Understanding integration at a UK medical school: An ethnographic exploration

Integration (joined up learning of different subjects) is an important part of modern undergraduate medical education. We argue that integration in a UK medical school is experienced principally as multiple subject learning via enquiry-based learning and requires facilitators. By analysis of student interactions and the views expressed by students and staff, we demonstrate three facets of integration: student experience, with the principal means of integration being discussions of multiple subjects simultaneously, encountering related subject matter in different sessions, and making explicit links to other parts of the course; presence of facilitators of integration such as staff liaison, awareness amongst staff of other parts of the course, integrated teaching, tutor support, group bonding, early clinical experience, and integrated assessments; existence of barriers to integration such as compartmentalisation of subjects, poor student bonding, poor attitude to certain subject matter, and boundaries between course elements.