University of Kansas School of Medicine - Jayhawker MD Yearbook (Kansas City, KS)

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tions: Should we alter our course, and how can we increase the effectiveness of the School? The answers to such questions require a considera- tion of the obligation of an institution such as our school. We must remember, for example, that although adminis- tratively a part of the University of Kansas, we are in fact the medical school for all of the institutions of higher education in Kansas and are actually the medical school for the state. The state must lean upon us almost ex- clusively for the resolution of problems in the field of medical education. We must continually remind ourselves that although we are known as a medical school, we have, in fact, the responsibility of administering at least eleven different teaching programs, including those for medical students, interns and resident physicians, nurses, dieticians, occu- pational therapists, physical therapists, laboratory tech- nicians, X-ray technicians, and postgraduate programs in many of these fields. Courses of instruction in hospital management and medical record librarian work are con- templated for the near future. The school and its faculty have a very deep obliga- tion to assist in the advancement of medical knowledge and learning by means of active research, not alone in the basic medical sciences but also in the many broad fields of clinical medicine. The student trained in an environment where investigation is the order of the day cannot help but become a more inquisitive and, therefore, a more effective practitioner of medicine. A medical school or any other educational institu- tion exists to serve the people. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to determine the needs of the people before we can realistically adjust our course of action for the future. The United States is faced with a serious shortage of trained medical personnel of all types, and Kansas is no exception to the national pattern. In fact, the situa- tion in Kansas can well be regarded as more critical than the national average due to the essential rural char- acter of the state. During the past forty-two years, the number of practicing physicians in Kansas has declined to about the same degree as the population of the state has increased. The several hospital building programs in Kansas seem somewhat futile in the light of the lack of trained personnel necessary for effective and efficient operation. The plain fact is that the production of trained medical personnel has not kept pace with the expansion of health services to the people, both public and private, and this disproportion is increasing. The answer lies in increased production without compromising academic standards, which, if changed at all, must be elevated to keep pace with the expansion of medical knowledge. For the University of Kansas School of Medicine, this means greatly increased physical facilities and an expanded faculty, whose members must have adequate time to carry out the basic teaching obligations. It clearly means the union of the basic sciences and clinical branches on one campus so that modern, effective, and efficient medical teaching can be accomplished. Changes in the undergraduate medical curriculum have been and will continue to be made. The medical school curriculum cannot be cast in concrete but must be ever plastic and sensitive to changes in medical knowledge and the obligations of medical practice. It is quite possible that the medical curriculum has become too separated from the implications of medical practice. It is likely that in the near future a period of practice and experience with a leading practitioner of medicine in Kansas will become a formal part of the medical school teaching program. The development of an effective and useful post- graduate program will be vigorously pursued in the future. In addition to refresher courses at the University of Kansas Medical Center and circuit courses carried on throughout the state of Kansas, provision will be made for the man in practice to return to the Medical Center for periods ranging from two weeks to six months, giving him the opportunity to acquire what additional informa- tion he feels he needs at the bedside, in the outpatient clinics, and the operating room. The school has a good start in the field of medical research and just as quickly as adequate physical facili- ties can be provided, our faculty will expand their ef- forts in this field, not, of course, at the expense of medical teaching but actually to its benefit. Vigorous and pro- ductive research will add great luster to our medical school which all of our graduates may justifiably share. The activities of this school reach out to touch the lives of all citizens, whether physicians or laymen, and they can take pride in its achievements, both past and present. The future beckons with serious but invigorating challenges, and if our medical school is given the neces- sary tools, these challenges can and will be met in a fashion that will bring many benefits and reflect great credit upon the people of our state and, more particu- larly, upon the graduates of our school.

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