"Our students are much happier in medical school now than they were with our previous method," Federman says. "I don't feel it; I know it."
Introduced in the New Pathway program was also a class called the Patient/Doctor course, which introduces issues such as ethics, culture, race, gender and economics and shows students how they relate to medicine.
"It involves a deep respect for the moral and professional responsibilities of being a doctor," Federman says. "The patient/doctor course and problem-based learning are focused on sick persons."
By combining realistic case studies and moral education, Good says the New Pathway helps students understand a disease's effect on patients' worlds, not just their bodies.
"The patient's illness rather than just the disease becomes important," Good says.
Other Alternatives
Shulman says that currently, Emory uses about 20 percent problem-based learning and 80 percent lecturing.
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