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MEDICAL EDUCATOR
VOL 1, No 9, November 1999 MedCAREERS puts students on path toward effective career planningby Kristen KarigPublic Relations Career planning, once the domain of third-year students, is now available to freshmen at MUSC and other medical schools across the country. The vast number of medical specialities is only part of the dizzying array of options today’s medical students face. That’s why freshman year is the best time to start thinking about residency decision making, said Carol Savage, Ph.D., College of Medicine (COM) assistant dean of Student Programs New this semester is a workshop to help first-year students do just that. The program is part of MedCAREERS, a nationwide initiative to provide a more structured and fact-informed approach to career planning for medical students. MedCAREERS was developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association. It is intended to help students fully understand their specialty options and apply to a residency program that best suits their personal and career objectives. Savage and Candace Gillespie, director of COM Student Affairs, tailored MedCAREERS materials to fit the needs of MUSC students. That resulted in the creation of the first-year workshop and the addition of material to an existing program for third-year students. “Choosing a specialty can be an anxiety-provoking decision,” Savage said. “The earlier students begin to consider their options, the better.” MedCAREERS employs a four-phase career development model used widely in higher education—self-assessment, career exploration, decision making and implementation. During the first-year workshop, students complete a variety of self-awareness activities. Tools like a career values checklist help students identify what they consider important to their work satisfaction. On a scale of one to three, students rank components like advancement, compensation, teamwork and job stability as very important, somewhat important or not important in their specialty choice. Savage and Gillespie also help students interpret the results of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, a personality inventory that all students complete at the start of medical school. Also discussed is how to spend the summer between their first and second years in medical school. “While their first inclination may be to take the summer off to relax, this is a great time for students to complete research or gain clinical experience,” Savage said. Students also review the residency decision timeline that applies to the third and fourth year of medical school. The MedCAREERS workshop for third-year students builds on elements of the first-year program. Using the Glaxo-Wellcome Decision Making Model, students explore critical factors related to medical practice and use the results to begin the process of narrowing their speciality choices. As they evaluate their speciality options, it’s important for students to consider things like what type of patients they want to see and what kind of continuity of care they prefer—long-term involvements like those offered by family medicine, or just the opposite, emergency medicine, Savage said. “These activities often bring up things students haven’t thought of before now,” Gillespie continued. “They may realize that the lifestyle associated with a speciality like surgery isn’t really compatible with how they envision their family life.” To access further decision-making information and other resources, students can visit the MedCAREERS website at <http://www.aamc.org/medcareers>. The site offers other self-assessment activities for students, links to specialty societies, licensure and relocation information, and financial planning worksheets. At MUSC, the name MedCAREERS is also used to refer to all residency decision-making resources on campus. Also under the MedCAREERS umbrella are the Alumni Council Specialty Seminars and the American Medical Student Association Residency Fair, which give students the opportunity to interact with physicians and residents in various specialities and find out first-hand what their life is really like. “Our goal is to help students establish their priorities in an organized fashion and choose a residency environment where they can be happy and thrive,” Savage said. Savage and Gillespie plan to use student feedback from the initial MedCAREERS sessions to revise and improve the program for next semester. A brochure of MedCAREERS activities and list of faculty clinical advisers
is available for students through the Dean’s Office. Call Gillespie at
792-2086 for more information.
Faculty to be recognized for CME contributionsCollege of Medicine faculty play a vital role in the success of continuing medical education programs. To acknowledge their contributions of time, effort and expertise, the MUSC Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) developed the Faculty Recognition Program.Aided by a new software program, the CME office will begin documenting faculty participation in CME activities in January 2000. At the end of the year, each faculty member’s department and the College of Medicine Dean’s Office will receive a summary of his or her participation. “This program will provide a way for us to recognize faculty for the time they devote to furthering continuing education,” said Marion Anderson, M.D., associate dean for Continuing Medical Education. The recognition program is a first for MUSC CME. “This is also a unique program on a national level,” said Jan Temple, Ph.D., CME director. Faculty participation in CME activities can come in the form of presentations, development of materials, collaboration on CME research activities, or serving on CME planning and advisory committees. “We hope this will serve as not only an incentive for participation, but also as a way for departments to recognize faculty who dedicate a substantial amount of time and effort to CME activities,” Temple said. “For example, the summary of CME participation can be included in materials developed in support of recommendations for promotion in rank or tenure.” For more information on the Faculty Recognition Program, call the Office
of Continuing Medical Education at 876-1925.
Year 2000 to bring further curriculum change1999 brought the first in a series of changes to the College of Medicine undergraduate curriculum—all designed to ensure physician graduates continue to enter the world of medicine well-prepared to meet the needs of the patients they serve. Here’s a look at what’s to come in the year 2000:A thorough review of the quality and relevance of current fourth-year
electives
Currently, each fourth-year elective lasts one month. Linear electives, explained Victor Del Bene, M.D., associate dean for students, may only happen once a week, but span a longer period of time. “Product-line” electives would allow students the opportunity to study specific diseases and/or patient problems such as lower back pain, diabetes or hypertension. Investigation into the logistics of incorporating a small group learning experience into the third-year curriculum Ondo and Elisha Brownfield, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, are exploring how other schools have incorporated small group sessions into clinical rotations. Sessions would involve in depth discussions of patient cases that incorporate the basic sciences and clinical principles. Ondo and Brownfield hope to begin incorporating small-group sessions sometime in the year 2000. The beginning of a new curriculum for second-year students in fall semester 2000 Under the new format, the fall semester will consist of three courses: Infection and Immunity, Mechanisms of Disease I and Doctoring III. The exam format implemented this fall for first-year students will be extended to the second year. Two exams covering all course content will be administered during the semester and one at its conclusion. Stay in touch with these and other curriculum changes through the Medical
Educator.
Don't miss thisJan. 30 - Feb. 1, 2000Curriculum Leaders Conference AAMC Group on Educational Affairs/Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education San Antonio, TX For more information, call Amy Blue, Ph.D., at 792-3409. March 9 - 11, 2000
For more information, visit <http://www.cbil.vcu.edu/sgea/>.
Gradute Medical EductionDec. 3Noon - 1 p.m. End-of-the-Year Tax Tips for Saving $$ Clyde Hiers, CPA, CFP, MS Clinical Science Bldg, room 300 This program is open to students, faculty, residents and fellows. Lunch
will be provided. Participants must register by Nov. 29. Seating is limited.
Dec. 10
This program is open to residents and fellows. Lunch will be provided.
Participants must register by Dec. 8.
Teaching tipsCharacteristics of good clinical teaching:Maximize student participation during your teaching sessions and have the students be active in the learning process. Show enthusiasm for your teaching! Emphasize problem-solving—model it, share your thought processes, and encourage students to engage in it. Use a humanistic orientation—students and residents learn as much about the practice of medicine from observing your interactions with patients, staff and colleagues as they do from your teaching sessions. Emphasize the use of appropriate references and research—these help foster self-directed learning skills in learners. Continuing Medical EducationThe following conferences are sponsored by MUSC. All conferences are to be held in Charleston, S.C., unless otherwise noted.December
3 - 5
2000
March
27 - 29
28 - April 1
April
24 - 25
May
Please call the Office of Continuing Medical Education at 876-1925 for
more information.
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