Medical Education Committee Minutes

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

To:

Members of Medical Education Committee

From:

David W. Nierenberg

Subject:

Minutes - Meeting held Tues., Oct. 21, 2003 - 4:00 to 5:30 pm Aud. C

Members Present:

Alexander Amby, Steve Andrews, James AuBuchon, Jim Bell, Jamie Bessich, Stephanie Black, Todd Burdette, Duane Compton, Leslie Fall, Si France, John Hwa, Don Kollisch, Petra Lewis, Gene Nattie, Dave Nierenberg, Roshini Pinto-Powell, Virginia Reed, and Carolyn Taylor-Olson = 18

Members Absent:

Patty Carney, Bill Garrity, Dale Gephart, Ryan Knapp, Will Nugent, Kirsten Redborg, and Eric Shirley = 7

Guests:

Kalindi Treitley, Lori Alvord = 2

Scheduled Meetings:

Sept. 16

Oct. 21

Nov. 18

Jan. 20

Feb. 17

Mar. 16

Apr. 13

May 18

Aud. E

Aud. C

758 W Borwell

758 W Borwell

758 W Borwell

758 W Borwell

758 W Borwell

758 W Borwell

I. Introduction by David Nierenberg, Associate Dean for Medical Education.

Dave asked attending members to introduce themselves and presented the agenda.

II. Anticipated LCME Site Visit

Dave Nierenberg reported that the next LCME site visit for certification would take place in approximately 18 months and that committees are already forming to address related issues. There are five task forces that will convene in the near future:

  • 1. UME Curriculum
  • 2. Student life
  • 3. Departments/Instructor Morale
  • 4. Finances
  • 5. Inter-institutional Relationships

Dave urged students and course and clerkship directors to join one of these tasks forces if possible. He also mentioned that there may be fewer scheduled MEC meetings because of the time involved in preparing for the site visit.

III. Report of D-MEDS Project

  • 1. Implementation Schedule
    • a. Dave Nierenberg reported that the D-MED program is about 98% completed, and a summary will presented to the Board of Overseers meeting on Monday.
    • b. Students in all four years will be able to access the program in Nov. and Dec. for a "shake-down" and debugging period.
    • c. Three clerkships will implement the system in January 2004 and other clerkships will be added gradually.
  • 2. Student Feedback
    • a. Dave also reported that he met with 3rd year students during the ICE course and they stressed that there were some concerns about the "threshold" for completing an encounter form; and
    • b. Students also suggested that the D-MED system be used to record declined student encounters.
  • 3. Effect on Residencies
    • D-MED could also potentially facilitate tracking the progress of students in the six competencies which will be required of residents in 5 years.

IV. Six Competencies Initiative

  • 1. Course Reports Completed
    • Dave handed out results of 29 completed Competency Surveys from course and clerkship directors and stated that there are still 7 that have not been received and 4 that are incomplete. Copies of the completed surveys will be sent via Hinman mail to absent members.
  • 2. Non-Compliance
    • Dave requested suggestions for getting surveys back from those who haven't returned completed forms. Some of the suggestions are as follows:
      • a. A letter explaining why the surveys are important and mandating compliance;
      • b. Include year specific examples with the surveys.
  • 3. Further Actions
    • Dave will compose and send a letter and he asked that all members look over the results for discussion in future meetings.

V. Discussion of Honor Code

Statement on Exam
Dave presented an overhead that illustrated the following statement recently printed on the cover of the 2nd year exams and opened the floor to discussion on how, when, and whether to expand this practice to other years:

"AS A PHYSICIAN IN TRAINING, I RENEW MY PLEDGE TO SUPPORT THE DMS HONOR CODE. ON THIS EXAM, I NEITHER GAVE NOR RECEIVED UNAUTHORIZED ASSISTANCE. IF I AM AWARE OF ANY VIOLATION OF THE DMS HONOR CODE BY ANY INDIVIDUAL, I WILL FOLLOW THE PROCEDURES FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS TO REPORT SUSPECTED INFRACTIONS OF THE HONOR CODE."

SIGNED:__________________________________

Procedures for Medical Students to Report Suspected Infractions of the Honor Code

As medical students, we are responsible for upholding our integrity and that of our future profession. With the support of the faculty, we are committed to fostering this atmosphere of professionalism and trust. If a student believes that an infraction of the honor code has occurred, he or she must take the following steps:

  • 1) He or she should confront the individual(s) to determine whether a breach of the Honor Code has occurred. If he or she is satisfied that no act of dishonesty occurred, the matter can be laid to rest.
  • 2) If the student member chooses not to confront the individual(s), or is not satisfied with the result, he or she must contact a member of the Student Government or Thomas Kesman, the Honor Committee Chair, to request an Honor Committee meeting. The case will not be discussed with other members of Student Government.
  • 3) If a student feels more comfortable doing so, he or she may contact a member of Committee on Student Performance and Conduct (CSPC), or its Chair, Dr. William Hickey.
  • 4) Failure to make a report to one of these committees, when indicated, represents a breach of the Honor Code.

If a student has any questions, he or she may consult Thomas Kesman, the Honor Committee Chair, about the process of reporting and following procedure.

Thomas Kesman, DMS-III
Honor Committee Chair
Thomas.J.Kesman@Dartmouth.edu
603-650-5000 Beeper 9213

William Hickey, M.D
Chair, Committee on Student Performance and Conduct
William.Hickey@Dartmouth.edu
603-650-1751

Dave said that he would deal with Years 1 and 2, but further discussion would be needed for Years 3 and 4. Consensus seemed to be to do the following:

  • 1. Honor Code Committee present it to Year 1 students;
  • 2. Continue current process during Year 2;
  • 3. Expand process next year - at beginning of year - to Years 1, 2, and 3, in same fashion - with appropriate discussion and notice;
  • 4. Work to gradually build spirit of professionalism and respect for the Hornor Code at DMS; and
  • 5. Discuss related issues during Year 1 orientation next year.

VI. Agenda for next MEC meeting on November 18, 2003 758W Borwell, 4 pm:

LCME and MEC

Dartmouth Medical School
Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education
Hinman 7005
306D Remsen
Hanover, NH 03755-3847

Telephone 603-650-7679
Facsimile 603-650-6841

David.Nierenberg@Dartmouth.edu

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