MEDICAL-EDUCATION CHANGE - A DETAILED STUDY OF 6 MEDICAL-SCHOOLS

This article reports a comparative case study of six selected USA medi cal schools, undertaken to identify factors that facilitate or obstruc t innovation in medical education. The findings suggest that the cultu re of each medical school results from a combination of intra-institut ional and external factors. Together these forces influence substantia lly the fate of educational innovations. The institutional culture inf luences critical elements such as educational philosophy, leadership a nd resources provided in support of innovation. Equally important, the culture shapes the level and type of change a school considers and im plements. The findings also suggest that the availability of resources and the creative impetus present in schools giving priority to resear ch can benefit the educational goals and facilitate educational change .