You raise an incredibly important point that we face as medical learners.
One thing that academia does a really great job of is adding things without ever evaluating whether or not we need to continue to keep some of the things that are still pieces of the puzzle.
What we've seen in medical education over the past many decades is our understanding in science. We continue to make new advancements in health care and in how we can provide that care, and we never look at the scope of practice for what we're trying to achieve.
As Dr. Peachey mentioned, we need to really re-evaluate the amount of time that we're spending on things and the things that we're prioritizing. A key thing we see in the way we've done our evaluations is that some of the details we're trying to look at don't necessarily achieve what we need to do. For instance, they integrate antibiotics or pharmacology into our curriculum, but as we know, pharmacology is always changing. The research is always changing. There are a multitude of apps that give us that information at the drop of a hat.
Is this where we need to be spending our time, or do we need to be developing these skills about how to provide patient-centred care in a good way?
When we're thinking about the pressures being put onto us, it comes down to the evaluations and the level of content that we're trying to deliver, but also the pressures and the experiences of those who are teaching us. They're under their own burdens as health care providers in this system. When something like the pandemic is happening, it is just an added layer on top of their responsibilities to provide the training for future health care providers and to continue to support the health care system that is needed to ensure we are successful and we have healthy Canadians.