2015-2016
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INSTITUTIONAL SELF-STUDY
PRELIMINARY ACCREDITATION
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT (DCI) AND INSTITUTIONAL SELF-STUDY PROCESS ... 2
HISTORY AND SETTING OF THE SCHOOL ... 2
MISSION, PLANNING, ORGANIZATION, AND INTEGRITY ... 3
ACADEMIC AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS ... 8
FACULTY PREPARATION, PRODUCTIVITY, PARTICIPATION, AND POLICIES ... 10
RESOURCES ... 12
COMPETENCIES, CURRICULAR OBJECTIVES, AND CURRICULAR DESIGN ... 15
CURRICULAR CONTENT ... 17
CURRICULAR MANAGEMENT, EVALUATION, AND ENHANCEMENT ... 19
TEACHING, SUPERVISION, ASSESSMENT, AND STUDENT AND PATIENT SAFETY ... 21
MEDICAL STUDENT SELECTION, ASSIGNMENT, AND PROGRESS ... 24
ACADEMIC SUPPORT, CAREER ADVISING, AND EDUCATIONAL RECORDS ... 26
MEDICAL STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES, PERSONAL COUNSELING, AND FINANCIAL AID SERVICES ... 27
SELF-STUDY SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION ... 30
2
THE DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT (DCI) AND INSTITUTIONAL SELF-STUDY PROCESS
The Washington State University College of Medicine (WSU COM) involved faculty, administrators, university leadership, legislators and staff, clinical affiliates, practicing clinicians, and community stakeholders in the Institutional Self-Study. The Self-Study was conducted face-to-face, on all four of the WSU campuses (Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, and Everett) that are planned as the distributed regional clinical sites for the medical education program. The Self-Study participants were each provided with access to the DCI, to the most recent feasibility study used in the medical school approval process, and press releases and position papers on the legislative process of approval for a second state college of medicine. Participants were informed that any additional information from websites and other sources could be consulted as part of the self-assessment effort.
HISTORY AND SETTING OF THE SCHOOL
Founded in 1890 in Pullman, Washington State University (WSU) is Washington’s land-grant university with an overarching mission of improving the quality of life for all citizens -- locally, nationally, and globally. As a comprehensive leading land-grant institution, WSU is committed to excellence in each of its research, teaching and outreach missions.
WSU has a current enrollment of approximately 29,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and approximately 6,300 faculty and staff. WSU offers 95 undergraduate degrees, more than 60 Master’s and professional degrees, and has more than 40 doctoral degree programs which are offered through 11 colleges and guided by the Graduate School. A multi-campus system was developed in the mid-1980s under the guiding principle of “one university, geographically dispersed.” This means one set of academic standards supporting a common curriculum, one faculty system-wide, and one student body. WSU is one of the nation’s premier, top-tier public research institutions; the Carnegie Foundation lists it among 96 public and private universities recognized for “very high research activity.” In its 2013 list of America’s Best Colleges, U.S. News and World Report ranks WSU in the top 60 public national
universities. In 2009, National Science Foundation ranked WSU 69th among all universities and colleges in the U.S. for research and development expenditures, 57th among all public universities, and 18th among all universities without a medical school. WSU has exceptional research strengths in: agricultural and plant sciences, physical sciences and engineering, biological and life sciences, biomedical sciences, global animal health, and environmental sciences and clean energy technologies. With more than $430 million in research and public service expenditures, including $223 million in sponsored program expenditures, WSU is among the nation’s top land-grant research universities.
The College of Medicine
Washington State University has a long history delivering medical education to undergraduate medical students. WSU has been a partner in the UWSOM WWAMI program since 1971. For most of the past 43 years, 20 first year medical students have received their education at WSU, taught entirely by WSU faculty. A WSU faculty member directed the first year WWAMI program with an administrative
reporting line to the UWSOM. In 2008 the WWAMI program was expanded and extended to the Spokane campus of WSU. From 2008 until 2013, 20 UWSOM first year medical students have received their education at WSU Spokane from WSU faculty. In 2014 the first cohort of second year medical students also received their training at WSU Spokane. As with the first year students, the second year students enrolled at WSU and the WSU WWAMI director directed the program. Also in 2014 the WSU Pullman WWAMI program was consolidated with the WSU Spokane program, and all 40 WSU WWAMI medical students received their education in Spokane. In 2014 the total medical student enrollment at WSU was
3
49. In summary, WSU has extensive experience teaching first year medical students (43 years), it has directed and taught both the first and second year curriculum, with as many as 40 students in a class cohort.
To address the physician shortage, increase access to care, and provide opportunities for more
Washingtonians to attend medical school, WSU has periodically considered starting a separate medical education program. In the spring of 2014 WSU founded the College of Medical Sciences as a precursor to a College of Medicine, with diverse, nationally-recognized faculty pursuing breakthrough research in a wide range of fields such as the neuroscience of sleep, andrology, addiction, aging, and cancer. The college hosted a consultative visit with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) secretariats in November 2014, as part of the planning process to develop the medical education program.
In support of this effort to address the pressing need to expand the healthcare provider workforce in Washington, on April 1st, 2015, the governor signed the legislation authorizing WSU to operate a medical
school offering the M.D. degree. With this approval, WSU converted its College of Medical Sciences to the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine (COM) with a mission to promote health and to solve challenging problems relating to the access to healthcare and its delivery. President Floyd passed away in mid-2015; the provost is functioning as the acting president of WSU while an active search is underway. Position descriptions and advertisements used in recruiting candidates clearly articulate the board of regent’s commitment to the college of medicine. Finalists for the position are expected to be announced in February 2016.
After a national search, John Tomkowiak, M.D., MOL, was appointed as the founding dean for the Washington State University College of Medicine in the fall 2015. Dean Tomkowiak has worked closely with the COM and university leadership, the medical sciences faculty and administration in designing the medical education program, developing the accreditation related materials including the data collection instrument, and leading the Institutional Self-Study on the four WSU campuses that will deliver the medical education components.
MISSION, PLANNING, ORGANIZATION, AND INTEGRITY
WSU COM has a written statement of mission and goals for its medical education program. Mission
The mission of Washington State University College of Medicine is to develop practical solutions to challenging problems in the promotion of health and healthcare access, including the training of a diverse workforce of physicians and other healthcare professionals with a focus on interprofessional, patient-centered education and research.
Vision
To transform healthcare for our state and nation by continuous innovations and advances in medical education and research.
Goals
The Washington State University College of Medicine will:
1. Be informed by the communities we serve to enhance our educational, research, and clinical missions.
2. Increase the number of primary care physicians serving in Washington State’s workforce. 3. Attract students interested in rural practice and treating vulnerable populations.
4. Develop bridge and pipeline systems that facilitate access to medicine as a profession for local and regional residents.
4
5. Advance and apply the practical knowledge and scholarship of our faculty and students through innovative basic, translational, clinical, and community-based research.
6. Develop a curriculum aligned with the future healthcare needs, including the promotion of wellness and preventive healthcare.
7. Foster interdisciplinary learning across the health sciences colleges and clinical training sites in innovative and transformational ways.
8. Create and sustain a university community that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable. 9. Be recognized for efficiency, excellence, and innovation in medical education.
10. Operate in a fiscally responsible manner in using the resources of the students, college, university, state, and other external funding sources.
The WSU COM conducts ongoing planning, and has drafted bylaws that describe an effective
organizational structure and governance processes. The bylaws will be approved by the faculty at their meeting in early 2016.
Strategic Planning and Continuous Quality Improvement
The mission, vision and goals were developed by the COM leadership, including the medical school, parent institution, clinical affiliates, and community stakeholders. The medical school is developing a new strategic plan that will be completed in spring 2016. The foundation for the strategic plan is provided by the proposal for the new doctoral degree program in allopathic medicine and its accompanying financial plan. The proposal projects staffing and funding needed to launch and operate the new College of Medicine. Potential strategic initiatives were identified by the dean’s leadership team and the college’s faculty, and were reviewed as part of the institutional self-study process. The outcomes of the WSU COM strategic plan will be defined in measurable terms, and will be reviewed at least on a quarterly basis by the leadership team in order to identify any areas that may represent challenges, create solutions, allocate resources, and implement corrective actions.
WSU COM engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that incorporate a systematic review of the medical education program’s mission, goals, and outcomes; result in continuing improvement in program quality; and, demonstrate the college is effectively accomplishing its mission.
WSU COM identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results in each of the following areas:
• Medical education program (to include student learning outcomes)
• Administrative support services
• Academic and student support services
• Research within its mission • Service learning
Ongoing compliance with LCME accreditation standards is a central component of the institutional effectiveness program. As a new and developing school, compliance with LCME accreditation standards is a strong focus area for the college. The WSU COM has incorporated a strategic goal of ongoing compliance as part of its strategic plan. Outcome measures will include review of the standards and associated elements.
WSU COM’s CQI initiative, entitled Continuous Quality Leadership includes the following program elements: real time compliance status and performance trends; identification of opportunities to achieve excellence at reasonable cost; adverse trends addressed using CQI methods Model for Improvement,
5
LEAN, Six Sigma, etc.; DCI documents current and available; and, LCME ASSET database always current (when applicable).
Conflict of Interest Policies
The primary institutional governing board of WSU is directly responsible for the parent university, including the medical school. As part of the university, WSU COM has faculty conflict of interest policies covering interests in research, and private interests of faculty with academic and teaching responsibilities. These policies also relate to the conduct of administrators at the college and the governing board members. The Self-Study Task Force recommends that as the college matures, and in anticipation of students progressing to the clinical years, that a policy be developed concerning the interests in commercial support of continuing medical education.
Mechanisms for Faculty Participation
Through its faculty election processes and committee structure as included in the [draft] bylaws, WSU COM has established effective mechanisms for direct faculty participation in decision-making related to the medical education program. Departmental faculty elect representation to the standing committees of the COM. In addition, the dean may appoint faculty or community committee members to ensure diverse representation. The committees are expected to establish the policies and procedures for the medical education program. Draft policies and procedures are presented to the department faculty by their committee representatives and/or by the chair of the department at regular departmental meetings. Draft policies and procedures are also distributed to the faculty prior to their consideration for approval, thereby facilitating opportunities for additional direct faculty participation in discussions about, and the establishment of, policies and procedures for the program. Policy and other types of changes where faculty comment is required/desired are also shared at town hall meetings, focus groups, and regular faculty meetings.
Affiliation Agreements
The WSU COM adopted a distributed regional campus model for the required clinical clerkships. Clinical teaching sites have been identified, and each has signed a letter of intent to partner with the COM, as the affiliation agreements are finalized. WSU COM has adopted the AAMC Uniform Clinical Training Affiliation Agreement, and those provisions are incorporated into the draft affiliation agreements for all inpatient sites used for required clinical clerkships. Although students will not be participating in inpatient sites for the clinical clerkships until fall 2019, the agreements are expected to be fully executed by the spring of 2016.
Self-Study participants reviewed a draft of the affiliation agreement template and verified that such agreements provide for, at a minimum:
• The assurance of medical student and faculty access to appropriate resources for medical student education.
• The primacy of the medical education program’s authority over academic affairs and the education/assessment of medical students.
• The role of the medical school in the appointment and assignment of faculty members with responsibility for medical student teaching.
• Specification of the responsibility for treatment and follow-up when a medical student is exposed to an infectious or environmental hazard or other occupational injury.
• The shared responsibility of the clinical affiliate and the medical school for creating and maintaining an appropriate learning environment.
6
• Confirmation of the authority of the department heads of the medical school to ensure faculty and medical student access to appropriate resources for medical student education when those
department heads are not also the clinical service chiefs at affiliated institutions.
Self-Study participants were unable to verify the final page numbers on which the minimum requirements appear, as each agreement was still in draft form.
Bylaws and Administrative Officer and Faculty Appointments
The Self-Study Subcommittee reviewing governance related materials verified that the faculty manual of the Washington State University (WSU) publishes the responsibilities and privileges of its administrative officers and faculty members for each academic unit. The manual clearly states that institution-wide, each college, school, department, or academic program which administers a degree granting program is
considered an academic unit. For the medical education program, the WSU COM is responsible for the content and quality of the academic programs under its jurisdiction, no matter where the elements of the program are offered. The faculty manual states that the academic faculty who are an integral part of an academic program are members of the academic unit responsible for that program, no matter where the faculty member is physically located. The Self-Study Subcommittee verified that the manual articulates the decanal authority for the program. Additionally, it confirmed that the position description of the dean clearly states authority may be delegated to appropriate, qualified senior administrators.
The duties of the faculty of each academic unit include: performing the regular duties of teaching, research, and service of the unit; and, serving as the legislative body in all matters relating to curricular and educational policies of the unit, so long as such policies do not conflict with policies approved by the university faculty assembly and/or the board of regents. Accordingly, among the responsibilities
delegated to the faculty of the COM by the faculty manual are the following: standards of admission to the unit, curricula and courses to be offered and the amount of credit for each course, requirements for graduation, appropriation requests, consideration of candidates for appointment to positions within the unit, apportionment of work of the unit, and policies of the unit.
The WSU COM is developing specific faculty bylaws related to the college as an academic unit. Bylaws are currently in draft form. Once finalized, the WSU COM faculty will vote to approve the bylaws during the first formal faculty meeting anticipated to be held in early 2016.
The WSU COM faculty bylaws will be widely distributed to the faculty through several
communications channels: all faculty will receive a copy of the faculty bylaws as part of the process for appointment to the COM; the contents of the faculty handbook will be covered during faculty orientation following initial appointment to the medical school; updates will be considered during departmental and faculty assembly meetings; the materials will be readily available on the WSU
website; and, copies of the approved faculty handbook and proposed redlined versions will be accessible on the internal Sharepoint site.
Eligibility Requirements
Washington State University (WSU) is authorized as a degree-granting institution by the Washington State Achievement Council (WSAC). As a component of the parent institution, WSU College of Medical Sciences does not seek separate authorization. Final institutional approval to offer the MD degree is expected by spring 2016.
Washington State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Most recently reaffirmed in 2013, WSU has been continuously accredited by its regional higher education authority since 1918. WSU is one of 15 institutions involved in a pilot project intended to streamline reporting and reduce the burden of multiple campus visits during the seven year review
7
cycle. In the last year of the review process, institutions will host a site visit for the final comprehensive report; WSU’s campus visit is anticipated in 2017.
Dean’s Qualifications
The founding dean, John Tomkowiak, M.D., MOL, was appointed in 2015. Dr. Tomkowiak received his B.S. from the University of Illinois, and completed his M.D. and residency training at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He is Professor of Psychiatry and Board Certified in General Psychiatry. He received a Masters of Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga.
Dr. Tomkowiak started his academic career at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine where he was the Director of the Second Year of the Curriculum as well as the Director of the Geriatric Education program. At Florida State University he served as the education director for Psychiatry, as well as the director of the Year3/Year 4 curriculum. In his first tenure at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind
Franklin University he served as the associate dean of education, director of simulation, and facilitator for the university strategic plan. In addition he served as the acting dean. At New York Medical College he served as the vice dean for medical education as well as the director for inter-professional education development for Touro College and University. Most recently he rejoined Chicago Medical School to serve as the dean, the president of the Rosalind Franklin University Health System and the executive vice president for clinical affairs for Rosalind Franklin University.
Dr. Tomkowiak has expertise in the areas of medical education, accreditation and transformational leadership. He has won numerous awards including the Nancy C.A. Roeske MD Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education; U.S. Department of Justice Award for Public Service; and the Illinois FBI National Academy Associates Citizen of the Year Award. He is a member of the Alpha-Omega-Alpha Honor Society in Medicine.
Access and Authority of the Dean
As the dean and chief academic officer of the COM, Dr. Tomkowiak directly reports to the provost of WSU, and has regular meetings with the provost and president of the university to ensure that strategic initiatives, resource allocation, and student policies promote and support the medical education program. The dean also is a direct report to the chancellor of the health sciences campus. The dean provides strategic recommendations at the university level to integrate the educational, clinical and research goals of the COM to the university as a whole. Dean Tomkowiak also engages in regular standing meetings with affiliated clinical partners and health system leadership to fulfill his responsibility for the activities regarding the education and training of the COM medical students. Representatives from the clinical affiliates participated as part of the Self-Study Subcommittee, and note that these meetings are functioning well and support attainment of the WSU COM mission.
The dean has ultimate responsibility for the education and research missions of the WSU COM across all locations. WSU does not own a hospital, nor operate a clinical faculty practice plan at this time, therefore the responsibility for patient care is under the respective authorities of the administration of the major clinical affiliates, or private practitioners, where applicable.
Sufficiency of Administrative Staff
With the addition of the founding dean and senior associated dean for finance, administration and accreditation, to the existing executive team, the school’s leadership is stable. The Self-Study
Subcommittee reviewing administrative staffing notes that the dean’s office staffing is minimal at the time of the self-study. While each associate dean/senior administrator is a full time position, Self-Study Subcommittee members note that responsibility for multiple major programs are concentrated in a few individuals. The DCI states that the Vice Dean will act in these capacities until permanent administrators are recruited.
8
The Self-Study Task Force recommends that the dean recruit additional positions to support the development of the medical education program.
There are three departments in the WSU COM, of which two have interim department chairs, and the positions of a number of associate deans including student affairs and admissions are also filled on an interim basis and/or are vacant. The status of recruitment efforts to fill the positions was unavailable at the time of the self-study. Recruiting is ongoing for the identified leadership positions. This area requires monitoring to ensure positions are filled to support recruitment and matriculation of the charter class. Responsibility of and to the Dean
For the pre-clinical years, all students in the medical education program will be based on the Spokane campus. For the clinical years, the WSU COM is organized as a “Community Campus” organization. The dean, who is the chief academic officer, is responsible for the conduct and quality of the medical
education program, as well as for ensuring the adequacy of faculty and resources at each of the regional campuses. To support the WSU COM dean in this role, the positions of associate deans for regional campuses have been created. These positions will provide oversight of the components of medical education being offered at each site. The regional deans will report to a vice dean for community and academic partnerships, who is a direct report to the chief academic officer. The dean will regularly meet with the senior regional dean; the senior regional dean will work closely and meet weekly with the regional deans through use of communications technologies, as well as periodic campus meetings. The senior leadership at the distributed campuses participate in formal committee structures. For the Curriculum Committee, the regional deans make up a subcommittee responsible for monitoring required elements specific to the clerkship years. The senior associate dean chairs this subcommittee, and is responsible for report development and presentation to the Curriculum Committee in their role as institutional oversight and central management of the curriculum. The regional associate deans may also be elected to any of the standing committees.
Functional Integration of the Faculty
The WSU COM has planned mechanisms to support the functional integration and communication among the four campuses at all levels. The draft bylaws include representation from the respective campuses on the standing committees of the college. Regardless of campus location, faculty will be appointed to one of the three current departments within the college, and will participate in person or by teleconferencing in all departmental meetings. Department chairs are expected to hold departmental meetings from each of the campuses on a rotating basis to foster a “one college” culture. The Self-Study Subcommittee notes this approach as a strength of the medical education program. The integration of campuses outside the Spokane area will expose students to the support infrastructure outside of heavily concentrated areas, which will contribute to their understanding of practice in rural and remote areas.
ACADEMIC AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Resident Participation in Medical Student Education
Every medical student will have an opportunity to complete at least a portion of a required clinical experience in a setting where residents teach/supervise medical students.
Community of Scholars/Research Opportunities
During the preclinical years, students are required to complete a scholarly project focused on planning, implementing, and evaluating a collaborative health-related community based project geared to improve community health. For students interested participating in research projects, opportunities to participate on faculty research teams are designed between years one and two.
9
Students will be encouraged to participate in any area of faculty research focus, including the newly recruited public health research team.
Research/Scholarly Activity Electives are being designed for the clerkship years for students who want to expand their research experience. Guidance will be provided by faculty mentors who are actively engaged in biomedical research, community and population-based research, clinical and translational research, or research on patient safety, quality improvement and education. WSU has established campuses in each of the regions where students will be assigned to the clerkship years. Each campus has the infrastructure in place, which is already supporting active research in all locations.
Diversity/Pipeline Programs and Partnerships and Anti-Discrimination
The WSU COM has a formal institutional policy related to diversity. The COM’s definition of “senior administrative staff” consists of leadership in the dean’s office (vice/senior/associate deans), as well as chairs. The college has categorized diversity for its students, faculty, and senior administrative staff according to the following table:
Diversity Categories
School-identified Diversity Category
Medical
Students Faculty
Senior
Administrative Staff
Rural: towns less than 25K population* X Economically/Educationally Disadvantaged X Underrepresented in Medicine: Native-American,
Alaskan-Native, Hispanic or Latino (of any race) X X X
Females X X X
*Based on location of High School graduation
WSU COM recruitment plans include posting positions for faculty and administrators in publications and on websites that target those diversity categories. A recently hired associate dean for diversity, inclusion, and leadership is developing recruitment and retention programs for medical students, faculty, and senior administrative staff, and has begun to track data so as to measure the college’s success in achieving diversity. The associate dean will also be responsible for developing pipeline programs that will grow the national pool of qualified applicants. The Self-Study Task Force recommends increasing resources in the next budget cycle to support diversity programs across the four campuses.
Applicants from identified categories will be targeted for recruitment. The associate dean for diversity will assist the admissions office in recruitment of medical students by leveraging relationships across the state, and to develop pre-college pipeline programs. Additionally, WSU COM will utilize existing pipeline programs for other health science disciplines to aid in recruitment efforts.
The college adheres to the WSU main campus’ formal anti-discrimination policy. The policy is provided at time of employment/appointment/matriculation, and is published on the website and in handbooks. Learning Environment/Professionalism
The WSU COM defined the professional attributes that students are expected to develop. These attributes are communicated to students, faculty, residents, and others through orientations, handbooks, and
publication on the website. Students are assessed related to these attributes through a variety of means, including direct observation, OSCEs, narrative assessments, and standardized tests.
10
The Curriculum Committee is responsible for the management and monitoring of the learning
environment. Throughout the entire curriculum, medical students will have the opportunity to complete end of course evaluations and end of clinical rotation evaluations to express concerns with mistreatment. They may also report mistreatment in person, in writing, or anonymously to any faculty or administrator. At steady state, the COM will carefully review the results of the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire, and compare it to the data collected through internal methods to identify any discrepancies in climate or reporting.
The Evaluation and Assessment Subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee is responsible for collecting the data from all sources, and for preparing and presenting its analysis to the Curriculum Committee. Student Mistreatment
WSU COM has established formal standards of conduct in the teacher-learner relationship. As faculty development progresses in anticipation of the matriculation of the charter class faculty, administrators, and residents will become familiar with these standards. The WSU COM has drafted a policy that describes the procedures for the prompt handling of violations of these standards. The associate dean for student affairs is charged with educating the medical students on the procedures so they will be familiar and comfortable with the process for reporting incidents of mistreatment.
FACULTY PREPARATION, PRODUCTIVITY, PARTICIPATION, AND POLICIES Sufficiency of Faculty
The WSU COM has identified specific faculty members with the qualifications and time required to deliver the first two years of the medical education program. As part of the development of affiliation agreements with clinical enterprises who will participate in the clerkship years, the college is actively recruiting faculty at each of the sites. The WSU COM has identified core faculty at each of the sites to fulfill the other missions of the institution, including curriculum design and participation on the standing committees of the faculty. The majority of the faculty appointments are full time; in the WSU COM model, appointment to the full time faculty does not guarantee employment or other salary support. Faculty with significant responsibilities in courses and clerkships receive salary support, and are on site throughout the year.
Scholarly Productivity
WSU COM academic faculty are expected to demonstrate original research, scholarship and creative activities that involve efforts to examine, acquire, produce, disseminate, and interpret new and existing ideas, knowledge and artistic expression. Measures of creative activity will depend upon the discipline and may include, but are not limited to, journal articles; books; monographs; manuals; conference papers; participation in symposia and conferences; reviews; software programs; data bases; patents; bibliographic studies; edited works; reports; group and solo exhibitions; and public lectures related to the research area. In evaluation of research, scholarship and creative activity, the quality of the work, not the sheer quantity, is the primary criterion. Since peer-evaluation and interaction are an integral aspect of research, scholarly and creative activity, evidence of peer responses and review is expected. There are many manifestations of peer evaluation, including, but not limited to, publication in a peer-evaluated media; reviews,
adoptions, commentaries, and citations; invitations to present papers, performances and masterclasses, chair conference sessions, participate in symposia, referee papers, review grant applications, or participate on review panels; editorships of journals; and membership on boards of societies. Faculty members may be recognized for seeking and receiving funding through fellowships, grants, contracts, commissions and awards as appropriate. Expectations on funding should be consistent with the costs associated with doing research in a given area and the availability of funding.
11
The Self-Study Task Force recognizes that the College of Medical Sciences (the precursor to the WSU COM) had active tenure track faculty engaged in research and other scholarly activity, and therefore the infrastructure and culture are well-established.
Faculty Appointment Policies
There are clear policies and procedures for faculty appointment, renewal of appointment, promotion, granting of tenure, and dismissal at WSU COM. These were developed at the institution level, and are made known to faculty at the time of hire/appointment, and are reviewed by the department chairs and dean during the annual evaluation process.
Feedback to Faculty
WSU COM ensures that faculty members receive regularly-scheduled, timely feedback on their academic performance, progress toward promotion and, if relevant, tenure. At least once per year, during the mandatory annual evaluation process, feedback is provided by the department chair and/or dean.
Completion of evaluations is monitored at the college level, and must be reported to the provost annually. Faculty Professional Development
The Self-Study Task Force recognizes that formal faculty development programs are in place and accessible to faculty members through WSU campus resources. However, these programs broadly focus on topics including grant writing, teaching skills, and technology utilization. To support faculty who will teach medical students, and to assist them in improving their teaching and assessment skills, the WSU COM plans to establish an Office of Faculty Talent, Recognition and Enhancement (OFTR&E), headed by an associate dean for faculty talent, recognition and enhancement. In addition to the dean, the college plans to hire staff, consisting of a chair of the Department of Medical Education and Clinical Sciences, faculty curriculum champions, and educational specialists knowledgeable and experienced in testing outcomes, evaluation materials and tools, clinical assessment, and educational development. They will be assigned to assist faculty at WSU COM in developing the initial assessment tools. Their responsibilities include such elements as: supporting curriculum design; advising faculty regarding effective use of teaching modalities; training faculty in giving helpful feedback; and, supporting design and dissemination of evaluation measures and tools. The Self-Study Task Force recommends that resources be programmed for this effort and that development programs be underway early in 2016.
The dean’s leadership team, supported by the OFTR&E will develop programs to provide faculty with opportunities to prepare, improve, and support effectiveness in teaching, learning, and assessment. Direct observations of teaching and learning by appropriate faculty members and faculty development
specialists, as part of peer review processes provide opportunities to identify and address any problems in a timely and effective manner. Student evaluations of teaching are to be used by the individual faculty, their chairperson, and the academic leadership in the process of faculty development.
Responsibility for Educational Program Policies
The draft bylaws outline the governance structure and clear processes for the dean and committees of the faculty to determine the policies of the medical education program. The bylaws state the standing faculty committees of the COM, and include their charges to develop policies in their respective areas. These include: Curriculum Committee, Admissions Committee, Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee, Medical Student Medical Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee, and the Equity Committee. In addition to those programmatic areas, there may be college-wide policies that are outside the charges of the respective committees. The dean works closely with the senior/associate/assistant deans, as well as with the Committee on Committees to develop policies. Draft policies are available for review and comment by the faculty on the faculty website and/or the course management platform, and faculty are encouraged to provide input. Policies that are appropriate for inclusion in the faculty handbook are published annually following formal ratification by the faculty of the COM.
12
RESOURCESAdequacy of Financial Resources
The financial resources available to the COM are from diverse sources, including state funding, parental support, grants and contracts, and philanthropy. The financial position of the COM supports the medical education program; based on the ten year pro forma, the COM is sustainable. The WSU COM fiscal year is from July 1 to June 30.
The COM revenues over the initial ten years, beginning with the charter class pre-matriculation year (FY2017), will be derived from the following sources: State of Washington, Washington State University, student tuition and fees, sponsored research, and philanthropy. The current total revenues available to the college are $16.1 million for the 2015–2016 academic year, and are projected to grow to an annual total of $74.7 million over the ten year period, reflecting new levels of state appropriations, campus
investment, growth in extramural funding, and philanthropy. Tuition represents less than 20% of revenues in any year of operations.
During this ramp up phase, the revenue mix is initially dependent upon the State/university system funding at the onset (during FY 2016 – FY 2018); a review of the pro forma demonstrates a decreasing dependency on these resources in subsequent years. During this time, revenues from grants, grants indirect costs, philanthropy, community clinical resources, and tuition will be added to the mix of revenue sources. Beginning with the charter class in FY2018, the State of Washington will provide per student formula funding. In FY2018, the per student formula provides to the College of Medicine $3.6M; in FY2019, $7.2M; in FY2020, $12.0M; in FY2021 $16.8M; in FY2022 $18.0M; and finally, a steady state funding level of $19.2M in FY2023 for 320 students enrolled.
The research faculty of the college are currently supported by $5.5M dollars in direct and indirect funds from grants and contracts. Projections for research growth in the college anticipate growth over the ten year period, to an annual funding level of $19.4M. In addition, the college has been successful in recruiting a nationally-recognized team of public health researchers, and anticipates additional research dollars to be transferred to the institution this fiscal year.
The current direct assets available to the college from philanthropy are valued at $1M. A campaign to raise additional money is in place in order to ensure not only students have the best medical education opportunities but also so faculty and staff stay current in their fields through conferences, lectures, research, and continuing education. In addition, in August 2015, the WSU concluded a successful
$1billion development campaign. The president has approved $14.8M in foundation funding for the COM to support programmatic growth as the medical education program ramps up to steady state.
The College of Medicine is in the early planning stages for a faculty practice. Additionally, WSU recently announced plans to construct a clinic on its Spokane health sciences campus, close to the main College of Medicine building. In addition to providing educational experiences for the medical students, strategic planning has begun on potential care delivery models for that facility that can contribute a new revenue stream to the college.
WSU is a community-based model, and does not operate its own health system. The clinical affiliates at the regional campuses indirectly support the medical education program, providing facilities, staff, and release time for clinical faculty. While WSU expects to provide some contribution to the clinical affiliates for the direct education time, the ongoing indirect support of the hospitals and ambulatory settings is essential to the educational model. This includes the costs of the residency and fellowship programs that will be available.
13
The dean has budget authority over the medical education program. This authority and responsibility includes a consolidated budget process for all departments within the COM. Funds will be allocated to the COM from the central WSU Budget Office and the dean is responsible for allocations to the departments. Budgets are approved by the dean before the beginning of the fiscal year. Once approved, department chairs have budgetary authority over their departmental budgets to achieve their strategic goals. The dean for the COM will determine the requirements for capital projects to support the medical education program, and will inform the provost of his intent to advance a capital project/concept. As the biennial budget request to the state is developed, the dean participates at the state-wide university level to coordinate requests, particularly to ensure the medical education program requirements are represented. Dean’s Authority/Resources for Curriculum Management
The dean for the College of Medicine (COM) has budgetary authority over the resources necessary to deliver the medical education program, including resources required for curriculum management (human capital and technology). This authority and responsibility includes a consolidated budget process for all departments within the COM. Funds will be allocated to the COM from the central WSU Budget Office and the dean will be responsible for allocations to the departments. Budgets are approved by the dean before the beginning of the fiscal year. Once approved by the dean, department chairs have budgetary authority over their departmental budgets to achieve their strategic goals. Funding sources for
departmental budgets may include institutional funds, sponsored research funds, and philanthropic funding. Each department has a core budget provided by the dean. Final responsibility for managing expenses and revenues within the COM budget will be the responsibility of the dean, the senior associate dean for finance and administration, and his business officer.
The dean participates at the university level in standing budgetary meetings with other dean and the provost, as well as individual meetings with the president. This integration and participation is meant to ensure that the resource needs of the medical education program are considered. Because the medical education program is new, and there have not been budgetary cycles where the dean has yet been
included, the Self-Study Task Force notes that this is an area that will require further monitoring to ensure funds for faculty, educational space, and other infrastructure for the medical education program are considered.
Pressures for Self-Financing
The medical school administration set the size of the entering class based on resources available to support the students, as well as a recognition that significant effort is required to develop and deliver the four year program as a new program. Class size expansion is not planned until the charter class enters the clerkship years. Tuition and fees comprise less than 20% of the college’s total annual revenues. The Self-Study Task Force did not identify any institutional pressures to generate revenue from any source. It reports that the revenue sources for the college of medicine are diversified.
Sufficiency of Buildings and Equipment
The medical education program will be delivered in a modern, state of the art facility with access to high speed internet and conferencing capabilities. The medical school has primacy over the needed educational facilities; however, use of these spaces is not exclusive to the medical education program. The quality and accessibility of facilities used for teaching and assessment of students’ clinical and procedural skills is currently distributed over several health sciences buildings. The COM plans to renovate existing space on campus to create a consolidated facility to deliver the clinical and procedural skills components of the medical education program. The Self-Study Subcommittee notes that the library facilities have a minimum number of small group study spaces, and that the library hours are not accessible to medical students for extended periods. The Subcommittee recommends that as students matriculate to the college, the hours be expanded to accommodate the demands of the medical education program. Additional
14
exclusive small group study space throughout the college should be identified prior to the matriculation of the charter class.
The available space for teaching is adequate for the projected number of students for the planned curriculum structure. Faculty offices have not yet been identified for the planned recruits; space is available near the primary teaching facility. Research space will need to be expanded to facilitate the anticipated growth in research faculty as the research program expands. The WSU COM is not planning an expansion of the class size beyond 80 students per year at steady state. Further class expansion will depend on the availability of funds for new construction of a dedicated COM facility. Lounge space is available in the COM building for the students in the medical education program.
Resources for Clinical Instruction
The WSU COM has letters of intent/draft affiliation agreements with clinical affiliates at each of the regional campuses. These offer appropriate resources for the clinical instruction of WSU COM medical students in ambulatory and inpatient settings at each regional campus. Clinical affiliates have reported adequate numbers and types of patients (e.g., acuity, case mix, age, gender). Each inpatient site planned for the core clinical clerkships reported adequate space for conference rooms for clinical teaching and rounds, library resources provided electronically, wireless connectivity throughout the facilities, and student study space. Call rooms and lockers are available for students in the clerkship years.
The college anticipates the addition of hospital and other clinical affiliations as the charter class progresses towards the clerkship years. Strong community interest in participating in the medical education program expressed during the Self-Study process is noted as a strength.
Security, Student Safety, and Disaster Preparedness
At each of its academic campuses through the state, WSU has well-developed policies, procedures, and preparations for emergencies and disasters. Adequate security systems are in place at all locations on campus for the first two years of the medical education program to ensure student safety. Students are informed of the policies and procedures through websites, handbooks, orientations, book camps, and through periodic preparedness drills. The college is now coordinating similar plans with each of the clinical affiliates when students are in the ambulatory and/or inpatient settings.
Library Resources/Staff
The WSU Health Sciences library is located within the physical COM building. It provides ready access to a well-maintained collection appropriate for a medical education program. Professional staff provide services appropriate to graduate level health professions programs, and maintain the information resources and data systems that support the curriculum. The director of the library participates on the Curriculum Committee, and supports the faculty in the identification of resource materials and textbooks as they design the medical education program. Library staff participate in workshops and seminars with the faculty, staff, and students to teach the WSU COM community about evidence-based literature, associated searches, and use of information technology resources. All library resources are available electronically and can be accessed at the regional campuses.
Information Technology Resources/Staff
IT staff are located within the college, and support all information technology and audiovisual needs of faculty, staff and students. There is dedicated staff supporting the learning management platform, as well as the curriculum mapping software (one45). Staff are accessible to the WSU COM community during regular business hours.
15
COMPETENCIES, CURRICULAR OBJECTIVES, AND CURRICULAR DESIGN WSU COM does not offer a parallel curriculum.
Format/Dissemination of Program Objectives and Learning Objectives
The learning objectives of the medical education program were developed and approved by the faculty, are stated in outcome based terms, and were last reviewed in the fall 2015. The program objectives were linked to the ACGME core competencies. To ensure that the outcome measures selected were sufficiently specific to allow a judgment that each of the medical education program objectives have been met, the WSU COM faculty selected from a wide variety of available assessment methods to provide the most accurate evaluation of the achievement of learners relative to each of the program, course, and session objectives, using the methods described in the MedBiquitous standards set forth by the AAMC.
(MedBiquitous Curriculum Inventory Working Group Standardized Vocabulary Subcommittee. (2012). Curriculum Inventory standardized instructional and assessment methods and resource types (September 2012 version). Washington, DC: Association of American Medical Colleges.)
Course objectives for the first two years have been mapped to program objectives, which have been used as guides for curriculum planning. Following the identification of course goals and objectives, the faculty identified student assessment tools and then started the development of actual course content. Evaluation will occur at the end of each course and clerkship.
Education program objectives will be provided to the medical students in the charter class as part of the student handbook forwarded to them prior to the decision date (under the AAMC Traffic Rules). They will also be available on the college website, and will be provide to the students annually at orientations. Faculty and residents will be provided the medical education program objectives through faculty
development workshops, in meetings with course/clerkship directors, by the chairs at departmental meetings, through the website, and in email.
Required Clinical Experiences
As part of the curriculum design effort, faculty have identified required patient types/clinical encounters and procedural skills for each required clinical clerkship. The curriculum design working groups tasked with identifying the core clinical encounters and skills generated that detail from guidelines promulgated by national organizations of medical educators within the clerkship fields. The ad hoc Curriculum Committee has reviewed and approved the lists. In the future, clerkship directors will review and propose revisions through the Curriculum Committee governance structure.
Self-Directed and Life-Long Learning
All system-based courses in the first phase of the curriculum include case discussions in a small group format integrated into the curricular design. Students will be required to prepare in advance of these sessions. Through the case discussions in class, in small groups with a faculty guide, students will be expected to participate actively in each of the four elements. In addition, they will receive mid-course feedback from their faculty guide and a written narrative evaluation at the end of each course which will address each of the elements. The entire curriculum is based on active learning principles with students working alone or together in advance of class to master content elements.
The Curriculum Committee has determined that on average, the medical students will not have more than 28 hours per week of scheduled class time, which provides students with unscheduled time for self-directed learning and independent study. Optional sessions are planned to help students with content and concepts. Faculty will post learning modules on-line to prepare students for small group case discussions and in-class activities. Individual course directors are expected to use the curriculum mapping software to understand the totality of assignments during any given week, and are expected to communicate regarding
16
expectations. The number of modules required for each case will be managed by the associate dean for curriculum and will be the primary determinant of the time out of class required for each week. The Evaluation and Assessment Subcommittee will track the types and volume of the assignments expected during “out-of-class” time, and will compare this data to the comments provided by the students during the mandatory end of course evaluation. At set times during the year, the Subcommittee will present their findings and recommendations to the Curriculum Committee and the chief academic officer. Periodically, students and faculty will be surveyed regarding this component of the medical education program. Inpatient/Outpatient Experiences
The Curriculum Design Committee is planning the initial elements of the required clerkships in order to ensure the clinical encounters and skills, as well as the setting, are identified in the goals and objectives of the individual clerkship rotations. Early plans indicate a balance between the ambulatory and inpatient settings. Central planning is considered a critical component in order to ensure comparability of
experiences across the regional campuses. These experiences will be submitted to the ad hoc Curriculum Committee for formal approval.
Elective Opportunities
The year 4 curriculum is 43 weeks in length, and requires a minimum of 16 weeks of electives. The Self-Study Subcommittee concluded that this length of time provides sufficient opportunities for electives. A component of planned career counseling includes group and one-on-one discussions with the students on the importance of gaining exposure to a broad range of specialties. The associate dean for student affairs is responsible for ensuring this type of counseling is included starting in the first year of the program. The career counseling program has included the discussion of electives throughout the four year medical education program, and will be particularly emphasized as a topic in the third year as student prepare to participate in the Visiting Students Application System (VSAS). The Self-Study Subcommittee has recommended that the Curriculum Committee consider the development of a policy on the number of electives that may be taken in any one specialty in order to ensure that students experience a wide range of specialties.
Service-Learning
The medical education program requires an interprofessional service learning experience during the second year of studies. In addition to the required interprofessional experience, the college encourages students to participate in voluntary options. The associate dean for student affairs provides regular communications with students, beginning at orientation sessions at the start of each academic year. At periodic intervals throughout the school year, the associate dean will inform students of upcoming service-learning opportunities at regular meetings with the students, through email, and by posting them on the college’s website. Additionally, WSU provides the whole student body with a list of opportunities in the community. Direct and indirect funding and staff support for these initiatives has been identified. The COM provided specific examples of available service-learning and community service activities in the materials reviewed by the Self-Study Subcommittee.
Academic Environments
During their second year, medical, nursing, and pharmacy students will participate in a team-based community engagement project to include planning, implementing, and evaluating a collaborative health related community-based project. This experience includes a requirement for the medical students to develop a reflection paper based on their experiences. Faculty members will review the paper, and provide written feedback to the students as part of the assessment plan.
Students will also be exposed to continuing medical education activities at the clinical affiliates. The clinical affiliates plan to notify medical students of continuing medical education events and will offer opportunities for the medical students to participate at each of the distributed campuses.
17
Education Program DurationThe Self-Study Task Force confirmed that there are 170 weeks of planned instruction in the medical education program, over four years as follows:
Curriculum Year Number of Scheduled Weeks
Year 1 43 Year 2 40 Year 3 44 Year 4 43 Total 170 CURRICULAR CONTENT
Biomedical, Behavioral, Social Sciences
The WSU COM curriculum includes all topic areas from the biomedical, behavioral, and socioeconomic sciences required in the accreditation element. As the curriculum content is uploaded into the curriculum mapping software (one45), the Self-Study Subcommittee recommends that this requirement be revisited to ensure there are no gaps or unplanned redundancies.
Organ Systems/Life Cycle/Primary Care/Prevention/Wellness/Symptoms/ Signs/Differential Diagnosis, Treatment Planning, Impact of Behavioral/Social Factors
The WSU COM curriculum includes all topic areas from Organ Systems/Life Cycle/Primary Care/Prevention/Wellness/Symptoms/ Signs/Differential Diagnosis, Treatment Planning, Impact of Behavioral/Social Factors required in the accreditation element. As the curriculum content is uploaded into the curriculum mapping software (one45), the Self-Study Subcommittee recommends that this requirement also be revisited to ensure there are no gaps or unplanned redundancies.
Scientific Method/Clinical/Translational Research
Formal learning objectives and experiences are included in the independent course on Epidemiology and Biostatistics that specifically cover experimental design, data analysis and interpretation, and appraisal of evidence, including practical exercises. Planning is ongoing to include a thread in each course and clerkship to incorporate these topics across the four year curriculum. Descriptions of experiences include hands-on experiences, particularly in the required research and service learning components, as well as simulated exercises in interprofessional teams, as computer modules, and as paper cases in Team Based Learning (TBL) sessions.
Objectives related to how research is conducted, evaluated, explained to patients, and applied to patient care are covered in the first three courses of the curriculum: Ethics and Professionalism, Public Health, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Communication to patients about opportunities to enroll in clinical studies, along with their potential benefits and risks, is included in the Art and Practice of Medicine course that spans the first two years. Assessment will be through direct observation, written tests and OSCES. As the core clerkships are designed, objectives will include how research is explained to patients and applied to patient care. These experiences will be assessed through narrative feedback. The Self-Study Task Force notes that the coverage of the scientific method is a strength of the medical education program.
Critical Judgment/Problem-Solving Skills
The Self-Study Subcommittee reviewed specific examples provided in the DCI where the teaching and assessment of the skills of critical judgment based on evidence and of medical problem solving were
18
detailed. For example, students weigh evidence, test hypotheses, interpret results, and make rational decisions even in the face of any remaining uncertainty in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics course. In Students are required to describe the range of factors that influence the clinical decision making process and further describe the value of high quality medical information for clinical care. Students are required to demonstrate the ability to select and assess the validity of treatment studies, including: randomization, blinding, baseline group comparability, follow-up and intent to treat. The two-year long Art and Practice of Medicine course includes the core components of medical thinking and reasoning. Students will be assessed through direct observation, narrative examinations, and reflection papers. These areas were determined by the subcommittee to be adequately covered.
Societal Problems
Based on the examples provided by WSU COM, there appear to be appropriate teaching and assessment of the diagnosis, prevention, appropriate reporting, and treatment of the medical consequences of societal problems. In addition to the specific courses included in the DCI, the Self-Study Task Force recommends that the COM integrate the “Cougar Care Coach” (mobile clinic) as a practicum included in its curricular approach to address the societal problems.
Cultural Competence/Health Care Disparities/Personal Bias
The medical education program includes coverage of content that will prepare students for their roles in the communities they serve, and their obligation for outreach to address the underlying causes of health disparities. The curriculum includes components to address social justice issues, and the related social determinants of health, including the negative impact of gender, racial and cultural biases on health education and care delivery. Group discussions, clinical skills sessions, simulations, and current readings on biases are included in the curriculum. Clinical skills sessions and simulations will be used to assess students.
The Art and Practice of Medicine (APM) course includes the subject of implicit bias, with planned modules regarding diversity, gender, and cultural biases. Students will take the Implicit Association tests for gender, race, age, and obesity in privacy, and will then reflect and discuss how implicit biases shape decisions. Students will be prepared to compensate for those biases. Faculty will provide feedback on the collective group’s reflection.
Medical Ethics
Students will be taught medical ethics and human values both didactically and by example in clinical settings. The educational program objectives identify personal attributes required to meet competencies in patient care. These will be assessed by the faculty through direct observation and written exams. Students will have the opportunity to anonymously participate in surveys designed to collect their perceptions of their own ethical behavior, and raise issues on a not-for-attribution basis as a way of surfacing underlying concerns or questions. Any breaches of ethics in patient care are addressed immediately in private, and the student and teacher collaborate in developing a remediation plan with clear and measurable outcomes. Reflection papers may be required as part of the remediation efforts. If the student does not progress in professionalism, he or she is referred to the Medical Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee for review.
Communication Skills
Educational activities and the relevant learning objectives have been included in the curriculum related to communicating with patients and patients’ families, physicians, and with non-physician health
professionals as members of the health care team. The Art of Practice of Medicine course includes requirements for skills development in verbal presentation and communication, written communication, and delivering instructions to patients. Students are required to: construct an actionable and prioritized clinical problem list and explain its function; present an H&P/assessment/problem list in accepted format;
19
communicate effectively with health professionals; and communicate effectively with patients and family. These skills will be assessed through a combination of direct observation, simulations, and written
materials.
Interprofessional Collaborative Skills
The WSU COM medical education program requires an interprofessional experience where medical students will learn in skills labs, simulations, and patient care experiences with students and practitioners from the other health professions. The educational program objectives include:
• All students will acquire knowledge, including values and beliefs, about the roles and responsibilities of health professions different from their own discipline to foster mutual understanding and respect.
• All students will acquire a set of teamwork competencies including knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that will enable them to effectively collaborate with other health professionals for purposes of improving health outcomes for patients and communities.
• Students will apply their IP teamwork competencies in a collaborative health care delivery or community setting.
The DCI includes examples of learning experiences where medical students are brought together with students or practitioners from other health professions to learn to function collaboratively on health care. For example, in year 2 students participate in a team-based community engagement project to include planning, implementing, and evaluating a collaborative health related community based project with the goal of providing coordinated services to patients. Projects will be showcased at an annual "community engagement" event that may include posters, videos, oral presentations, product demonstrations, etc. Assessment and reflection will be in narrative format.
CURRICULAR MANAGEMENT, EVALUATION, AND ENHANCEMENT Curricular Management
The standing committee with integrated institutional responsibility for the curriculum is called the Curriculum Committee. A precursor group is currently operating as an ad hoc Curriculum Committee, until the faculty approve the bylaws and hold formal elections in spring 2016. The Curriculum Committee has four subcommittees: Pre-clerkship, Clerkship, Evaluation and Assessment, and IT/Library.
The Curriculum Committee and its subcommittees meet at least once per month, and more often as the college in in its developmental phases. The committee developed and reviews the educational program objectives. Using the information produced by the curriculum management program (one45) the committee is ensuring that there is horizontal and vertical curriculum integration. Curriculum content is monitored to ensure that it is coordinated and integrated within and across academic years/phases, particularly as faculty members develop the course and clerkship content. The committee, through its subcommittee, will monitor the overall quality and outcomes of individual courses and clerkships using student outcomes and evaluations. The committee plans to monitor the outcomes of the curriculum as a whole using national benchmarks such as residency placements, the AAMC GQ, and post-graduation residency surveys.
The curriculum management structure includes sufficient membership and subcommittees to be effective in the curriculum management process. The members of the committee are elected by the faculty and/or are appointed by the dean in consultation with the chair of the Committee on Committees. Committee membership includes clinicians, scientists, and at least one member from an interprofessional discipline. Student participants will be nominated by the student body, and appointed by the dean.
