Opening the Debate: How to Fulfill the Need for Physicians’ Training in Circadian-Related Topics in a Full Medical School Curriculum

– Inclusion of circadian disorders into basic sciences

– Develop core competencies:

1. what drives the internal clock?,

2. nature of circadian disorders,

3. relevance to disease development,

4. application to disease prevention, treatment, and patient care

– Case-based learning to incorporate circadian disruption-related objectives

– Continued training of the medical history to include stress, sleep, and activity levels as part of “Social History” and/or “Review of Systems”

– Inclusion of sleep medicine and circadian rhythms to core rotations (internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology)

– Electives in sleep medicine. Opportunities for away rotations at institutions with such a program

– Addressing circadian rhythms and sleep as it applies to individual specialties

– Involvement in research within the circadian/sleep fields (fellowship training program)

– Awareness of the effects of sleep deprivation/circadian disruption and their influence on clinical performance; consideration of how these concepts relate to duty hour restrictions

– Continued support of sleep fellowship opportunities

– Incorporate the topic of circadian disruption to a wide range of specialities: family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, psychiatry, pediatrics, otolaryngology

– Increasing opportunities for research-based fellowships, particularly to involve translational aspects of sleep medicine

– Continued application of basic science and clinical knowledge, including the taking of history related to sleep and its disorders

– Consider patient social history when evaluating treatment/patient care. Patient education regarding shift work and sleep disorders

– Continuing educational opportunites as available