LCME - Almost to the finish line ...

After 30+ months of intensive preparations, our accreditation Self-Study culminated in a virtual Site Visit conducted from July 15-16. Feedback from participants, including the LCME Survey Team was overwhelmingly positive regarding the preparation efforts and Site Visit Logistics. A special thanks to Ali Niesen and Tami Brown for their extraordinary efforts in handling these components of the process! 

Post-Visit, the medical school received an initial Exit Report. This report contains a summary of the key findings by the Survey Team based on our Self-Study materials and performance during the Site Visit. Overall, these findings were areas the medical school had already identified as areas of weakness during the Self-Study and has already resolved them or is in the process of addressing them. The Exit Report provides initial insight into our likely accreditation outcomes on specific Elements. However, an official Survey Report, which we expect to receive by early September, will provide details on the Survey Teams' findings and their recommended outcomes for each Element (whether Satisfactory, Satisfactory with a Need for Monitoring, or Unsatisfactory). After an opportunity for the medical school to respond to the findings, the LCME will vote on our official accreditation outcome and specific citations at their fall meeting, October 13-5, 2020. The medical school will be notified through official channels subsequent to this meeting.

A huge thank you must go out to everyone who has gone above and beyond over the past two and half years to get us where we are. This process could not have happened without the commitment of so many faculty, students, and especially staff who contributed to the accreditation process including, in some cases, implementing entirely new programs or services when issues were identified.

For more information and updates about the LCME and our continued work on accreditation, visit our LCME webpage at: https://med.umn.edu/education-training/lcme  [submitted by Joe Oppedisano]

Of Special Note/Interest ...

From one of our students:

Hi everyone,

Are you looking for a socially-distanced, fun way to give back to our community?

The Gold Humanism Honor Society is hosting a fundraiser to build art kits for the Free Art program.  Free Arts sends art kits and volunteers to underserved youth in the Twin Cities, focusing especially on reaching those who are affected by poverty, homelessness, and/or mental health challenges.  Each art kit costs $5, and we have a goal of raising $500 to supply 100 art kits to this wonderful program.  The fundraiser runs until October 1st. We would greatly appreciate monetary donations (venmo to @Janie-Goodson) or donations of any art supplies that you may have (adult coloring books, painting supplies, markers, etc.). Click on this link for more information!  Please reach out to me at oxnar002@umn.edu with any questions or if you wish to donate art supplies.

Access Keys: For those that may need to come to campus occasionally for an event or project, and need a master key or the key to B620, please contact Marianne Watters.

OME Mail:  Please remember to designate someone from your program to pick up mail at least once every two weeks - if not more.

UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION

Assessment and Evaluation

UMMS leaders (Drs. Rosenberg, Englander, and Violato), along with those from other medical schools, petitioned the NBME to address the backlog and cancellations caused by the closure of Prometric testing centers last spring due to the Coronavirus pandemic; specifically, to allow schools to administer the exams.

We were pleased to be selected as a local testing site for Step 1 and Step 2 CK, and for the first time in over 20 years students were able to take their USMLE Step exams on campus. Over four dates in July, August, and September many staff members spent the day with 117 of our students, and got an inkling for how grueling full-day exams really are - and we didn't even have to worry about medical knowledge!

The proctors who worked 12-hour days were the real heroes, but all the deans and over 30 staff assisted in everything from setting up recording equipment and checking for contraband to removing labels from water bottles (yes, that's an NBME requirement). The students were good sports about adhering to the very detailed instructions we received from the NBME, and they overwhelmingly expressed gratitude for the opportunity to test in a familiar environment and to put one more step in their medical training behind them. [Submitted by Cynthia Johnson]

Curriculum

The UME curriculum continues to be a dynamic effort resulting from tremendous contributions by staff across all our offices. Students continue to be engaged in a true co-creation as we work to adapt in real time. We are adapting to this viral pandemic and the urgent need to train and develop graduates competent in anti-racism and ready to address and dismantle white supremacy. We are so grateful to have the partnership of our affiliates and clinical partners who have allowed students to return to the in-person clinical training environments, the 4th year students at the end of June and the 3rd year students at the end of August. We have also adapted the year 1/2 curriculum to be predominantly online through consistent effort by faculty, staff, and students. We continue to improve and learn from this work and are optimistic about what is possible in the online environment. It is challenging and rewarding work and we are so proud of everyone for their patience, dedication, and open heartedness as we address these challenges together. [submitted by Betsy Murray]

Student Affairs

Orientation - virtual style...  “The MS1 class completed Orientation August 14-21, and finished the week with the Recognition Ceremony for the Incoming Class (watch the video here).  Special thanks to James Cooper, Scott Davenport, Scott Slattery, Maryanne Reilly-Spong, Kelaine Haas, Mary Tate, Jamie Larson, Sara Roberts, Esther Dale, Michael Kim, and medical students Lensa Ali and Amy Parkinson for your hard work and help in coordinating a virtual Orientation” [Submitted by Rachel Rudeen]. 

All moved in, but nobody’s home!  The Student Affairs team - or more accurately the contents of their 6th floor offices - have moved on up to Mayo 14th floor.  The move was to take place early this spring- were to meet with the moving vendors a week after the shutdown in March.  Plans for the move  did continue but  progressed at a much slower rate - due to stay at home orders. Once permission was granted to go onsite (via “exceptions”) a new move in date confirm a move-in date.  With careful planning, the team started packing office belongings  in mid June and finished unpacking in the first part of July.  It looks amazing up there and they are very excited for the day they can occupy the new offices!

Graduate Medical Education

See what's happening in the GME world - check out the GME Connection.

Farewell...

Brinsley Davis left the RPAP program in March after 4 ½ years to pursue an opportunity at the Masonic Cancer Center. There was a virtual (Zoom) farewell for her (our first) at the end of March.  She will be missed!

Assistant Dean, Anne Pereira, left us in June to start her fellowship in palliative care. She was our Dean of Curriculum for almost six years and did some incredible things with the curriculum team during that time.  There was a heartwarming (with some tears) farewell for her prior to leaving OME.

In August, after almost 3 years on our Admission team, Serena Jones-White took a position in the Department of Surgery as a General Surgery Residency Coordinator. We wish her well in her new role!

As with the rest of us, the student intern pool has gone virtual.   They were wonderful over the summer working on many projects as staff faced the many challenges of adapting to a virtual work  and classroom environment.  We have a very professional, skilled  and resourceful pool of student interns.  Each one of them are trained to be a chief proctor and have been helping with shelf exams (virtually) and the recent onsite STEP exams.  Most have worked in Canvas and MedIS. A few of them helped the Office of Faculty Affairs this summer as well,  converting faculty CVs which required attention to detail.  Please check out just a few of the other projects they worked on this summer-  or are currently working on:

Liz Schwartz - “I have been helping out the Course Management [Team] with an ongoing project involving entering course objectives from Canvas into MedHub [for mapping]. This project primarily focuses on data entry from one site to another; however it also involves paying close attention to the details of each course and its corresponding objectives to make sure that it is transferred accurately. I have had to learn how to use MedHub and how the different functions work in a timely manner so that I could begin on the project immediately. Given that this project has involved working from multiple sites all at once I have had to make sure that I am organized and cautious about what I am doing so that the work is done correctly.” 

Sarah Fochs -“My technical skills include creating and updating MySQL databases, HTML, CSS, and integrating new software. Over the summer I have utilized HTML and CSS when designing a Qualtrics case study for MS2. I have also helped develop a Trello board calendar to view important dates and deadlines for team workflow. I also enjoy exploring new forms of technology use for educational purposes, such as rendering a 3D object this past summer. I am familiar with Java, Python, C++, and other computer languages, and look forward to applying these skills to new projects. I also enjoy creative design work, which has been useful when designing how-to guides and other documents.”

Gowshika Kalamanathan - “Over the summer, I worked with the Student Affairs team to help MS1 and MS2 students prepare for their STEP exams. This project enabled me to broaden my skills, so that I can adapt to unprecedented and ever changing times. I learned and applied many skills, such as Canvas course management, usage and organization of multiple data sheets, grade submissions, continuous student assistance, efficient communication, and much more. With my help, the Student Affairs team was able to ensure the readiness of their students for such an important exam. Although this project has taught me many skills, I will continue to learn and adapt for any projects that come my way.”

Josie Melloy - This summer, Josie did some research for the Student Affairs team that was highly confidential  - as it related to COSSS demographics, specific cases, and results for the past four years. She used multiple databases and  organized the work on spreadsheets in order to do this project. Her attention to detail and organization skills were critical for this project. 

Maria Zbarouskaya  -  The steady project that she worked on this summer was working with affiliation agreements in GME. “With the training from GME staff Monica Petrov I was able to learn the process GME has in place to create program level agreements and execute them through that process. This process requires skills of data entry, learning the Front email base system, basic knowledge of RMS database, communication with UMN Programs and affiliates, attention to detail, and organization.”

Sanna Rizvi - “This summer I was able to work with the Graduate Medical Education Office and help them build the GME Orientation website. Not only was I adding multiple resources, I was making aesthetic and organizational changes to create a user-friendly experience. The information on the website was directed towards residents and provided them with multiple resources; I learned how to track information and conduct audits efficiently through this. I was also given the opportunity to work with the Mortuary Science department, I assisted with inputting dates, quizzes, and other information for many of the Mort Sci courses on Canvas. While working on the project, I was able to improve my data entry skills. I started practicing ways to input data efficiently and quickly without any errors. Working on these projects during this summer, I developed my technological and organizational skills.” 

The interns will be working remotely, but there are a few that are able to come to campus on occasion to help with onsite events/projects.  If and when you are interested in requesting assistance for short-term or long-term projects or for onsite events/projects please complete the “Request for Remote Work” form (please do not use the old form). There is a place on the form to request onsite help.  Please contact Marianne Watters if you want a student to work a designated number of hours/week in your program.

 Change, Change, Change

It might be easier to note what hasn’t changed since March when we found ourselves having to adjust quickly as we transitioned to a virtual work environment.  Our living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms became our new office. "Work life balance" took on a new meaning as many had to balance their work with helping home school their children and/or becoming the primary care giver for preschool age children.   Many shared their "office space" with their significant others and with older children, and we soon found out what our bandwidth was on our home WiFi - or for some just what "bandwidth" means.   Many started to feel as if the were "homing at work"  instead of "working at home."   

We've had to be creative and innovative both at home and at work to find balance and to find joy.  Even though we have not been able to gather at the coffee bar for welcome donuts or walk to Starbucks with a co-worker for a much needed break, there are still fun ways to connect. This section will be used to share your creative ideas and activities as we continue through this "unprecedented" time.  What have you done to keep up the morale on your team?  What are some fun things that you have done this summer that you have never done before - planted a garden? Started baking - maybe sourdough bread?  Please consider sharing your ideas in the next issue.

Remotely Good Recipes

The first entry is from Marianne Watters and the Administrative Admin team.  Early on - during the Governors' stay-at-home order, there were many of us that found our talents in the kitchen.  We started a team recipe book with "Remotely Good Recipes"  that we'd like to share with the greater OME team and maybe some day, put this in print!  Please share 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.

KUDOS KORNER WILL RETURN IN THE NEXT EDITION OF THE PULSE