Medical Education Development

Development of a longitudinal database for an integrated curriculum

Linda R. Adkison — 2014-09-02

Many medical schools have transitioned to an integrated curriculum to provide a more salient contextual appreciation of the practice of medicine. Various types of assessments are used in these curricula to support this integration. One of these, multidisciplinary exams, creates challenges for recognizing student performance in different disciplines. A concern for faculty is those students who pass the exams but upon closer scrutiny do poorly in one or more disciplines. Unfortunately, this trend can continue throughout preclinical training. We constructed a database of discipline-specific objective data for each course and that also provided cumulative data longitudinally through the curriculum. The data are used to populate reports for the students, advisors, and administrators. The database was broadened to include data from clerkship performance and residency match to provide a complete profile of student performance. Together, the data and reports provide a useful tool for student review and data-driven curriculum decisions.

Leadership certificate program for chief residents

Jeffrey E. Pettit — 2014-07-24

Background. Chief resident leadership development programs need to be more than a one/two day symposium to sustain leadership development. This article describes the structure and outcomes for an eight-month leadership development program for chief residents conducted over the past three years at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (UIHC), USA. Additionally, it provides keys to success and logistical issues for any institution that is considering a similar program.
Innovation. Current chiefs must formally apply in late August. Sessions are held on the second Tuesday of each month for two hours. Facilitators guide each session in such a manner that they allow participants to do most of the discussion. Facilitators also provide opportunities for insight from other chiefs, and provoke deeper understanding of behaviors or thoughts. Eight topics are covered during the year with intersession assignments. Additionally, chiefs are required to attend 75% of the sessions, develop a leadership philosophy, and conduct some type of leadership presentation within their own department.
Evaluation. Each year since 2010, the number of participating chiefs has risen (6, 9, 9). Evaluation data indicates a marked increase in before and after leadership knowledge and self-awareness. Additionally, chiefs have reported positive behavioral impacts regarding their leadership. Chiefs are the best advertising source for the program.
Conclusions. The leadership program continues to evolve and evaluation results indicate that the content is instructive and the format is supportive for participants. Most chiefs recommend it highly for future chiefs.

Individualized strategic planning for faculty development in medical schools

Goutham Rao — 2013-02-18

Background. Faculty development is essential to provide skills not taught in typical medical training such as designing curricula or scientific writing, to help medical faculty acquire new skills valued today such as financial management, and to maintain institutional vitality. Faculty development receives relatively little attention in many medical schools and is narrowly focused upon teaching skills.
Innovation. We propose a program that includes individual needs assessment and strategic planning. This strategy is consistent with Knowles’ principles of andragogy, a model of adult learning that differs in some ways from traditional pedagogy. We have included a self-assessment tool that may be useful to medical schools and an illustrative case study.
Evaluation. We have introduced the self-assessment tool to a small number of faculty members who have found it clear and useful. We plan to introduce it to a large number of faculty members and to measure completion rates, perceived usefulness, and subsequent participation in faculty development activities and fulfillment of goals.
Conclusions. Faculty development needs to be a higher priority in medical schools and to better reflect the current needs of faculty members. An individualized faculty development process has the potential to have a substantial impact upon acquisition of important skills, and faculty and institutional morale and vitality.

Implementation of a professional enrichment program to enhance medical school experience

Linda R. Adkison — 2013-08-12

Medical students experience stress during medical education that can negatively impact performance. Typical curricula in U.S. medical schools are rigorously intense and provide little or no time off between courses in the first two years of training. This intensity contributes to increased stress for students accustomed to performing academically near the top of the class prior to matriculating in medical school. We describe an innovative new academic calendar that was modified to create a Professional Enrichment Program. Students can step back from the rigors of coursework and engage in several types of activities in order to decompress from recent studying and examinations. These activities include electives, service opportunities, independent study, and clinical experiences that are self-selected by students. Students and faculty complete surveys about the activities they completed and the usefulness of their choices. Results show broad approval of the program with the greatest results supporting an appreciation of time to decompress and an increase in time for family and personal activities.