Curricular Integration of Clinically Oriented, Interdisciplinary Module-Concluding Seminars (CIMCS) to Enhance Meaningfulness and Integration During the Preclinical Phase of Medical School

Background: The scope of medical curricula is expanding due to the growth of knowledge. Traditional medical curricula have long been criticized for being overloaded, lacking integration, and failing to provide meaningfulness, particularly in the pre-clinical phase. Model degree programs offer didactically innovative solutions to many of these classic problems. The model degree program at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H): The UW/H model degree program in medicine demonstrates a high degree of integration and meaningfulness, in part due to its consistent implementation of problem-based learning and early clinical exposure. These aspects are set to be further strengthened by the newly introduced seminar concept presented in this study. Clinically oriented, interdisciplinary module-concluding seminars (CIMCS): The CIMCS are integrative summarizing seminars held at the end of a POL module, designed to help students contextualize the previously acquired basic knowledge within a broader clinical context. The CIMCS are led by clinicians, which authentically convey the relevance of the basic knowledge and facilitate the transfer of knowledge to future practice by providing a sense of meaning. Conclusion: CIMCS represent an easily transferable concept for improving the integration of basic knowledge into clinical contexts. The targeted involvement of clinicians to facilitate clinically oriented integration in summarizing seminars is an effective approach that conserves resources and enhances the meaningfulness of medical education.