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A Course on Terror Medicine: Content and Evaluations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2016

Leonard A. Cole ,
Brenda Natal ,
Adam Fox ,
Arthur Cooper ,
Cheryl A. Kennedy ,
Nancy D. Connell ,
Gregory Sugalski ,
Miriam Kulkarni ,
Michael Feravolo  and
Sangeeta Lamba
Leonard A. Cole*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New JerseyUSA
Brenda Natal
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New JerseyUSA
Adam Fox
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New JerseyUSA
Arthur Cooper
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center at Harlem Hospital, New York, New YorkUSA
Cheryl A. Kennedy
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New JerseyUSA
Nancy D. Connell
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New JerseyUSA
Gregory Sugalski
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New JerseyUSA
Miriam Kulkarni
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New JerseyUSA
Michael Feravolo
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Management, University Hospital, Newark, New JerseyUSA
Sangeeta Lamba
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New JerseyUSA
*
Correspondence: Leonard A. Cole, PhD, DDS Department of Emergency Medicine, M219 Rutgers NJ Medical School 150 Bergen St. Newark, New Jersey 07103 USA E-mail: lcole2@verizon.net
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Abstract

Introduction

The development of medical school courses on medical responses for disaster victims has been deemed largely inadequate. To address this gap, a 2-week elective course on Terror Medicine (a field related to Disaster and Emergency Medicine) has been designed for fourth year students at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey (USA). This elective is part of an overall curricular plan to broaden exposure to topics related to Terror Medicine throughout the undergraduate medical education.

Rationale

A course on Terror Medicine necessarily includes key aspects of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, though the converse is not the case. Courses on Disaster Medicine may not address features distinctively associated with a terror attack. Thus, a terror-related focus not only assures attention to this important subject but to accidental or naturally occurring incidents as well.

Methods

The course, implemented in 2014, uses a variety of teaching modalities including lectures, videos, and tabletop and hands-on simulation exercises. The subject matter includes biological and chemical terrorism, disaster management, mechanisms of injury, and psychiatry. This report outlines the elective’s goals and objectives, describes the course syllabus, and presents outcomes based on student evaluations of the initial iterations of the elective offering.

Results

All students rated the course as “excellent” or “very good.” Evaluations included enthusiastic comments about the content, methods of instruction, and especially the value of the simulation exercises. Students also reported finding the course novel and engaging.

Conclusion

An elective course on Terror Medicine, as described, is shown to be feasible and successful. The student participants found the content relevant to their education and the manner of instruction effective. This course may serve as a model for other medical schools contemplating the expansion or inclusion of Terror Medicine-related topics in their curriculum.

ColeLA, NatalB, FoxA, CooperA, KennedyCA, ConnellND, SugalskiG, KulkarniM, FeravoloM, LambaS. A Course on Terror Medicine: Content and Evaluations. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(1):98–101.

Keywords

disaster medicineemergency medicinemedical educationmedical responseterror medicine
Type
Special Reports
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 31 , Supplement 1 , February 2016 , pp. 98 - 101
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2016 

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