WELCOME
On behalf of Richard S. Baker, M.D., Vice Dean of Medical Education, we would like to welcome you to the third volume of the "You Said, We Did" (YSWD) Newsletter. As a Continuous Quality Improvement organization, the Wayne State University School of Medicine has directly utilized feedback from many of our stakeholders, including students, to make significant changes the last several years. The purpose of the newsletter is to highlight these changes and to celebrate your involvement in these accomplishments. As you prepare to graduate and leave the Wayne State University School of Medicine, we want to let you know that you are leaving the institution in better shape than when you joined it. One of the goals of this YSWD campaign is to let students know that we value their input and are continually incorporating it into our ongoing and new initiatives.
This week's edition: Career Advising Summary
I am so proud of this class and what they have accomplished. They have truly overcome adversity and demonstrated the utmost professionalism. We have had a very robust career advising presence with this class. ~Sarkis Kouyoumjian, M.D.
Starting in December 2019, we held a session to introduce students to the Electronic Residency Application Service, or ERAS. Approximately 50 students participated in this event. In January 2020, we had several career advising dinners featuring a diverse range of specialties, including Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Anesthesiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medicine-Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to name a few. These pre-pandemic events were held in person and well-attended. Faculty advisors, program directors, residents and members of the Class of 2020 helped to answer many practical career questions. Students attended as many sessions as they liked to explore career choices. In addition, guidance was given regarding Year 4 schedules. Counselors and the Office of Student Affairs staff were also there to lend support.
Unfortunately, rotations were disrupted due to COVID 19. Assistant Dean of Clinical Education Christopher Steffes, M.D., and the clerkship directors worked quickly to develop virtual electives. This had two effects. Students could stay enrolled and continue their coursework, allowing them to pursue Year 4 electives and Sub-Is when clinical activities resumed. It also allowed students to stay enrolled and continue qualifying for financial aid.
We quickly migrated to virtual meetings via Zoom for all official School of Medicine meetings and didactics. This posed a particular problem for events like ERAS orientation meetings and mock interviews. Thanks to the Student Affairs team, specifically Nicole Collier and Tracey Eady, we pivoted and held these meetings virtually. We scheduled MSPE meetings individually with each student via Zoom in the summer. Drs. MargitChadwell, Christopher Steffes, Chih Chuang, Eric Ayers, Eva Waineo and I met with students to review their MSPE letter with them.
In September 2020 we started to focus on preparing for the 2020-21 residency application cycle. That month, we held another ERAS orientation, this time via Zoom. We discussed the CV, personal statement and other application components. In September and October we hosted virtual mock interviews for the first time. Break out rooms in Zoom were utilized to link students and faculty for the opportunity of one-on-one interviews. We are thankful to the WSU IT team for their support and coordination for this event. The students were provided the usual materials for interviews, including common questions, interview pearls and common pitfalls to avoid, as well as best practices for video interviewing. The faculty was provided training as well as a rubric to provide feedback to students regarding their interview. The mock interviews were widely popular and more than 150 students participated.
The students then completed their applications and started the process of interviewing for residency. In December 2020 we held another ERAS meeting and an optional question-and-answer session.
In January 2021, we held a Rank Order List meeting, describing the Match process and discussing how to prioritize programs to submit the best possible Rank Order List. Then, the countdown was on until students certified. Dr. Chadwell diligently sent out reminders to the class to submit their Rank Order List and to certify.
Finally, Match Day 2021 was held on March 19. We had a very successful Match this year, with 280 students who participated. We had an initial match rate of 93%, then attained a 99% match rate after the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program process. That is the highest match rate we have ever attained. The national average after the SOAP process was 93%. We also had a 100% couples Match rate, whereas the national average for the Couples Match was 93.4%.
We had 55% of the class match in Michigan at 15 hospital systems in the state. Overall, students matched in 29 states in 23 different specialties. Forty-one percent of the class chose primary care specialties. The most popular specialties in order were Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine
Overall, this class has had a memorable year. The Office of Student Affairs has offered support in career advising and student health and wellness. The counselors and staff have been responsive and helpful every step of the way. We have provided virtual webinars, virtual mock interviews and one-on-one advising for students who needed it, culminating in a historic match. Every student in the Class of 2021 should be very proud of their achievements this year. They have overcome adversity and have risen to the challenge. We will strive to build on what we have learned this year to improve and build on these events for future classes. ~Sarkis Kouyoumjian, M.D.
Wellness at WSUSOM – Changes and Initiatives
Many changes have occurred to make wellness a priority at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. We recognize that wellness is multi-factorial, that improvement is possible with large, evidence-based institutional changes, and that it takes the coordinated effort and support of many to move in the right direction.
Our objective is to foster a culture of wellness with a learning environment that supports students, directly addresses student concerns and facilitates the personal and professional development of our future physicians. We aim to use evidence-based programs guided by student feedback to develop knowledge and skills and provide a strong wellness scaffolding as students move forward in their career goals.
A great distance traveled in the past three years: In place for more than three years:
- A supportive Associate Dean of Students and Student Affairs team and an academic advisor dedicated to every class
- Invited speakers who share wellness-focused information during lunch sessions
- A cohesive health and wellness taskforce
- Walk-with-a-Doc – a student-initiated wellness initiative linking outdoor exercise with mentorship
- MedCup – a friendly wellness-focused competition between learning communities
Changes two to three years ago:
- Increased structure and support for wellness, with three new positions within the Office of Student Affairs developed, including director of Health and Wellness (Dr. Eva Waineo), director of Career Advising (Dr. Sarkis Kouyoumjian), and director of Learning Communities (Dr. Eric Ayers). All three areas have expanded.
- Wellness placed directly into the curriculum after approval from the curriculum management committee, with wellness sessions for every class year, which no longer occur only during lunch
- Start of an annual survey to better understand the wellness needs of our student body and guide changes moving forward
Changes one to two years ago:
- Wellness curriculum content and scheduling changed based on student feedback
- Reduction of contact hours in years one and two enabled more time for synthesis of material and self-care
- Med2Med – a student group for peer support began
- Career development and learning community initiatives expanded
- Wellness afternoons during clerkship year began to allow more autonomy for wellness
Changes and initiatives over the past year: highlighted in detail below
Understanding our students needs and working side by side for wellness:
To move wellness in the right direction, we must first understand the needs of our student body and facilitate changes based on their feedback. To do this, we send an annual survey, which this past year included questions about multiple dimensions of wellness, the learning environment and needs during COVID-19. Here are five themes learned from the survey, which guided our response and support:
- Students noted inconsistent curriculum scheduling can interfere with wellness intentional changes were made so the schedule is consistent and communicated in advance
- Students appreciate clear communication regarding wellness aspects schedule changes, administrative decisions and changes based on their feedback Regular town halls, Medtalks and the Academic Digest newsletter were begun by the Office of Medical Education, as well as initiatives such as this.
- Students want to develop meaningful relationships with peers and faculty and to do so safely during the pandemic Career advising and learning community initiatives expanded, virtual options for connection were created during the pandemic
- Students need autonomy for self-care Wellness afternoons during year three, more scheduling consistency during years one and two, and the new addition of weeks off between trimesters is about to begin
- Students are concerned about interruption to their medical training during the pandemic and want more information for health care providers Faculty created content about COVID-19 available to students and focused on safe continuation of medical education
We have two to three student members elected by their peers from each medical school year on the Health and Wellness Taskforce. These students are at the heart of many of our new ideas, share input from their peers and promote communication through the monthly newsletter and social media (@wsumedgetshealthy). Several focus groups were also facilitated this year with medical students to gain a deeper understanding of wellness at the medical school. The changes described below are based on the needs our students described.
Wellness and curriculum – Professional wellness development
As part of the pre-clerkship curriculum group of course directors, the director of Health and Wellness runs one of four sub-groups, focused on student wellness, with faculty and student members. Recommendations are made for ways to impact the pre-clerkship curriculum to improve student well-being. Currently implemented ideas include a more consistent schedule, new ways to recognize student accomplishments, and designing curricular events in which students may demonstrate their passions. The wellness team has collaborated with the Office of Learning and Teaching, including hosting a session on staying well during Step 1 studying.
Wellness sessions are part of the medical school curriculum, after approval from the curriculum management committee, and are specific to each class. This year, sessions included response after adverse patient outcomes, taking care of yourself while taking care of others, coping with a difficult and unexpected year, and keeping well during interview season. Session topics are picked through polling students’ interests and adjusted based on student feedback. We also included mental health first aid training for all medical students during first-year orientation, third-year orientation and our residency preparation courses – with more than 800 medical students trained in the past eight months!
We were excited to host speakers via Zoom, including Alison Van Dyke M.D., Ph.D., from the National Institutes of Health who spoke about “Mental Health Coping Strategies: Experiences and Lessons During Medical School” and Sasha Zhou, Ph.D., assistant professor Public Health, who spoke about “Undergraduate and graduate student mental health in the era of COVID-19: Current trends and next steps.”
Many of our wellness initiatives were represented at the school’s second annual medical education research and innovation conference, with 15 wellness-related posters resulting from collaboration of students and faculty. The topics included student needs during COVID, virtual connections, curriculum changes, mistreatment and mental health first aid training. Students and faculty have also co-presented at multiple national meetings which include AAMC Learn Serve Lead and the American Conference on Physician Health – we enjoy sharing our ideas and learning what others are doing to move wellness forward.
Support, connection and new resources during COVID-19:
We have a class counselor dedicated to every class who provides continuity of academic support throughout all four years of training. There was no interruption in advising services in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with class counselors transitioning quickly from in-person to phone and Zoom-based appointments.
To further support our students during COVID-19, a list of resources was compiled for ways to cope during COVID-19 and information specific to health care professionals. These drew from resources directly from CDC, APA, SAMHSA, among many others. Support hotlines and expanded options for outpatient treatment were also regularly shared.
We partnered with Circles of Support to provide two additional resources to the student body: Early alert, a confidential weekly wellness check-in via text with real-time resources provided to students; and MyMDtoBe, regular information sent via email to both students and their chosen supports about what it’s like to be in medical school and how best to support their future M.D., all coordinated to students’ schedules. The topics include imposter syndrome, working on a team and balancing studying during clinical work, among many others.
We have made communication a focus this year, with wellness/treatment resources and information included in each town hall, regular emails to the student body and a MedTalk. We are also expanding wellness communication on the Office of Student Affairs website, which will be live soon.
Wellness and student autonomy
The start of a week-long break between trimesters for each medical school class begins this year while asynchronous learning components during the pre-clerkship curriculum and wellness afternoons during clerkship year also continue. These changes are based on student feedback regarding the benefits of autonomy for self-care and time needed to synthesize academic material.
To facilitate connection and support during this past year, many wellness initiatives were expanded and changed to a virtual platform. Multiple faculty and counselors are working with medical students on the health and wellness task force to bring student-centered wellness events, all overZoom during this past year, to the entire student body. These included Med2Med (medical student run support), student-run exercise, pet therapy, and book club Zoom sessions, meditation led by class counselor Kathleen Connors, medical comics, Zoom-based study sessions and monthly Instagram MedCup challenges. MedCup is co-facilitated by the health and wellness team and the learning communities, with challenges also shared on a virtual platform this year.
Reflecting back
What an academic year this has been, filled with a pandemic, abrupt changes and new challenges, but also resilience, creativity and new ways to connect and care for each other. As all of us from the student wellness team look back, we are first and foremost so proud of the medical student body. You have risen to meet the challenges, and inspire us every day. As you pause for your own reflection, please take a moment to consider all you have accomplished this year, accomplished throughout your medical training, and the meaningful ways you have kept well. For those interested in new ideas for connection and wellness, please share them with Dr. Waineo or any of your health and wellness student representatives. We look forward to working together and keep our wellness momentum moving forward.
Thank You! These initiatives would not be possible without collaboration with you. We thank all medical students who have led wellness initiatives with us, and look forward to new ideas in 2021 and beyond.
The Wayne State University School of Medicine continues to strive toward a culture of continuous quality improvement and greatly values input from our students. During the next couple of weeks, new editions of “You Said, We Did” will discuss improvements in the following areas:
- Financial Aid/Debt Management
- Academic Advising
- Health and Wellness
- Career Planning
- Student Engagement/Learning Communities
- Representation of students on committees
- Social Justice, Diversity and Inclusion
- Professional Development
We want to hear from you
If you have any topics you would like to know about or have suggestions to how we can improve as a medical school, connect via the Warrior Med Suggestion Program.
The purpose of the Warrior Med Suggestions Program is to ensure each stakeholder of the School of Medicine has the opportunity to provide suggestions and feedback that may improve the organization’s mission. This program will serve as the mechanism that will drive the culture of Continuous Quality Improvement within the School of Medicine. These opportunities for improvement will drive cultural change and allow leaders to make a positive impact on a pathway to organizational excellence.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to reach us at oaacqi@med.wayne.edu. Thank you.
Kanye L. Gardner - Director of Continuous Quality Improvement - Office of Assessment, Accreditation and Continuous Quality Improvement
Volume 1 catalog of issues available here: Volume 1 - April 8, 2021 | Volume 2 - April 15, 2021 | Volume 1 - #3 - April 22, 2021 | Volume 1 - #4 - April 29, 2021 | Volume 1 - #5 - May 6, 2021
Credits:
Medical Communications