Student-Directed Curricular Renovation within a Department of Family Medicine

Nicole Y. Ottens, DO, PGY1, Midwestern University/CCOMDonald J. Sefcik, DO, MBA, Associate Dean, Midwestern University/CCOM

Insert your information hereBackground Outcomes

Introduction

Conclusions

Discussion

• Positive curricular renovation Creation of more comprehensive preclinical courses Enhancement of the clerkship scheduling process Improvement in COMLEX preparatory exercises Initiation of annual comprehensive examinations More congruence between assessments & teaching Current college-wide curricular review

• Enhanced faculty-student dialogue

• Improved student member skill sets Leadership Negotiation Problem-solving Teambuilding

A student-directed curriculum reform advisory panel has been very successful at MWU/CCOM. The group provides valuable insight into the curriculum from the students’ perspective.

Many faculty and students have embraced the panel as a full partner in curricular improvement.

During the past four years, several benefits have been experienced by the student members of the panel, including:

• Improved problem-solving skills• Better communication and negotiation skills• Teambuilding and leadership skills• Insight into curricular design and development • Prepared to become future academic leaders

Medicine and medical education are dynamic. In response, medical school faculty are constantly revising their educational objectives and methodologies. Frequently, these modifications occur within the confines of individual courses or departments. The end result is curricular change that can be fragmented; some subject matter may be unnecessarily duplicated while other subject matter is omitted. As educational consumers, medical students are ideally positioned to critique the curriculum and make recommendations for its enhancement.

The MWU/CCOM Department of Family Medicine recognized the unique perspective of its medical students and their ability to perceive the strengths, weaknesses, redundancies and deficiencies of its curriculum. Recognizing a disparity between the faculty’s rationale for the curriculum and the students’ perception of the curriculum, the department chair created a forum to improve communication between the students, faculty, staff and administration.

During the Fall of 2001, all MS1 and MS2 students were encouraged to apply for membership on a student-directed curriculum reform advisory panel. The application consisted of three questions:

• Why do you want be a member of this panel? • If selected, what will be your number one agenda item? • What education-related experiences can you bring to the group?

The goal was to create a balanced group by selecting students based upon response diversity, previous experiences and openness to ideas. The group started with 8 students (4 MS1s and 4 MS2s); four MS1s have been added each year since.

Initially, the Department Chair selected the students and facilitated the group’s discussions. To improve student comfort with the process and foster teambuilding during the second year, the Department Chair selected a student to chair the panel.

The original and primary goals of the student panel were to review, analyze and critique the educational structure and curriculum limited to the courses offered by the Department of Family Medicine during the preclinical (MS1 and MS2) years.

The group met quarterly to discuss the students’ perception of the courses and offer their suggestions for improvement. The value of the students’ perspectives regarding opportunities for curricular enhancement was immediately recognized and curricular changes were implemented after the first meeting.

The emphasis of the panel’s recommendations focused on curricular issues initially. The first changes were logistical and focused on student needs and wants. These changes included:

• Combining two quasi-related MS2 clinical courses into a much more robust course - the Practice of Medicine (POM) • Improving the effectiveness of clinical lab sessions

More clinical faculty were recruited to attend each session Checklists for clinical skills were expanded and refined Inter-rater variability during assessments was reduced

• The establishment of an early clinical contact program (ECCP)

Subsequent to piloting and institutionalizing these well-received and more student-centered curricular changes, the panel has increasingly become recognized as a forum for the student body’s voice to be heard. Students genuinely feel their ideals, concerns and suggestions about their education are being taking seriously and acted upon.

The panel members have also learned how to negotiate change in a structured environment, how to work within a group to creatively solve problems, and how to professionally and maturely approach the faculty, departments and administration.

Although the original members of the panel have all graduated, they continue to share their experiences and suggestions with the group, ensuring that those that follow in their footsteps receive the best educational opportunities possible.