A blended approach to emergency medicine training: developing an integrated curriculum for mature learners.

In January 2005, a blended approach using various educational technologies was adopted for the new MSc programme in Emergency Medicine at the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies. This part-time programme was developed in response to the needs for specialist training in Trinidad and Tobago. Modalities for course delivery included traditional didactic lectures and tutorials, and more contemporary and interactive learning approaches of problem-based learning, journal clubs, computer-based tutorials, case-based training exercises and case presentations. Clinical skills training included using simulated patients. This paper describes the blended approach to learning adopted for this course, and explores the following themes from the candidates� perspectives: the educational experience; relevance of materials presented; scope of information presented and applicability to current practice. Overall, candidates found the methods and materials accessible and acceptable. Areas for improvement include the better integration of skills training with real clinical practice and ensuring that all candidates are comfortable with the IT systems. The modular course format is ideally suited to distance learning, and may provide a solution to Emergency Medicine training in smaller countries that can neither support formal full-time residency programmes, nor allow their doctors to leave their posts to pursue graduate training.