Medical Education Committee Minutes

January 15, 2002

I) Dave presented background and defined the issues surrounding the proposal that the Women's Health clerkship (Year 4, office-based) combine with the Ob/Gyn clerkship (Year 3, hospital-based).

a. Dave presented a chart indicating the ratings of DMS students (vs. other DMS clerkships) in the areas of Ob/Gyn and Women's Health:

In summary:

1. Women's Health, as an independent 4-week Year 4 clerkship, did exceedingly well.

2. Ob/Gyn, as an independent 4-week Year 3 clerkship scored fair, but not as well as Women's Health

b. Dave indicated that, with the new schedule, students can have 4 weeks of Ob/Gyn in Year 3 and 4 weeks of Women's Health in Year 4, or one 7-week block in Year 3.

2) Bill Young presented his proposal for combining the Ob/Gyn Clerkship with the Women's Health Clerkship

a. Educational Advantages:

• Integrated knowledge and skills in prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum care and abnormal bleeding, pelvic exam skills, diagnostic imaging, and med/surgery Rx;
• Longitudinal care improvement in prenatal to delivery and pre-op to surgery;
• Increased call-increase amount of time spent on OB.
• Continuity of supervision, teaching, and evaluation for students and faculty.

b. Proposed Schedule:

• 2 weeks of hospital-based gynecologic surgery
• 2 weeks of hospital-based obstetrics
• 3 weeks of clinic-based women's health

c. Proposed Sites:

• 6 sites for Ob/Gyn Clerkship with a minimum of 13 students per 8-week cycle, and a maximum of 14 students.
• 10 (possibly 11) community sites for Women's Health Clerkship (for the single transition year)
• Selected premium sites will be retained for the ambulatory portion of the new clerkship.

d. Maintaining USMLE Gains:

• Structured individualized teaching will be maintained in the forms of mentor teams and weekly internet critiqued cases;
• Opportunities for self-learning will be presented in the forms of a Women's health CD-ROM and selected video and PowerPoint tutorials.

e. Flexibility for Year 3:

• Students would lose some flexibility in shifting 4 week elective into Year 3;
• Students would maintain the option to postpone Peds, Psych, Family Medicine, or Ob/Gyn clerkship to Year 4.

f. Flexibility and Electives:

• Combined clerkships will strengthen educational gains of integrated knowledge and skills, evaluation, career decision making, etc.;
• Options to complete one 8-week or two 4-week electives preserve flexibility.

g. Conclusion:

• The ideal time to begin a combined clerkship program is in AY 2002-2003 since the numbers are lower and new clerkship sites have been established.
• The Dept of Ob/Gyn is prepared to invest personnel resources to implement the new structure, i.e., faculty time, administrative support, curriculum development, etc.

3) Eric Shirley provided a breakdown of clerkships and distribution of students in context of the proposed Year 3 changes.

** = 3 student from Year 4, plus 9 students from Year 3

4) Dave called for a vote to accept the 7-week combined Ob/Gyn/Women's Health Clerkship as presented by Bill Young

5) Dave distributed a draft of a letter composed by himself, Steve McAllister, and Steve Andrews to DMS students concerning recommended and required computers.

6) Eric Shirley presented a tentative schedule of Dartmouth Days (DD) and suggestions for planning

Dartmouth Days
New Year 3

Possible ways to reduce the number of hours in Dartmouth Days to capacity of 78-

Agenda for next MEC meeting on February 19, 2002 in 758W Borwell:

Presentation and discussion of the AAMC Survey results.