Theory in practice instead of theory versus practice--curricular design for task-based learning within a competency oriented curriculum.

Objective: Already during their studies, medical students should intensively train their clinical thinking and practice skills, enhancing their clinical expertise in theoretical and practical terms.

Methods: Based on the findings of educational research, a new curriculum for clinical training was developed at Duesseldorf University, focussing on workplace-based teaching, learning and assessment.

Results: For students in their 3rd, 4th and 5th year of study, our curriculum is based on learning with patient complaint items in regard to multidisciplinary areas of outpatient and inpatient care. For this educational format, 123 complaint items were defined and their compatibility with diseases from various disciplines was tested. Based on the complaint of a specific case, students locate the underlying disease pattern, the differential diagnostic and therapeutical procedures and thereby deepen the required knowledge in the basic subjects. Study books have been created by the clinical departments to support this process. Learning is integrated in competence-oriented and workplace-based learning and assessment, offering a close-knit contact between students and doctors.

Conclusion: The concept allows the integration of theory into practice and the integration of knowledge from the basic, clinical-theoretical and clinical subjects into clinical thinking and action.