|
||||
|
||||
 |
Curriculum Revision Update - February 25, 1999
1. Brief update on Curriculum Leadership Council by Dr. David Katz: "Things are going great." 2. Brief discussion on how best to proceed with the Flexible Elective Program in the revised curriculum. Perhaps the Flexible Program Coordinator could be responsible for keeping the records of dual degree students. Desire to incorporate a number of certificate programs ("half-Master’s") into the curriculum. Desire to get as many flexible electives as possible listed as graduate courses with their departments. This would lead to a more rigorous electives curriculum. 3. Patient-Based Program Coordinator Dr. Jay Wish mentioned the very recent decision to reduce the 14-month required core clerkship third year to 12 months and to increase the current 6-month Type B elective requirement to 8 months. A popular student suggestion found in the AOA position paper: Offer some Type B electives as two-week or four-week electives in the fourth year. The Type B elective sponsors will be asked to designate whether these electives will be offered in a two-week version. 4. Student dilemma surfaced: students carefully plan their Areas of Concentration without anyone’s knowing which courses have been cancelled until the last minute. The problem: The electives catalog includes the AoC descriptions; both the electives offerings and the AoC descriptions get published simultaneously. The AoC coordinators have no time to find out what has been cancelled. 5. Plans are in discussion for offering an electives program at Henry Ford for medical students while they are in Detroit. 6. Discussion of current status of the third year curriculum revision process. Dr. Wish announced the recent decision by the Dean to reduce the third year curriculum from 14 months to 12 months of required clerkships beginning with the third year class in July 1999. This will be achieved by changing both the OB/GYN and Psychiatry clerkships from two months to one and one-half months and by eliminating the one-month Primary Care clerkship requirement. Dr. Nosek and his staff are involved in revamping the software to accommodate these changes so that students can enter their clerkship preferences for the lottery in early April. All third year students will start in July and complete their 12 months of required core clerkships by June in the new system. Students will be able to choose their initial clerkship and one additional clerkship as well as site preferences. Dr. James Carter took strong exception to the "Die is cast" approach to the third year curriculum revision. CWRU has a long history of curriculum design being in the hands of the faculty as represented by its three branches: 1) CME, 2) Faculty Council, and 3) general faculty of the School of Medicine. Dr. Carter was greatly dismayed that such a major change was made without putting it before the faculty. He viewed the results of the Dean’s directive as 1) setting a terrible precedent for change at CWRU, and 2) causing great confusion among the current year two class. Dr. Carter mentioned that he was not only speaking for himself but for Dr. Peter Coggan, Director of Medical Education at Henry Ford. Dr. Susan Carter explained her appearance at today’s CME meeting as representative of two roles: 1) Chair of the Faculty Council, and 2) a concerned faculty member. She distributed two handouts: 1) a selected portion of the Bylaws, The Faculty of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, ratified by the Faculty Senate April 23, 1998, and 2) the charge to the Committee on Medical Education. The Faculty Council’s charge to the CME establishes that the CME exists because of the faculty. A significant number of the faculty have approached Dr. Susan Carter recently about the third year issue to express their concern over setting a highly undesirable precedent for curriculum change. Dr. Susan Carter has already communicated these feelings to Dean Berger, but she has not yet been able to sit down and talk with him due to his absence. In summation, it is the faculty that is charged with oversight of the curriculum. The third year curriculum change has never been presented to the Faculty Council. The proper initial steps consist of 1) The CME presents to the Faculty Council, and 2) The Faculty Council presents to the full faculty. Dr. Susan Carter mentioned her concerns resulting from the third year directive: 1) Setting an undesirable precedent, 2) Student confusion, and 3) Disenfranchisement of the clinical faculty who teach. Discussion followed. Should the CME decide that it approves the third year changes, Faculty Council will put together a proposal to go before the general faculty of medicine. When asked about the sentiments of the clerkship directors, Dr. Wish replied that of three proposals presented, the clerkship directors felt most comfortable with the 12-month model at the clerkship directors’ meeting, which took place one week before the Dean announced his decision. No vote, however, was taken. Dr. Berger’s decision accelerated the implementation timetable. Dr. Wish explained that a decision about the third year was not expected so soon. Dr. Greenfield was supposed to chair a group looking into third year clerkship curriculum revision. Several discussants opposed announcing changes before they are deliberated by an informed faculty. Dr. Headrick mentioned the tremendous impact of the third year decision on the Primary Care Track. The Primary Care Track was under the impression that they had an agreed to and honored commitment with respect to their curriculum. Students had been matched to one of three sites: 1) Henry Ford, 2) University Hospitals/VA, and 3) MetroHealth Medical Center—all arrangements based on the 14-month model. Year two student representative Sarah Dorsey understood the Primary Care Track concerns. However, she did mention that the traditional students thought that the new 12-month core clerkship third year was a good idea. It was presented to them as a decision, not as a proposal. Dr. Greenfield expressed her desire to hear Dean Berger’s viewpoint. Dr. James Carter moved… That the Dean be invited to attend a CME meeting no later than Thursday, March 4, 1999, to discuss the proposal reducing the 14-month core clerkship third year to a 12-month core clerkship third year after a private meeting with the CME chair and the Faculty Council chair. Dr. Mieyal seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously: 8 in favor, 0 against. Dr. LaManna recapped the process in existence:
|
