Medical Schools

More schools letting student follow individual patients

A small but growing number of medical schools are turning to a different clerkship model to promote patient-centered care, according to a recent story by American Medical News.

Through the longitudinal integrated clerkship, medical students work with physicians in core specialties continuously throughout the year while following a panel of patients representing a wide spectrum of medical conditions. The traditional clinical block rotations, in contrast, break the study of medicine's different disciplines into discrete chunks.

Supporters say the longitudinal integrated clerkship offers a more real-world experience to students, underscores the importance of continuity of care, and allows for a better understanding of the patient perspective.

Number of Hispanic medical students on the upswing

Reflecting in part the "explosive" growth in the number of Hispanics in the U.S., a growing number of Hispanic applicants are applying to and enrolling in medical school, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. This number has climbed nearly 23 percent since 2004, and six percent between 2010 and 2011, the article notes, citing Association of American Medical Colleges data.

Pipeline programs encouraging young Hispanic students to consider medicine as a viable career option seem to be paying off. In Chicago, for example, the new, $22 million Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy, a charter high school in the largely Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood, will help train the next generation of physicians, nurses, and other health professionals.

The AMA's Doctors Back to School (DBTS) program, which is partnering with the Commission to End Healthcare Disparities, is working to increase the number of minority physicians and ultimately work toward eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. Learn more.

AMA Section on Medical Schools' meeting focuses on section's history

The AMA Section on Medical Schools (AMA-SMS) celebrated its 35th anniversary during the Annual Meeting with a special luncheon education session on the historical role the section has played in enhancing communication between the AMA and the medical education community.

The section also co-sponsored an education session on medical student mistreatment with the AMA Council on Medical Education and the AMA Medical Student Section. In addition, the AMA-SMS held a session of mini-presentations on curricular innovations in medical education. (Presentation slides and summaries will be posted to the section website by mid-July.)

The following physicians were elected to the AMA-SMS Governing Council:

• Arthur Ross, III, MD, dean of the West Virginia University School of Medicine, chair
• Maria Savoia, MD, dean of medical education, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, chair-elect
• Kenneth Simons, MD, associate dean for graduate medical education and accreditation, Medical College of Wisconsin, immediate past chair
• John Fogarty, MD, dean, Florida State University College of Medicine, at-large member
• Daniel Ornt, MD, vice dean for education and academic affairs, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, at-large member
• Robert Sokol, MD, distinguished professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, at-large member

The following council members remain in their current positions:

• Donald Eckhoff, MD, professor of orthopedic surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, delegate
• Michael Grossman, MD, associate dean for Graduate Medical Education, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, alternate delegate
• Louis Ling, MD, associate dean for graduate medical education, University of Minnesota Medical School, section liaison to the AMA Council on Medical Education

Medical school learning environment study continues to expand

The Learning Environment Study of the AMA's ISTEP program (Innovative Strategies for Transforming the Education of Physicians) is collecting data on 1,900 students at 12 schools who are providing information about themselves and their educational experiences during their first year of medical school. A second cohort of schools and students will be enrolled this fall, bringing the total number of schools and students to 25 and nearly 6,000, respectively.

Applications sought for Secretary of the Council on Medical Education position

The AMA is seeking applications for the position of Secretary, Council on Medical Education. This individual provides leadership in all aspects of the work of the council, including coordinating its work with external national organizations and AMA governance groups.

In addition, this individual would serve as associate director of the AMA Center for Transforming Medical Education and assistant secretary to the AMA Secretariat of the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME).

Just the facts (fast): Medical education trend data now available

Newly available on the AMA website are Medical Education "Fast Facts," data tables, graphs and analyses that synthesize medical school and residency/fellowship data and allow for quick analysis of key trends.