An Attempt to Integrate the General Education and the Specialized Education in the Seminar for Medical Students

Abstract

General education including basic science is closely related to clinical medicine. But most medical students are not interested in this subject. In order to promote high motivation for general education among new medical students, attempts were made at medical seminar in first year class.
Testicular cancer was used as teaching materials. Students learned how the contents of general education were applied to clinical medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer. For example they could understand easily that the knowledge of physics and mathe-matics were indispensable to understand CT.
To improve students' self-learning skill, student taught another students mutually. Teacher guided them as a tutor.
Then a patient completely recovered from testicular cancer was invited as a lecturer. He talked about his life fighting against a disease and demands for medical students.
When students knew the relationship between general education and medical practice, they could understand the importance of general education and their motivation for learning was promoted.