Structural competency curriculum in the U.S. medical education and its implications

doi:10.3760/cma.j.cn115259-20231024-00390

Abstract

Abstract: Facing the challenges of health inequalities and the social, political, and economic structures behind them, scholars in the U.S. proposed the idea of structural competency. They also designed the structural competency curricula in medical education. This article outlines the concept of structural competency and the components of this new competency. It also describes the content structure, teaching strategy, evaluation of and feedback on structural competency curricula with examples from the U.S. The U.S. experience is a valuable reference for medical humanities curriculum development and the integration of medical sciences and humanities in China. In the effort to explore a structural competency curriculum with Chinese characteristics, it is necessary to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration between medical sciences and social sciences while enhancing experiential learning in course design. It is also important to develop such a curriculum based on the context of healthcare in China.

Key words: Curriculum, Structural competency, Medical education, The U.S., Implications

CLC Number:

Fu Longwen, Hu Xinyu, Zhou Yinhua, Ju Niu, Zhang Changhua, Cheng Yu, He Yulong. Structural competency curriculum in the U.S. medical education and its implications[J]. Chinese Journal of Medical Education, 2025, 45(1): 72-77.

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