Background

What freshly-minted doctors need to know on graduation evolves every few years. For this reason, we have to consider and adapt the School of Medicine’s curriculum from time to time. We are in the middle of this process and I’m delighted to tell you that the students who start in September will be studying a new curriculum that takes account of the many changes in medical discoveries, technological changes and new ethical considerations.

Alongside this new curriculum, we are also refreshing our mission which now reads as follows: "To transform healthcare by bringing together innovative education, discovery, and clinical excellence to serve societal needs today and in the future." This mission is the touchstone of the new curriculum as we head into the second quarter of the 21st century.

Some of the highlights of our new curriculum include:

• An integrated biomedical systems approach which ensures a solid scientific foundation for our students.
• A new module on scientific methods and data analysis to underpin new research.
• Insights into healthcare policies to help our students influence future healthcare.
• New student-selected options on topics such as planetary health, digital health, disability and whole-person care.

Our curriculum has been developed through extensive collaboration with faculty staff, current students, clinical partners, patients, regulatory bodies and alumni. We are proud of this approach which reflects our School's strengths and meets the highest standards of medical education. Approval and commendation from Trinity’s own University Council and the Irish Medical Council have independently validated our efforts.

More work now needs to be done on the curriculum for the other four years of our degree. The next phase of work will involve a thorough evaluation of the clinical placement experiences of both students and faculty to ensure the best outcomes. We will hold feedback sessions to design and refine our strategic approach and then hold events to sense-check proposed the next phase of curricular changes.

While we celebrate our progress, we remain mindful of potential challenges, such as aligning innovative pedagogical techniques with clinical practice constraints. Engaging with diverse perspectives will be essential to navigating these complexities successfully.