Human Resources Update

Reminder!

The annual review process needs to be complete by April 23rd.  Employees: if you haven't already, please complete your portion of the review to ensure your manager can meet that deadline. Employees can access PAT here.

Did You Know?

As University employees we have access to a number of discounts, including discounts on pet insurance, software and hardware at the bookstore, and a number of professional services through MERSC.  Visit the U Perks page to learn more and start taking advantage of these offers!

REMINDERS:

Access Keys: Contact Marianne Watters if you are planning to work onsite and need a general access key or key to B620

OME Mail:  Mail for your program needs to be picked up at least once every two weeks - if not more.

In Our Programs....

Admissions

Admissions had a huge influx of applications this year, and the admissions team worked very hard to review applications and create a seamless transition in a virtual setting.  In the past few weeks, the Admissions team sent the last of the offers to prospective students. This was the last batch of acceptances prior to the April 30 deadline when all students must decide on the medical school they want to attend.   

Continuing Professional Development

The Office of Continuing Professional Development (OCPD) is excited to introduce its new CloudCME™ CE Portal. This CE Portal provides a one-stop-shop for CE course planners and learners. Learners can do everything needed for a CE course, from registering to accessing their Certificates of Participation. Those who attend Grand Rounds can simply send a text to record their attendance and access their credits for Grand Rounds sessions. The CE Portal provides course planners, along with OCPD staff, the ability to host course webpages, collect information from faculty, publish the agenda and provide learner resources. Those with an account can also upload and store other certificates of attendance or professional development records. Create your account today!

Graduate Medical Education

GME Central Orientation is right around the corner. We are excited to meet all the incoming trainees this year and appreciate all the hard work that our programs have done to get them here. All sessions will be virtual (via Zoom)

Orientation for New Residents/Fellows, Main Sessions June 17, and  July 1, 2021,

8:00 am Welcome 

8:05 am Diversity and Inclusion 

9:05 am Implicit Bias & Mistreatment 

9:50 am Health & Wellness

Break 

10:45 am Pain Management 

11:15 am Safety Always Team 

11:30 am Benefits Breakout Rooms 

12:00 pm Thank You & Adjourn 

Abbreviated Orientation Sessions for New Residents/Fellows July 7,  and August 4

8:00 am Welcome 

8:05 am Housekeeping/Resources 

8:20 am Diversity and Inclusion 

9:20 am Benefits 

9:50 am Thank You & Adjourn 

Undergraduate Medical Education

Assessment & Evaluation

Assessment & Coaching Expert (ACE) Program has begun! - We are happy to announce the ACE Program, designed to ensure our graduates are prepared to do the essential tasks (entrustable professional activities) at entrance to residency with indirect supervision. We have welcomed 12 pioneering ACE participants from among the faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical Center (Evan McKay and Kay Lane), Masonic Children’s Hospital (Rachel Poeppelman), The Children’s Hospitals of Minnesota (Tracey McGuinn), Hennepin Healthcare (Anne Pereira and Ife Ojo), Health Partners (Jessie Nelson and Colin Turner), and the Veterans Administration Hospital of Minneapolis (Michael DeGroot and Jim Wallace)!  We are also lucky to have Rosa Marroquin leading the efforts for our Family Medicine and Community Health preceptors, and Kelsey Gelhaus, an RPAP grad herself, leading the efforts in RPAP.

Our ACEs have taken part in training sessions in February and continuing through March.  Their roles going forward will be: 1) to oversee the assessment of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in the clinical learning environments, 2) to provide direct observational assessments with feedback and coaching on the EPAs to students in the core clerkships, 3) to train residents and faculty in EPA assessment, and 4) to chair a Clinical Competency Committee (CCC) designed to mark students’ progress in the EPAs over the course of their clinical clerkships. 

Our goal is to have every graduate entrusted to perform the 13 Core EPAs for Entering Residency under indirect supervision on Day 1 of residency.  We are excited to have this program come to fruition and anticipate wonderful results as we continue our efforts to optimize assessment in the clinical setting!

Institutional Assessments - Now Coming Summer 2021!  -M Simulation announced that they are able to return to in-person simulations starting in April. This means that the Institutional Assessments (Year 2 OSCE and Clinical Competency Assessment or CCA) that were postponed from the Spring 2020 term will go forward this summer starting in May. Dr. Claudio Violato received a Dean's Commitment Grant to expand the Year 2 OSCE from three to eight stations, and the CCA from six to twelve stations last year. His staff, led by Dr. Esther Dale, worked on developing new cases for both assessments, explored the use of Artificial Intelligence in scoring student responses (differential diagnoses in the Year 2 OSCE and SOAP notes in the CCA), and coordinated with the Office of Student Affairs and Dr. Kevin Diebel's team to bring the MS2s from Duluth to the Twin Cities to participate in the Year 2 OSCE for the first time. Unfortunately, both assessments had to be cancelled just weeks before they were scheduled to begin due to the pandemic. 

Year 2 OSCE will be offered to students from both campuses starting mid-May to early June.  It will be optional this year due to the late notice students received and the timing of the assessment. The CCA will take place in August, and is required all MS3s who plan to graduate in 2022. Please watch for a more detailed email announcement to staff. Students will receive more information via Canvas.

RPAP/MetroPAP

Save the Date! The annual Community Health poster session featuring the RPAP/MetroPAP students will be held virtually on June 25th between 10-12:00pm.  Students will share video presentations of their posters highlighting the community work they have engaged in over the  past 9 months across the state, as well as their creativity in adjusting these community-focused projects in the face of COVID-19.

Posters will be available on June 23 for comments and questions, and guests can interact virtually with RPAP and MetroPAP students on Flipgrid on June 25 between 10am-12pm.

*Links to the virtual poster website will be sent out by June 23* 

Student Affairs

Poster abstract for "Careers in Medicine and COVID-19: Effective Student Engagement Strategies" was accepted for inclusion in the 2021 GSA/OSR program this April. The poster and data will be presented by Maija Braaten on April 14th.  Thank you to everyone for collaboration and support that has led to these results! 

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 for an Outstanding Match! - Congratulations to the Class of 2021 for an Outstanding Match!! This year's match cycle was unlike any other, including all virtual interviews and a changed match schedule. The students did an amazing job managing it all!  The Match rate was 97.6% with 241 students to begin their residencies this summer.  53% of our students matched into Primary Care and 47.3% are staying in Minnesota. The complete list and statistical information can be found here. 

Of course they do not do it alone - this is a team effort.  A huge thank you to all the work and guidance provided by our amazing OME staff, faculty advisors, and numerous specialty experts and mentors who all optimize the motto "I care if you succeed".  

Important upcoming events -

Commencement is Friday, May 7.    Students will be able to participate in a live ceremony and due to the capacity restrictions, family and friends will view the ceremony virtually - streamed live on YouTube. 

Grab a cup of coffee/tea/hot cocoa (and maybe a donut) and join us on the first Thursday of the month in welcoming new staff at the "Virtual Coffee Break-Welcome New Faces!" zoom event.  An invite was sent to all staff for this reoccurring  event. We will be welcoming the following new staff on May 6 at 10:45.   See you then!

This summer, we will have five interns working remotely - Josie Meloy, Niloo Sohi, Aiyana Basa, Ashton Posey and Stacy Carter (starting in mid April). Attiyah Bethel, Abbie Schwartz, and Zixin Chen will all be doing internships elsewhere, but will return to us in the fall.   Three of our interns will be graduating in May - see farewell announcement below.

If and when you are interested in requesting assistance for short-term or long-term projects or for onsite events/projects over the summer, please complete the “Request for Remote Work” form . 

Virtual Coffee Bar/Water Cooler Chats

Running for a Cause...

Addy [Irvine] did it again!  She signed up for another 5K. (Why do I keep doing this to myself?) If ya'll want to join me in running in July for a good cause, registration is open for the Laughing at My Nightmare Virtual 5K (https://www.laughingatmynightmare.com/5k).

Laughing at My Nightmare is a non-profit organization that was started by Shane Burcaw who is from Minneapolis and has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The organization provides education to kids about disability as well as funding to those with muscular dystrophy for medical equipment. Your fee to sign up for the 5K includes a donation to LAMN. Shane and his wife also have a popular Youtube channel where they talk about their life that you can check out here. 

"Reading is Dreaming with Open Eyes." - Anissa Trisdianty  

Recently many OME staff submitted  must read book titles that is worth sharing with all OME staff.  Take a peek and feel free to add to this Must Read Book List

One of the  many recommended reads was submitted by Addy Irvine - a book titled "The Song Poet" by Kao Kalia Yang.  Synopsis: Kao Kalia Yang retells the life of her father, Bee Yang, the song poet―a Hmong refugee in Minnesota, driven from the mountains of Laos by America’s Secret War. Bee sings the life of his people through the war-torn jungle and a Thai refugee camp. The songs fall away in the cold, bitter world of a St. Paul housing project and on the factory floor, until, with the death of Bee’s mother, they leave him for good. But before they do, Bee, with his poetry, has burnished a life of poverty for his children, polishing their grim reality so that they might shine. 

Looking for Summer Recipes...

It soon will be time for outdoor graduation open houses, barbeques and picnics!  Please share some of your favorite picnic/outdoor party recipes and tips for the grill in the OME staff Remotely Good Recipes. Add your favorite recipe by copying one of the slide templates and adding your recipe to the copied slide - with a picture of the finished project if possible (or send it to Marianne). The new summer recipes will be highlighted in the May/June newsletter.

The Staff Advancing Diversity & Inclusion (SADI) Committee invites you to join our email communication list. Please fill out this FORM if you wish to be added to the SADI email list. You will receive direct communication and information regarding upcoming Lunch & Learns, events, professional development opportunities, workshops and more!  You may unsubscribe at any time by emailing sadi@umn.edu. 

• "Kudos to Abbe [Holmgren] and Luke [Feuling Porter] for all of their incredible work over the last few months to advise students in the 2nd and 3rd years to prepare them for scheduling. The timeline for both classes was nearly identical this year, and despite the heavy workload they did an incredible job. Their students are so lucky to have them as advisors! Special kudos to them for keeping me sane too throughout all of this. I am incredibly thankful for this team." [Addy Irvine]

• "Major kudos to Corey Schultz for jumping into the deep end and immediately learning to swim in the responsibilities of her new role as Assistant Registrar. Corey, I'm so proud and impressed with your first few weeks and I'm so grateful to have you on my team." [Jennifer Neufeld]

• Kudos to.."Maija Braaten - Amazing work on another successful match. Your guidance helped the students steer uncharted waters in a very unique match year. I appreciate it and I know the students do as well " [Scott Davenport]

•  Kudos..."Our amazing team of Academic Advisors (Abbe, Addy, Luke) for your tireless efforts in advising and helping students in every aspect of their med school careers. These past months have been busy and ever changing, but through it all the students had your support and guidance. Thank you " [Scott Davenport] 

• "Thank you Rachel Rudeen for organizing a wonderful Match Day. The amount of moving parts that go into this event are mesmerizing, but you handled and organized it all. Plus you were an amazing MC for the event. Thank you!! " [Scott Davenport] 

• "Thank you to Scott Davenport, the Academic Advisors, Michael Kim, Scott Slattery, and Maryanne Reilly-Spong for all of their great work during SOAP/Match week. Also, huge kudos to Rachel Rudeen for doing an incredible job as MC and for all of her hard work to make Match Day a great event!! " [Maija Braaten] 

• Kudos to..."The entire Admissions team "  [Gowshika Kamalanathan - intern]

• "A huge 'Thank you' to Tami Brown for sticking around to train Hailey and help her transition into her new role.  I will miss you!"  [Marianne Watters]

• "Kudos to all of the administrative interns for the incredible work you have done assisting our programs during this past( and very challenging) year!  We are truly fortunate to have such amazing and talented students working with us!"  [Marianne Watters]