MedEdPublish (Mar 2021)
Integration of Nutrition Topics in Osteopathic Medical School Curriculum – Shared Experiences
Abstract
A crucial component of osteopathic medicine's philosophy is self-regulation, preventive care, and health maintenance, including a healthy lifestyle. More than half of the osteopathic medical graduates pursue a career as primary care physicians, and as such patient education on healthy lifestyle, including eating habits, is a significant part of their daily practice. However, nutrition is often overlooked in the osteopathic medical school curricula. Therefore, strategic inclusion of evidence-based nutrition approaches will equip future osteopathic medical students with an understanding and application of nutrition to the ever-growing primary care medical profession. Working towards this goal, we are implementing nutritional science topics across the pre-clinical years of our new osteopathic medical school's curriculum. Providing nutrition topics that will fit into the systems-based curriculum may encourage other medical schools to enhance nutrition instruction in osteopathic medical education. Assimilating nutrition as a part of the curriculum will enhance osteopathic medical students' confidence to counsel and treat their future patient population.
