Teaching About Family Violence: a Proposed Model Curriculum

Background: Medical schools around the country have initiated ad hoc teaching around family violence issues, especially child abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV). However, these activities typically are not integrated with other aspects of the curriculum, or with each other. Consequently, students do not have the opportunity to learn the broader issues related to family violence prevention and intervention.

Description: To address these concerns, students at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine participated in an elective to develop a model family violence curriculum encompassing child abuse, IPV, sexual assault, and elder abuse. The activities use standardized patients and resource people, including hotline and shelter staff, legal professionals, and law enforcement.

Evaluation: This article describes the family violence teaching activities at SIU preceding Curriculum 2000 and the proposed model curriculum including principles guiding the curriculum, the curriculum sequence, and descriptions of the proposed patient cases and related activities.

Conclusions: Family violence teaching in medical schools is merely a first step. Continuing medical education in violence-related issues must also be available.