Chaos vs complicated vs complex vs reductionist??

March 20

by Ashlay

As this is my first blog I'm not 100% sure what I'll be doing will keep in line with the themes of the blog so far, and if I repeat some of the topics and sentiments I apologize but you will have to bare with me as I come to discover things for myself.  Before yesterday, I hadn't given much thought to the theory behind medical education.  I guess because I had always been more focused on the delivery of it.  Partly because that is what I've been immersed in for the past four years and partly because it's what I have thought a lot about lately as I consider incorporating medical education into my career.

  I have recently spent more time discussing curriculum and its design than ever before but I never really thought about the theory behind its development.  While on selective with Dr. Jenkins we discussed and debated at length the changes we all thought might benefit medical education curriculum and how they could be incorporated.  We spoke about the Canadian, American and European system contrasting their strengths and weaknesses, which at the time seemed wide and "complex" (after reading the Geoff Norman articles I now use the term more cautiously) enough to try and understand.

  After beginning to delve into the literature regarding the debate behind how to conduct research in medical education,  and spending some time thinking and discussing it with my colleague, I’m still not quite sure where I stand.  I do seem to identify more with Glenn Regehr, and his stance that we need to look at the process of how it’s conducted, differently than we are now.  I think re-evaluating one's position after years of doing things seemingly in the same way; can only bring about new view points and hopefully new understanding.  It made sense to me that you lose something important when reducing complex systems to simple deductions.  I didn’t think he was discounting the theories Dr. Norman was embracing but describing a way for them to co-exist with a new way of thinking. 

Before I say much more on my thoughts on this situation I think more reading is in store because it has opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about how and why my education has been delivered to me in the fashion it has been.  All very interesting and new, but something I look forward to doing over the next three weeks!

Ashlay