VOL 2, No 6, June 2000
Study to assess admissions
The road to medical school is paved with grade point averages, MCAT scores and interviews. And while these factors can indicate how well a potential medical student will perform academically, Bill Basco, M.D., hopes to discover if they can also predict future clinical performance.
Basco's
proposal, “Evaluation of a Medical School Admission Process: Are We Choosing
the Right People?” recently received four-year funding from the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation for $203,000.
Using data from MUSC College of Medicine admissions, Basco will assess the relationship between certain academic variables—interview scores, MCAT results, and grade point averages—and measures of clinical performance—patient satisfaction and communication skills—as evaluated at different points in students' and residents' careers.
“Given that most applicants admitted to medical school become practicing physicians, the admission process is the most significant hurdle to clear on a future physician’s career pathway,” Basco said. “The ultimate goal is to identify measures that can help admission committees choose students who are better communicators because communication is what really drives patient satisfaction,” said Basco, assistant professor of pediatrics.
Admission to the MUSC College of Medicine is a two-part process. Applicants are initially ranked based on a formula incorporating their MCAT scores and GPAs, which are weighted based on their undergraduate school's ranking in Baron's Profiles of Academic Colleges. Those with a certain level of performance then complete three one-on-one interviews.
Basco plans to compare the performance of students with weighted GPAs
versus those with non-weighted GPAs on the third year family medicine OSCE
(objective structured clinical examination).
“While one previous study has shown correlation between weighted undergraduate
GPAs and first year academic performance, little data exists to suggest
that weighting GPAs improves correlation with performance in the clinical
years of medical school,” Basco said.
Basco will also determine if MCAT essays and admission interview scores correlate with patient satisfaction measured by 10-minute patient interviews completed at the end of the first year of medical school as part of the Doctoring Curriculum.
“The MCAT essay represents a measure of communication ability, which when combined with interview scores, may provide a composite measure of an applicant's communication skills,” Basco said.
At MUSC, admission to medical school is based on 50 percent interview scores and 50 percent academic requirements. The MCAT essay is not currently used for admission purposes. Finally, Basco will look at whether MCAT, GPA or interview scores correlate with clinical performance in the senior year of medical school or in the first year of residency.
A previous study found no correlation between MCAT scores and residency performance, he said, but that study did not evaluate whether interview score correlated with residency performance.
“This research should indicate not only good predictors during the admissions process of communications ability, but also refine what are good tests of communication skills later, during medical school, and beyond,” Basco continued.
Greg Gilbert, MSPH, research analyst, and Amy Blue, Ph.D., College of Medicine assistant dean for curriculum evaluation, are grant co-investigators.
Basco's project is one of 15 nationwide to be funded through the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation's Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Program
2000. The program offers four-year career development awards to outstanding
junior faculty in medical school departments/divisions of family practice,
general internal medicine, and general pediatrics.
Conference addresses S.C. women's health
According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, among the 10 leading causes of death, rates for South Carolina women are higher in seven areas, particularly the number one and two killers, heart disease and stroke.To address the health needs of women in our state, the MUSC Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) held the first Issues in Women's Health Conference this April.
More than 80 primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician's assistants attended the two-day event that brought together experts in areas ranging from cardiovascular disease to domestic abuse. The conference was designed to provide practitioners with the most up to date information in women's health care, according to Odessa Ussery, M.Ed., Continuing Medical Education program coordinator.
“For years people really didn't address issues related to health and well being that were gender specific.” It's only recently that we have realized we're not really meeting the needs of our female customers who make up 52 percent of the population,” said planning committee chair Joanne Conroy, M.D.
Planning committee member Linda Austin, Ph.D., agrees: “Women's health is an exciting area, important not only because women are consumers of health services, but because women are most often the gatekeepers of health care within the family.”
“The conference was excellent in really elevating the consciousness of everyone who attended that there are health care issues that are critical for women at risk,” Conroy said.
One participant commented that the knowledge he gained would “improve my practice because I will now push harder to get my female patients to truly control cardiovascular disease and more aggressively pursue evaluation and histories for female patients and their children at risk for abuse.”
Plans for next year's conference are already underway. Conroy will serve as planning committee chair. Based on participant evaluations, CME intends to expand the event to three days, Ussery said.
For more information about CME offerings, see the column at left or visit <http://www.musc.edu/cme>.
Parallel curriculum, CCET leadership changes
After seeing the Parallel Curriculum through its establishment and six years of subsequent growth, Imogene Smith, Ed.D., education director, retires June 30.Smith, who came to MUSC in 1973, is also interim director for the Center for Clinical Evaluation and Training (CCET).
What's MUSC's loss is her family's gain. Smith plans to spend more time with her husband and three teenagers—two daughters age 18 and 13, and a son, 15. She'll also enjoy volunteer work, gardening, reading and time with friends.
“Gene Smith's quiet and quality leadership in these two programs has been central in their development and success,” said Layton McCurdy, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine.
Smith leaves the Parallel Curriculum and the CCET in the capable hands of Elizabeth “Skeet” Bradley and Maura Carey. Carey, the center's patient trainer, takes over as director. Bradley, currently the evaluation director of the Parallel Curriculum, will add the role of education director to her duties. Kathleen Wiley, M.D., will continue to serve as the curriculum's clinical director.
“I’ve learned so many valuable things from Gene,” Carey said. “I've been lucky to have her as a mentor.”
“We'll miss Gene incredibly,” said Bradley. “She is such a integral part of our team.”
Smith considers one of her greatest accomplishments to be “hiring a talented group of people who have been instrumental in the success of the Parallel Curriculum and managing the program such that faculty skeptical of the merits of problem-based learning have become ‘believers.’”
Smith began her MUSC career in the College of Dental Medicine Office of Education. She went on to work for the university's Office of Educational Services, established in 1977, and later became involved with the Introduction to Clinical Medicine program in the College of Medicine.
In the early 1990s, when the college decided to establish a problem-based learning curriculum, she was asked to serve as educational director. She later assumed the role of interim director of the CCET.
“It's been very rewarding to see the Parallel Curriculum do so well,”
Smith said. “Our students go on to do very well in the junior core rotations
and residencies. It's a great credit to the students who chose the problem-based
learning style for those first two years of medical school.”
Bradley in as education director
Elizabeth “Skeet” Bradley's experience setting up a Parallel Curriculum at Wake Forest University School of Medicine came in handy for the MUSC College of Medicine when it decided to set up a problem-based learning curriculum of its own.
Elizabeth
“Skeet” Bradley reviews a patient case with Parallel Curriculum students.
Bradley was recruited in 1994 to help establish the Parallel Curriculum and serve as evaluation director.
She takes over as education director on July 1.
“My major goal is to make the transition as smooth as possible for everyone,” Bradley said.
Bradley worked at Wake Forest in medical education for almost 18 years and helped establish its parallel curriculum in 1987 before coming to MUSC.
“The Parallel Curriculum is such a wonderful environment to work in,” Bradley said. “We have a great team of people who work together very well.”
As evaluation director, Bradley has played a key role in the success and growth of the Parallel Curriculum. Last year the Parallel Curriculum expanded the number of students admitted from 18 to 24.
In her new leadership role, Bradley plans to continue enhancement of
the Parallel Curriculum, incorporating additional web-based technology.
Bradley earned a master's degree in education from the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro.
Carey to head Center for Clinical Evaluation, Teaching
Maura
Carey creates a “Kool-aid” bruise on the arm of a standardized patient.
Parts of Maura Carey’s job at the Center for Clinical Evaluation and Teaching (CCET) could read like a book on finding interesting uses for household products–Kool-aid for creating real-looking bruises; Vaseline and Kool-aid for making marks that look like burns.
Since July 1998, Carey has trained actors to portray a variety of injuries and illnesses to test the skills of medical students, and these techniques make their ailments appear real.
This July 1, Carey assumes an additional role as CCET director.
As patient trainer and program coordinator, Carey has continued the CCET's association with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Standardized Patient Research Project—an initiative working towards the incorporation of standardized patients into the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
The center will pilot its first test for the NBME in July when rising fourth-year students complete the Clinical Practice Exam (CPX), an exercise designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of students as they enter their final year of medical school. Instead of seeing traditional standardized patients, the students will be tested with patients who've been meticulously trained according to National Board standards.
“This the next step in our relationship with the National Board,” Carey said. “Until now, we’ve focused primarily on step one of the process—training NBME patient cases. Now we've moved into step two—implementation of testing. Step three will be when we become a bona-fide NBME testing site.”
Carey hopes the center will be one of 18 sites selected to participate in the NBME’s large-scale field trial of standardized patients planned for summer 2002.
In her new role, Carey also plans to pursue research on the use of standardized patients and their impact on education.
Carey came to the MUSC College of Medicine in 1997 to work with the Introduction to Clinical Medicine program. Previously, she taught courses at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort. Carey earned a master of arts degree from Ball State University.
Graduate Medical Eduction
Core Curriculum Lecture SeriesDinner is provided at Thursday sessions; lunch is provided at Friday sessions.
July
6
Noon - 2 p.m.
Risk Management
Clinical Sciences Building (CSB), room 300
7
Noon - 2 p.m.
End of Life Care
2 West Amphitheater
10
Noon - 2 p.m.
Sexual Harrassment
2 West Amphitheater
11
4 - 6 p.m.
Risk Mangement
2 West Amphitheater
13
4 - 6 p.m.
Medicare Overview
2 West Amphitheater
17
4 - 6 p.m.
Sexual Harrassment
Gazes Auditorium
18
Noon - 2 p.m.
Medicare Overview
Gazes Auditorium
19
Noon - 2 p.m.
End of Life Care
CSB, room 300
21
Noon - 2 p.m.
Risk Management
2 West Amphitheater
25
4 - 6 p.m.
Hosptial Protocols
2 West Amphitheater
26
4 - 6 p.m.
End of Life Care
CSB, room 300
27
Noon - 2 p.m.
Medicare Overview
CSB, room 300
28
Noon - 2 p.m.
Sexual Harassment
Gazes Auditorium
Call Angela at 792-0761 or Sandra at 792-2575 to register.
Continuing Medical Education
The following conferences are sponsored by MUSC. All conferences are to be held in Charleston unless otherwise noted.July
13 - 14
Advanced ERCP Tutorials
MUSC Campus
September
8 - 10
Ophthalmology Clinical Update
Kiawah Island Resort
15 - 16
Issues in Medical Ethics—Thomas A. Pitts Lectureship
Gazes Auditorium
16
Endoscopic Ultrasound Course
MUSC Campus
Call the Office of Continuing Medical Education at 876-1925 for more
information.
Teaching Tips
From “Creative Medical Teaching,” Neal Whitman, 1990Ways in which lectures commonly waiver and could improve:
DON'T APOLOGIZE—Too often we hear, “I apologize for this rather busy slide,” or “Forgive me for keeping you beyond the hour,” or “Bear with me as we go through this detail.” Busy slides should be deleted; overtime should be eliminated; and complicated concepts should be simplified.
DON'T TALK ABOUT MOLEHILLS TO MOUNTAINEERS —Don’t offer the specialist
a telescopic view and the generalist a microscopic dissection…Talk to family
practitioners on “Chest Pain,” internists on “Controversies in Unstable
Angina,” and cardiologists on “Aortic Balloon Assist Pump for the Management
of Refractory Angina.”
The Medical Educator is written by Kristen
D. Karig, Public Relations