Current Status of Endocrine Instruction in Medical School Education Online Survey
Description
Objective: To characterize the current landscape of pre-clinical medical endocrine education in United States (U.S.) allopathic medical schools. Methods: U.S. endocrine curriculum directors were asked to voluntarily complete a 16-question emailed survey surveying the status of endocrine pre-clinical education at their medical school. Results: There were 69 of 155 (45%) endocrine block director respondents who completed the online survey between July to Sept 2021. A larger incoming class, a longer duration of an endocrine curriculum, and the offering of a separate endocrine curriculum (i.e. apart from the teaching of other organ systems) were each independently associated with an increased number of faculty teaching the course. Schools that used a gland/organ-based curriculum only and those that used a combination of gland/organ with topic based were differed significantly in their use of large lectures, small groups, and several curriculum components including point of care glucose testing, continuous glucose monitoring, and insulin pumps. Conclusion: This survey study reports the current landscape of preclinical endocrine education in the U.S. and describes opportunities to improve interest in pursuing endocrinology as a career.