Overcoming the paradigm of traditional teaching methodology in pharmacology monitoring: innovations in medical education driven by the pandemic

Abstract

In the course of the last decades there has been a transformation of medical education, aiming to change from a traditional model centered on the teacher to active methodologies, which involve students in a participative, practical and critical way. The pandemic highlighted the importance of differentiated approaches, such as dialoged classes and the inverted classroom. While they bring benefits, they also present challenges, such as preparedness and the necessary infrastructure. Training assessment and Think-Pair-Share (TPS) methodology are also important in this context. Accordingly, the adaptation of the ative methodologies for the teaching of pharmacology is considered relevant for forming doctors prepared for the future demands. The objective of the present study was to report the experience of the monitors in the discipline of Pharmacology in the context of adaptation between the pandemic scenario with remote activities and the return to face-to-face teaching, maintaining the strategy of active methodologies and the formative evaluation, which was initially structured during the pandemic in a digital context. The discipline of Pharmacology offered to the undergraduate course in Medicine of the State University of Rio de Janeiro has therefore started to integrate medical theory and practice, involving classroom, asynchronous and clinical cases. In this way, the teachers teach the subjects and the student monitors, with the supervision of the teachers, select clinical cases based on practical experiences, and use the strategy of the TPS for discussions with small groups of students, which, afterwards, are shared with the whole group. Clinical cases are based on supporting texts, but the discussions encourage the addition of new information to widen the understanding of the discipline. In this context, the monitoring project in Pharmacology involves an active teaching approach, encouraging students to participate in clinical case discussions and broaden theoretical knowledge. This practice enriches academic skills, arouses interest in teaching and is well evaluated by students. The approach aligns with Glasser's learning pyramid, favoring knowledge retention. The use of the TPS methodology promotes collaboration and clinical reasoning and the impact has been positive, which is evidenced by student evaluations and feedback to the discipline and to the monitors. Therefore, the restructuring of the Pharmacology discipline adopted more dynamic and active teaching strategies, seeking to stimulate the active participation of students and critical reasoning. Monitoring played an important role in this approach, promoting debate, proactivity, and clinical skills. The monitoring experience has been positive, deepening the technical knowledge of the monitors and challenging them to constantly improve teaching strategies. Accordingly, the work reflects the importance of more ative, critical medical teaching that is aligned with social demands.