Lisa,
In a message dated 11/19/98 7:59:36 AM Eastern Standard Time, you wrote:
<< I'm looking for something that sets out what should be covered in the
medical school curriculum about breastfeeding. I thought I'd seen it
somewhere.....? I would prefer something published, rather than random
thoughts about what we'd like medical students to know ;)
University of Melbourne starts a new medical curriculum next year and I've
just seen a draft (and suddenly having trouble breathing.>>
Have you seen the curriculum used at the University of Rochester Schol of
Medicine? Ruth Lawrence outlines it in Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical
Profession on pp. 649-650. Here's a summary I sent to TLC, the listserv for
LLL Leaders:
American medical study is divided into the basic sciences and the clinical
sciences. In general, the basic sciences -anatomy, physiology, biochemistry,
microbiology, pathology, histology, pharmacology, etc- are studied in the
first 2 years of medical school. The clinical sciences where the student
learns patient care are generally taught in the final 2 years of medical
school. Increasingly, medical schools integrate the teaching of clinical
sciences into the teaching of basic science through case-based study and other
activities. The U of Rochester has been a leader in increasing clinical
correlation with the basic sciences.
In the first year, students have a 16 week program on human nutrition which
meets for 2 hours each week. In the section on child nutrition, the
superiority of breastfeeding and human milk over formula feeding are presented
in a lecture followed by discussion. At least 2 questions on the final exam
are on the composition and benefits of breastmilk.
The second year has a 12 week section on women's health meeting 4 hours each
week. One session is about the breast with the first 2 hours spent on the
anatomy of the breast and the physiology of lactation. Once again the student
will have questions on lactation at examination.
The third year has the general clerkship, the OB/GYN and the pediatrics
clerkships. Each lasts 6 weeks and are required for all students. In the
general clerkship, the students learns the examination of the female breast.
The student during the OB/GYN clerkship follows patients prenatally,
intrapartum and postnatally. Breastfeeding is part of that continuum with
prenatal discussions of infant feeding and checking for engorgement after the
birth. During the pediatric clerkship, 3 weeks are spent on the ward and 3
weeks are spent in an outpatient setting. One week of mornings is spent with
the newborns. Students examine the babies rounding from crib-to-crib and they
talk to the moms. They are encouraged to visit the moms during breastfeeding
and to accompany the mother/baby nurse as she assists the breastfeeding
couple. Through these activities and by seeing breastfed babies in an
outpatient setting, the student learns about the growth and feeding patterns
of breastfed babies, normal lactation, and how to correct problems. Each
morning the residents and the students on the outpatient service attend a
lecture on routine clinical issues with at least one lecture in ten focusing
on breastfeeding.
Fourth years have lots of time for electives. They may elect more time in the
nursery, the peds outpatient service or at the Lactation Study Center. A few
students can spend the summer on a fellowship at the Lactation Study Center.
Learning about breastfeeding continues during the residency programs in OB/GYN
and Pediatrics with formal lectures in Grand Rounds and at other times as well
as through clinical experience.
Rochester weaves the BF curriculum into the larger curriculum in order to
emphasize its essential nature to the health and well-being of children and
women. Dr Ruth Lawrence has more information on teaching breastfeeding to HCP
in Breastfeeding: a Guide for the Medical Profession. Mosby, 4th ed. 1994
chapter 21
Hope that this helps.
Warmly,
Carol Kelley LLLL (who finally learned to cut,copy and paste)
Taylors SC USA in the Blue Ridge foothills
mailto:[log in to unmask]
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