Education Centre for the years 2024-2027 has 3 pillars:
- Pillar I: The WHY of Medical Education Centre
- Pillar II: The WHAT of Medical Education Centre
- Pillar III: The HOW of Medical Education Centre
The goals and objectives of this pillar answer the question WHY? Medical education is an inseparable agenda of every medical faculty. In cases where the agenda is introduced later in the life of a medical school, one of the first obstacles to its integration is a change in the culture of medical education. Therefore, it is important to focus efforts on culture change when it comes to the institutionalization of medical education.
Goal 1. Establish a vast awareness strategy regarding medical education
The objective is to create and raise internal and external awareness on medical education, while specific activities consist of campaigns in cooperation with key stakeholders and student representatives, both within and outside the UPJŠ Faculty of Medicine in Košice. Part of the goal is also the promotion of the Medical Education Centre and its activities in connection with the development of medical education within the internal structures of the UPJŠ Faculty of Medicine in Košice.
Goal 2. Establish a medical education community
The objective is to develop the culture of the medical education community through regular community meetings with staff at different professional levels from different departments and clinics, whose aim will be to share and develop practices relevant to medical education according to current needs and trends in education. Part of the goal is also the creation of a community called “leaders of change” who will participate in the support and development of medical education. Online activities through social networks and other online tools are also used to achieve the goal.
Goal 3. Develop conditions for evaluation of the quality of educational activities
The objective is to prepare conditions for the evaluation of the quality of educational activities and the development of incentive mechanisms for high-quality medical education of individual medical teaching staff in cooperation with the management of the Faculty of Medicine of the UPJŠ in Košice and other interested parties. Part of the goal is also the creation of a framework for the recognition of the quality of medical education by external institutions, e.g. the International Association for Health Professions Education (AMEE).
The goals and objectives in this pillar answer the question WHAT? Research in medical education is an integral part of the medical education agenda. Therefore, it is important to develop the culture of educational research as a full-fledged scientific work with its institutional framework. Another scope of this pillar is defining the competencies of a medical graduate and creating a competency framework for the entire undergraduate medical education.
Goal 4. Establish medical education research agenda
The objective is to develop and support the culture of educational research in the field of medical education. The creation of a framework for educational research should serve to support employees in the implementation of this type of research, also in the creation of research projects focused on medical education. Part of the goal is also the development of the competences of teaching staff in the area of research in medical education, thus increasing the involvement of the faculty in educational research and presenting the results at conferences and symposia.
Goal 5. Develop a competency-based framework
The objective is to create a framework for education based on competences, which also includes the development of the competences and capacities of teaching staff in this area. Part of the goal is also the adjustment of learning objectives in all subjects within the curriculum so that they are aimed at acquiring the competencies necessary for the performance of the profession. This is related to the support and development of competence-based education assessment methods, as well as the development of the competences of teaching staff in this area.
In this pillar, goals and objectives answer the HOW question. Since medical education is a broad topic, it is particularly important to choose goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, especially if the medical education agenda is new within the UPJŠ Faculty of Medicine in Košice.
Goal 6. Establish comprehensive professional development programme
The objective is to create an educational program for teaching staff aimed at developing knowledge, skills and attitudes in medical education. At the same time, the intention is to increase the involvement of the faculty in external opportunities aimed at the professional development of employees in medical education and expansion of capacities. It also includes the creation of an online database shared by all employees, which will contain up-to-date and relevant resources necessary for the development of competencies in various areas of medicine.
Goal 7. Strengthen the curriculum development support and strategy
The objective is the development and support of interprofessional education and collaborative practice within the education of future healthcare workers. An important part is also the support of cooperation with the Centre of Simulator and Virtual Medicine by unifying clinics and the support of the didactic part of teaching by using its technological possibilities. The cooperation also covers the development of the skills and competencies of teaching staff in the implementation of the activities of the Center for Simulator and Virtual Medicine in teaching. The intention is also to support the institutional body of the UPJŠ Faculty of Medicine in Košice in the creation and innovation of curricula aimed at developing the competencies of future health workers.
Goal 8. Develop the feedback mechanism
The objective is to support the culture of individual feedback and the development of institutional methods of feedback in order to increase awareness and improve the response rate on the part of students of the Faculty of Medicine of the UPJŠ in Košice. Part of the goal is to create a framework for transparent feedback, the aim of which will be to improve the processes of medical education methods.
Goal 9. Develop partnerships within the agenda of medical education
The objective is the development of internal partnerships between various departments and clinics within the UPJŠ Faculty of Medicine in Košice, as well as networking with external partners working in the field of medical education and the facilitation of joint research projects within various national and international grant schemes.
