MME in focus: What does the future of medical education look like?

At the last Ordinary Day of the Medical Faculties in Freiburg im Breisgau, Dr. Tina Thomas received her degree in the Master's degree course in Medical Education (MME). In this interview, she talks about why she chose the MME, how she balances her daily clinical routine, studies and family and what visions she has for the future of medical education.

What is your professional background and what are you currently working on?

I am an internal oncologist. In addition to my clinical work, I am the teaching coordinator for oncology and have also taken on responsibility for teaching in internal medicine in recent years. In this role, I am responsible, among other things, for the content, didactic orientation and examinations of the associated certificates of achievement. I am particularly interested in the efficient and sustainable optimization of knowledge acquisition for students.

What motivated you to take up the MME course?

As a teaching coordinator, I have repeatedly noticed that there is a discrepancy between aspiration and reality in medical education. For example, we have well-designed traditional teaching formats in Dresden, but there is still room for improvement in terms of learning success and efficiency. That is why I have started to revise formats and analyze the needs of students and lecturers. After all, we are faced with the challenge of designing high-quality teaching with limited resources and changing requirements. I believe that we are currently in the midst of a transition to a new generation in medical education.

I came to the MME program at the suggestion of my predecessor Cornelie Haag and my MME colleague Maike Linke. Ultimately, the aspects mentioned are not just local issues, but issues that affect the whole of Germany. The MME program therefore offers a very good platform for cross-faculty exchange and valuable insights into teaching research.

What do you mean by "changing requirements" and "upheaval"?

On the one hand, the acquisition of various skills related to the medical profession has come to the fore and has also been included in the NKLM (National Competence-Based Learning Objectives Catalog for Medicine - editor's note). Added to this is the sometimes rapid development due to scientific progress in medicine. It is important to set the right priorities in the already high content workload of medical studies - especially against the background of the AI support that has emerged at various levels. Among other things, students want clear learning objectives, more practical relevance, self-determined learning and the inclusion of digital resources. In addition, the desire for student participation in teaching and teamwork in peer groups is striking. Overall, attitudes and expectations have changed among both students and teachers. In this overall context, it is important to further develop medical education without losing sight of traditional values and proven essential knowledge.

Back to the MME: does the course take place at a central location or do you visit different locations and universities?

Although the MME curriculum was developed and organized by the Heidelberg Medical Faculty, it consists of a total of eight face-to-face modules, each of which takes place at different locations throughout Germany - one of which is also in Dresden. Each module has a thematic focus. The different locations not only allow you to benefit from a change of perspective, but also from an intensive exchange with colleagues from other faculties. There are also self-study components for preparation and follow-up work.

Is it difficult to get a place on an MME course?

The MME in Germany celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2024 and has firmly established itself alongside the programs in Switzerland and the Netherlands. There are 24 places per year. The faculties usually make an internal pre-selection locally. In the final selection process in Heidelberg, the number of applicants is currently around twice as high as the places available.

How did you manage to juggle work, studies and family life?

To be honest, I have to say that the MME course is very demanding and represents a major challenge both professionally and privately. Thankfully, the TUD Faculty of Medicine supports the MME and I was given time off for the module phases. In addition, however, there is the self-study part as well as a project and the Master's thesis. Without the support of my family, it would not have been possible and I am grateful that my family supported me. The deadlines set by the degree program for preparation and follow-up work for the modules are usually generous. All in all, a good structure and mutual understanding are essential.

Your Master's thesis is entitled "Development and evaluation of the added value of a tandem tutor concept to optimize a newly implemented blended learning format for medical students". Can you briefly explain what this is about?

Gern. This work arose from a project to develop a new teaching format for oncology tutorials. The challenge was to implement this format with over 30 tutors from different disciplines. Some are thematically closer to the subject, others from a completely different field, but the concept still has to work. Secondly, I wanted to address the changing demands of the new generation of students and integrate them into teaching. Learning through teaching is very important for professional development. I am convinced that students and lecturers can benefit from each other. I have therefore developed a near-peer teaching model: PJ students take on the leadership of a tutorial group under the supervision of graduate tutors and thus gain their first experience as lecturers. At the same time, they are still very close to their own studies and have already gained their first insights into medical practice. This can be combined with the new application-oriented teaching concept. Of course, experienced doctors have an enormous amount of specialist knowledge, but sometimes they distance themselves too much from the students in training. The results of my evaluation showed that the groups led by PJ tutors were not only equivalent, but in some cases even more satisfied. For example, learning objectives were pursued much more consistently. In addition, the graduated tutors gave positive feedback - they perceived the tandem concept as enriching and relieving in the context of everyday clinical practice.

What plans do you have after your MME graduation? Will you expand the tandem tutor concept at the Faculty of Medicine?

I have already introduced the model in the DIPOL oncology course(DIPOL refers to the hybrid curriculum "Dresden Integrative Problem/Practice/Patient-Oriented Learning" - editor's note) as a voluntary offer for PJ students. This year, the concept was incorporated into the ESA-DIPOL course(nutrition, metabolism, excretion - editor's note). In principle, it can also be transferred to other subjects and faculties. For me personally, I'm going to Cottbus in the fall. The medical university there will start teaching in 2026 and I'm looking forward to helping shape the new curriculum there from the ground up.

What advice would you give to colleagues who are interested in studying MME?

The MME was an enormous enrichment for me, both in terms of content and personally. The interdisciplinary exchange with other faculties and the networking in medical education are particularly valuable. Even though the MME course is demanding alongside everyday working life, the effort is rewarded with a great broadening of horizons. The course content has a high practical relevance and can often be directly integrated into your own work at the faculty. Networking with colleagues from other faculties is also valuable with regard to the new priorities of the NKLM. So my "advice" is to take courage and seize the opportunity if you want to rethink teaching. As in other areas - you grow with your tasks 😉