31well as interact with, and provide feedback for, the trainees. Patients need to be fully
informed of their participation in the training program so they are prepared for
encounters with trainees and providing assessment of the trainees and the training
program.
It takes time to enact an educational curriculum both in its development and
implementation. These time implications need to be defined for faculty, support or
administrative staff, and the learners and should be calculated in hours per week or
hours per month. In some groups of personnel, such as administrative staff, this will
translate into financial remuneration either directly or as part of their job descrip-
tion. Faculty will unlikely have financial remuneration directly for their involve-
ment in the implementation of the curriculum but must be prepared to dedicate time
to teaching responsibilities and have a clear understanding of how this impacts their
academic status within the department and institution. Much of the learning in a
curriculum occurs in physical space such as lecture halls, small group discussion
rooms, or simulation/education centers. The required times and locations must be
accurately determined and then reserved for specific education sessions. When
teaching occurs in clinical sites, it is important that the facility can accommodate all
the learners, educators, potential patients, and staff involved in both the educational
activity and the clinical process. Time allotments for patient encounters usually
need to be modified in the situation of a concurrent educational activity as these
have been shown to take more time than patient encounters not involving students.
Having an “educational culture” within your department is crucial for the successful
implementation of any curriculum. It takes the endorsement and affirmed valuation
of the educational program by the leader or head of the department to neutralize the
“naysayers” and pessimists to ensure implementation and successful execution of
the curriculum.
Determining funding costs of an educational curriculum can often be challeng-
ing as there are many variables in the component of implementation. The funding
costs may be directly calculable from facility and equipment requirements to admin-
istrative staff hours of support. However, many costs are hidden or opportunistic and
these can be very specific for individual institutions. For example, when developing
an animal model skills training laboratory session, the costs of technicians to han-
dle, anesthetize, and euthanize the animals may be built into the overall facility fee
for the event, whereas for other institutions these costs may be separate charges
within the activity. Having a clear understanding of the institution’s policies and
requirements for educational space, equipment, and support is important at the ini-
tiation of a specific educational curriculum. There are also very specific regulations
as to where funding, even as educational grants, may be procured to support various
educational programs and activities nationally, locally, and institutionally. It is the
responsibility of the curriculum developer to be fully aware of these requirements
and restrictions.
Educational programs and curricula will have associated financial costs which
must be met in order to implement the educational activities determined to be neces-
sary for effective learning. This support may be obtained internally from adminis-
trative authorities such as the dean’s office, hospital administration, and directly
3 Curriculum Development