April 15, 2024
April 1, 2024
March 18, 2024
March 4, 2024
April 15, 2024
- Specialty Care Clerkship: Site Changes: For AY25, Dr. Stephanie Gonzalez has requested shifting site assignments for students. In the past, students have done one week each of ophthalmology, otolaryngology, oral health (dental medicine), and adult emergency medicine. Student feedback has strongly encouraged the clerkship to increase adult EM and reduce oral health exposure, which would also help develop the 3RC Acute Care Clerkship experience down the road. Dr. Gonzalez has identified new community sites at St. Margaret and the VA that will allow for increased adult EM shifts. She would like to eliminate the oral health week for now, with UPSOM seeking alternative options for dental exposure going forward. The Curriculum Committee approved this request, effective May 2024.
- Preclerkship Course: Expansion for 2025: In February 2025, the Preclerkship Course was planning to increase from the current one week to two weeks (approved previously). However, to align clinical rotation schedules between CO26 and CO27 students, CO27 students would in February 2025 need to "wait" two weeks before starting their first rotation. Course director Dr. Joseph Suyama has proposed to expand the course from two to four weeks during that transition time, to use those "extra" two weeks for an expanded preclerkship experience. The expansion would include clinical skill development, adjusting to clinical learning environments, work on communication, and some thread work—with content determined in part by perceived gaps in readiness unique to the transition from legacy to 3RC. This would be a one-time expansion; in 2026 the Preclerkship Course would return to its usual two weeks. The Curriculum Committee approved this request.
- Two Week Electives: Pass-Fail Grading: Beginning in February 2025, students will be able to select two-week electives as a "taste" of a field, distinguishing from a full four-week depth experience. Electives are usually graded in a tiered fashion, but to support student exploration, faculty and students have suggested making all two-week electives pass/fail. This includes the two-week Anesthesiology clerkship (students more interested in anesthesiology as a career would be advised to take the four-week version of the clerkship, which would be tiered grading). The Curriculum Committee approved this request.
- Psychiatry Clerkship: Dr. Ryan Peterson, clerkship director, presented an annual update on the four-week experience. Students work primarily at inpatient sites at Western Psychiatric, or at consultation sites at other hospitals. The clerkship has expanded capacity from 14 to 18 to accommodate the large Class of 2026. Students learn the psychiatric assessment and basic management strategies, assessed via clinical global ratings (50%), a Shelf exam (30%), and an MSE video (15%) in addition to professionalism. 61% of students receive Honors, 31# High Pass, with a Shelf mean of 83 (around national average). 99% of students feel like they are treated with respect; 96% are satisfied with the overall quality of the clerkship and 96% believe it's well-organized. They are working to increase emergency psychiatry experiences and improve the quality of the feedback to students.
- Foundations Segment Review: Three leaders presented an overview of the Foundations segment: Dr. Lisa Borghesi (assistant dean for Foundations), Dr. Martin Schmidt (Keystone Fundamentals block director), and Dr. Rob Powers (Organ Systems block director). They reviewed key changes in segment procedures, including increased emphasis on learning outcomes and a better alignment of grading procedures to fulfill that aim (e.g., shift to threshold grading, must pass every course, grades based primarily on cognitive performance rather than professionalism). The new curriculum facilitates deeper learning through a shift to active in-person learning and away from lectures, utilizing a case-based discussion format and a spiraling of curricular content over time, with weekly assessments (formative/summative). Pass cutoffs have risen, challenging students to achieve mastery, and supports are in place to facilitate that learning. The social medicine thread is being covered in key courses; integration is improving. Students have been very satisfied with the clinical relevance of content, although there is worry about board relevance. Patient panels were very popular (e.g., half of KF cases had panels). 81% of students were satisfied with overall quality in KF and felt prepared to begin Organ Systems. Course satisfaction has varied during initial rollout; key elements in success were reviewed (e.g., expert availability, practice quizzes, newly prerecorded content, limited prework, physiology correlation in groups). The nephrology course achieved a 91% student satisfaction rate and was highlighted by students as a model for the new curriculum.
April 1, 2024
- Streams: The curriculum reform task force proposed a shift from Areas of Concentration to a new approach featuring Streams related to the HAIL curricular goals—Healer, Advocate, Innovator, Leader. Students in good standing will enter in spring of MS1 and pursue a consistent set of activities (clinical experiences, workshops, capstone project) with support and advising from faculty, culminating in an MSPE “mark of distinction” that highlights their stream accomplishments. A stream program lead will coordinate activities with faculty and student leads within each stream. Existing AOCs will become “currents” within this structure. The committee voted to approve the streams proposal. A leader will be sought, hired, and supported to lead this program.
- OS2 Schedule Change: The committee revisited a proposal from March to flip the teaching schedule, to move Reproduction later and Musculoskeletal earlier, as a way of ensuring integration of the GU/GYN sensitive exams with the Repro course. MS1 Curriculum Committee representatives reviewed the proposal and supported it, and the full committee approved it today.
- Two-Week Electives: Faculty were reminded to submit proposals for two-week electives, which will be needed by February 2025. Proposals can follow the same form as existing four-week electives, but will be vetted by the MS4/Bridges Subcommittee before considered by the Curriculum Committee.
- Diagnostics Course: Dr. Marie DeFrances shared the final report from the Diagnostics task force, to implement one of the required courses in the 3RC Bridges phase. She and Dr. Barton Branstetter led the group to propose a full longitudinal in-person pass/fail course—2hrs every two months over six sessions—focusing on radiology, pathology, and related assessment content that would build on previous content. The Curriculum Committee approved this proposal. Leaders will next be sought and hired.
- Anesthesiology: Dr. Bill McIvor shared an update from this two-week required clerkship. About 30 students train at seven sites, with half the experience clinical and half simulation. Students are assessed clinically and with a written, 75-question home-grown test. Skills taught (especially procedural and perioperative) are unique and essential to the curriculum, and popular with students. Simulation is a strength; 95% of learners feel the experience is well-organized and meets objectives. Students would like more interaction with preceptors and the short timeframe makes it hard to get ongoing feedback. Competition with other learners is a challenge in clinical learning sites.
March 18, 2024
- Organ Systems Schedule: A proposal was made to reverse the sequence of Organ Systems courses, flipping Musculoskeletal and Reproduction. This would allow for horizontal integration with the Patient-Centered Care block, which would otherwise be unable to provide the “sensitive exam” (GU/GYN) training to students during the Repro course. Although it slightly alters a vertical build of content, the two week change was not felt to be significant and all affected course leads agreed to the change. MS1 representatives asked to table the vote until more discussion could take place.
- Residency Match Results: Dr. Alda Maria Gonzaga presented results of the 2024 match, which took place March 15. Our final math rate was 98%, above national average and above last year’s. Students were generally very pleased with the outcomes.
- Course Evaluation Subcommittee: Transition to 3RC Foundations Curricular Design Subcommittee: Dr. Lisa Borghesi shared a proposal to expand the focus of our traditional course eval subcommittee, to better coordinate and improve the new curriculum. The new body would meet weekly and consistent of key curriculum leaders, students, and an instructional designer; they would review not only student evaluations but other data about course performance, and assist course leads in improving their curricula in line with overall school goals and procedures. The Curriculum Committee approved of this change
- Interprofessional Education in the Adult Outpatient Medicine Clerkship: AOMC’s Dr. Jillian Kyle would like to improve the clerkship by better integrating student experiences with our growing IPE thread. Students will all rotate for a couple of half-days at Pitt’s “Hub,” where they will work with students from the other schools of the health sciences. After interprofessional discussions, students would write a reflective paper and later collaborate with a visit to the Health Home Lab to practice application. The Clerkship Director’s Subcommittee approved this change, as did the full Curriculum Committee, and it will begin in May at the start of the academic year
- 3RC Course Approval Task Force: Dr. Scott Herrle shared an overview of the CATF’s mandate, composition, and work to date. They have approved seven courses and are reviewing two currently. The discussions have been productive and have stimulated important collaboration across the curriculum.
- Mapping Standard Operating Procedure: Our mapping lead Katie Maietta shared a new SOP related to mapping, which included what and how mapping takes place, and who is responsible when. Curricular leads must submit draft schedules four months in advance, curricular materials six weeks in advance, and then meet with the mapping team at least four weeks in advance of all scheduled sessions. We have 118 keywords, and we will use a 10% coverage threshold. Exam questions will be mapped as well as USMLE coverage. This SOP will be placed on Elentra, which will also house the final map when completed.
March 4, 2024
- CCES Membership: Dr. Evan “Jake” Waxman is stepping down as faculty-at-large member on the Curriculum Committee Executive Subcommittee. Replacing him effective immediately will be new member Dr. Nitin Agarwal from the Department of Neurological Surgery.
- Clinical Rotation Capacity: The larger-than-normal Class of 2026 has triggered a search for increased clerkship capacity to accommodate their needs, especially with the Class of 2027 (new curriculum) students starting earlier than usual in February 2025. Clerkship directors have added slots but we still need more to accommodate the over 190 students who are slated to begin rotations in May. Curriculum Committee voted today on two proposals to address this logjam. First, the Committee approved offering select students the option of beginning clinical rotations early, in AY24 Period 12, where we have 19 vacant clerkship spots, and up to 16 students who might be appropriate (because they will have completed Step 1 by 3/24). The students will be vetted for appropriateness and only allowed to do this if they want to and it’s appropriate for their schedules; this option will only be available for this year. Secondly, the Committee approved of making ambulatory medicine clerkships (Family Medicine and Adult Outpatient Medicine) into a selective, where students would pick one to fulfill the requirement. This will reduce required clerkship time, similar to what we did in the COVID year, but it would still allow us to meet educational program objectives.
- Educational Program Objectives: After review and discussion, the Committee voted to approve our full list of 34 educational program objectives (EPOs).
