Abstract
The MD program is in the process of curriculum revision. Initial changes to the third year curriculum were implemented at the start of the 2016-17 academic year. Goals for third year curriculum change included earlier exposure to resident program specialty areas (e.g., anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology) and updating the curriculum to reflect national trends in medical education. Specific revisions include: |1) Shortening the Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Obstetric & Gynecology clerkships from eight to six weeks each |2) Addition of a four-week Neurology clerkship |3) Addition of specialty electives offered in two-week blocks during the Pediatrics, Psychiatry and OB-GYN clerkships (Students choose between a specialty elective within or outside of their clerkship area) |A robust plan of assessment is necessary in order to track the efficacy of the curriculum change and enable efficient response to unforeseen challenges. The assessment plan will focus on two primary comparisons: |Comparison of Clerkship Performance and Satisfaction following revisions. Comparisons will be made between the 2015-16 and the 2016-17 academic years. The following short-term metrics will be compared for each rotation and the entire year: Shelf Exam Performance, Clinical Achievement Score, Clerkship Grade, and student satisfaction survey results. The following metrics will measure longer-term impact and be assessed as students continue to progress through and out of the program: United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 Clinical Knowledge and Step 2 Clinical Skills performance, Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) program director assessment of student performance, students satisfaction metrics via the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Graduate Questionnaire and PGY1 alumni surveys. This comparison will be used to assess whether students' experiences and performances show any changes following the M3 curriculum changes being implemented. The unit of analysis will be individual clerkships. Comparison of Students who opt for elective in Clerkship Area vs. Outside Clerkship Area. Comparisons will be made during the 2016-17 academic year. The following metrics will be compared for each rotation and the entire year: Shelf Exam Performance, Clinical Achievement Score, Clerkship Grade, and student satisfaction survey results. This comparison will be used to assess whether students who elect to stay in a particular clerkships (Pediatrics, OBGYN, or Psychiatry) for an additional two weeks as an elective have a different experience or performance outcome for the clerkship than students who choose to take an elective outside of the clerkship area. The unit of analysis will be individual clerkships. |We expect these comparisons to reveal whether student performance and satisfaction following curriculum change is equal to or better than the 2015-16 academic year. Furthermore, we anticipate that student performance and satisfaction will be comparable regardless of students' choice of elective specialty area. The result of these two primary comparisons will provide insight to medical education leadership and guide future action planning for the MD program. "