A "Medical Student Practice Profile" as the Foundation for a Case-Based Curriculum Revision

Background: In 2001, the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California initiated a major curriculum reform with fully integrated teaching of the basic sciences. Description: The new curriculum integrated a set of selected clinical cases called the student practice profile (SPP). The SPP cases were designed to (a) define the core target knowledge base and essential clinical experience of all graduating students, (b) to improve the relevance of basic science teaching, and (c) to serve as the overarching organizational structure for the 4-year curriculum. Evaluation: Evaluation data demonstrated that implementation of the SPP project has been moderately successful and students have reported high exposure to the SPP cases and confidence in their ability to diagnose and manage problems. Improvement in teaching the basic sciences in a clinically relevant manner is suggested by a small continued improvement in USMLE scores since the SPP project was fully implemented. Conclusions: The SPP design represents a uniquely successful pathway to curriculum redesign.