New Master's specialization for teaching in health care professions

Mar 27 2008

The University of Rochester will offer a new specialization within the current Master of Science in Teaching and Curriculum program for doctors, nurses and other health care professionals who want to teach or who want to expand their educational skills.

The degree program is designed for faculty in a school of medicine, dentistry or nursing, health professionals, such as registered nurses, physicians, pharmacists or physical therapists, who teach or train new members of their field, and practitioners who teach patients or clients health promotion.

“The concept in medical schools, for example, has been ‘I got through it, therefore I can teach it,’ ” said Denham S. Ward, M.D., Ph.D., associate dean for faculty development-medical education at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. “With more demands on faculty time and other changes, this concept has become questionable. We need to become better and more effective teachers.”

The program was developed through a unique collaboration of the University’s Warner School of Education, the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine and Dentistry. Faculty from each of the three schools will teach courses offered in the master’s program.

The University is the first in the area to offer a comprehensive master’s degree program in health professions education. The University of Toronto and the University of Pittsburgh are the closest institutions with similar programs.

Requirements of the degree, which can be earned in one year of full-time study, include 30 credit hours and a master’s essay. Two core courses, specifically created for the new degree, address health care education issues and teaching methods. With only five required courses, the program allows a wide choice of electives and independent study.

The new core courses also will be open to a limited number of non-matriculated students.

For more information, contact the Warner School of Education admissions office at (585) 275-3950 or [email protected].