Reformed conventional curriculum promoting the professional interest orientation of students of medicine: JENOS

Introduction: In the last ten years, the medical faculty at Friedrich Schiller University Jena has reformed its traditional curriculum for human medicine. The reformed JENa professional interest-Oriented Studies (JEnaer Neigungs-Orientiertes Studium, JENOS) – with the objective to facilitate career entry through a professional interest-oriented practical approach – emerged due to the stipulation of cost neutrality. Methods: Report on the process sequence of JENOS from the reform idea to implementation: the initial processes, the development and assessment process with accompanying dialogue and dispute of the reform process within the faculty shall be discussed. The 17 objectives of the JENOS reformed traditional curriculum shall be presented and the current level of fulfilment assessed. Results: The structural link of the professional interest-oriented proposals was achieved through the recognition by the “Landesprüfungsamt” (State Examination Board) as elective subjects with 21 semester hours (SH). Feedback and evaluations were conducted using lecturer and student information systems that were implemented in parallel. Eleven of 17 objectives have been achieved, three are still in process and three have not been achieved. Discussion: A professional interest orientation could be achieved through the reform. The weaknesses are found primarily in the links between teaching content. These are currently undergoing a mapping process in order to be optimised. Conclusions: Despite cost neutrality, JENOS is the successful result of reforming the curriculum. The academic reform complied with some requirements for the Master Plan 2020 for Medical Studies in order to be able to implement future changes.