Medical education change: a detailed study of six medical schools

Summary. This article reports a comparative case study of six selected USA medical schools, undertaken to identify factors that facilitate or obstruct innovation in medical education. The findings suggest that the culture of each medical school results from a combination of intra‐institutional and external factors. Together these forces influence substantially the fate of educational innovations. The institutional culture influences critical elements such as educational philosophy, leadership and resources provided in support of innovation. Equally important, the culture shapes the level and type of change a school considers and implements. The findings also suggest that the availability of resources and the creative impetus present in schools giving priority to research can benefit the educational goals and facilitate educational change.