Curriculum Revision Update - March 25, 1999

1. Dr. David Katz, chair of the Curriculum Leadership Council, provided an update on the year one and two curriculum revision. Since the medical education retreat at Landerhaven, the Council has held two regular meetings and a daylong retreat. Through the collaborative efforts of the subject committee chairs, some department chairs, and CPDP and Clinical Sciences Directors, and with the assistance of Dr. Tom Nosek and Dr. Christie Zakariasen, Education Specialist, the Year One curriculum is essentially complete. With the start date of August 1999 in mind, the Council has until this point concentrated on addressing the problems in coordination, integration, and delivery of the curriculum. The Council will now focus on issues comprising the learning environment which influence the quality of the curriculum that we are delivering.

Dr. Katz’s "Progress Report: Coordination and Integration" included the following topics:

• The New Curriculum
• Vertical Themes under Construction
• Overview of the Year One Curriculum
• Tentative Outline of the Year Two Curriculum
• Timetable
• Improving Faculty Effectiveness and Raising the Intellectual Level of the Learning Process

To view a copy of Dr. Katz’s progress report, click on the PowerPoint file (available soon).

2. Dr. Smith provided a brief update on the third year/Faculty Council issue. At the March 4 meeting of the CME, it was decided that 1) the 12-month core clerkship third year would begin in the year 2000, and 2) the 13-month transitional year would begin in July 1999. Dr. Susan Carter, Faculty Council Chair, has been working with her members. Dr. Greenfield will help lead the clerkship year development effort.

3. Dr. Wish provided an update on the 13-month transitional third year. It was presented to the year two class on March 23. Software will be in place so that students can register for the lottery the week of April 5. There will be a four-month Family Medicine/Medicine block, where students will rotate one month in Family Medicine. Two months will be spent in each of the following clerkships: OB/GYN, Surgery, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics. The one-month Neurosciences clerkship, which is usually taken during the fourth year, can be taken during the third year by postponing the OB/GYN clerkship. Logistical accommodations can also be made for students who need to fit in their military commitment or take vacation time in the third year. There will be an overlap of finishing and starting students taking OB/GYN and Psychiatry clerkships in July 1999. Dr. Wish is currently working with the individual departments to identify more clerkship slots. Since Mt. Sinai has recently dropped out as a teaching affiliate, there are noticeably fewer clerkship slots. Henry Ford has increased its capacity from three to four students per rotation per time period. Henry Ford will offer all clerkships, including Medicine, in 1999-2000. Dr. Resnick, who has offered surgical slots in Urology, urged investigating other surgical subspecialty departments to come up with more surgical clerkship slots. Dr. Wish predicted that openings will be tight for OB/GYN, Surgery, and Pediatrics.

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