Introduction

Microbiology, Pharmacology, and Immunology for Pre-Clinical Students is designed to fill a gap in undergraduate medical education (UME) and support pre-clerkship education in the content areas of immunology, microbiology, systems-based infections, and global mechanisms of treatment. Its content is aligned to USMLE® (United States Medical Licensing Examination) and modified from the well-established OpenStax Microbiology resource. Unlike traditional, discipline-based textbooks, the organization of this resource is driven by curricular structure to enhance integrated, multidisciplinary content delivery.

This specific resource is intended to be used in various ways, mainly as a quick reference guide, given that most of the content housed here is distributed across the Phase 1 curriculum. Therefore, the resource is organized into small chapters that can be used to support student preparation in any arrangement. The sections are not intended to be all-inclusive, but primers for applied content delivery. Similarly, clinical context is only briefly discussed (or purposefully omitted) allowing the user to apply the basic content (delivered here) in the clinical context used by their specific curricular structure. In our curriculum, these topic areas are interwoven into problem-based learning cases. The cases and clinical correlates change regularly and having the flexibility of short resources that can be applied to many scenarios across the Phase 1 curriculum is beneficial.

This resource is intended to provide learners with a high-level view of relevant topical areas that will be further elaborated on within the classroom or group setting. Unlike other traditional textbooks, it is not intended to include all content a learner would need about the relevant subject area but to function as a stepping stone towards mastery of the content.

As programs embrace the philosophy of student-directed learning embedded in adult learning theory, more simplified readily available resources will be essential to support this fast-paced learning of health professional educational programs. While many factors can contribute to a student’s lack of preparation, lengthy textbook resources have a significant negative impact and often encourage learners to turn to outside material. So while an integrated curricular model enhances many aspects of learning, it can make preparation cumbersome and disjointed for students. This resource hopes to address this concern.

Finally, there is a wealth of “medical” content freely accessible online, and students can find themselves spending a significant amount of time trying to identify alternative resources that may—or may not—be appropriate. Faculty taking ownership to identify and adapt realistic materials for each session reduces the concern that students are finding misinformation through internet sources, and this project allows faculty to create a resource that harnesses the best attributes of many different formats into a product that best supports the learning environment. Otherwise, external online resources are also likely to contain extraneous content that is not aligned with the classroom learning objectives (akin to subject-based textbook chapters), so it can also reduce the perceived worth of preparation. If the integrated resource is generated correctly, concisely and accurately by the faculty, the students will gain trust, rely on the vetted resources and prepare for the active classroom.

— Renée LeClair