Suzanne Templer - Nova Southeastern University
Alyssa Eason - Nova Southeastern University (NSU MD)
Vijay Rajput - Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Paula Wales - Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
A contemporary view of clinical competencies under-emphasizes the importance of building engagement and well-being for learners and faculty. A current working definition of curiosity by Fernandez-Araoz in HBR 2018 is a "penchant for seeking new experiences, knowledge, and feedback and an openness to change," and studies have linked curiosity to positive emotions. The generation of intrinsic reward can create"curiosity contagion": the phenomenon when someone's curiosity is contagious and can spread to one who is observing another's curiosity. Curiosity can be introduced as a key competency to improve clinical care, education, interprofessional collaborative practice, and well-being. Incorporating activities into a curriculum that promotes curiosity can be done in a gradual way, often by using teaching methods already being employed. Many medical school curricula are using active learning methods like Problem-Based, Case-Based, Team-Based Learning, and break-out sessions during lectures, or are currently introducing them as part of curriculum revision. These are ideal experiences that can be used to stimulate curiosity, when approached strategically to avoid them becoming sessions of students engaging in what they see as a pre-defined, joyless process they need to complete to get to the institution's learning objectives.