WELCOME
On behalf of Richard S. Baker, M.D., Vice Dean of Medical Education, we would like to welcome you to the second 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: Academic Advising
The Office of Learning and Teaching serves as the central academic advising hub for students. The Class of 2021 played a significant role in helping to improve and refine the many ways in which we engage and support students.
Notable among these was student feedback provided when we sought more student voices and senior student presence in the Advanced Learning Skills Course. Consequently, we worked directly with students to develop the first ever Student Resource Hub, providing incoming students with peer-led, hands-on resource sessions. Additionally, we increased student panels addressing learning strategies, and we invited student leaders to give the opening address, offering personal insight of their own learning journey, on behalf of the office during the welcome breakfast.
You asked for more peer support for underclassmen. This year we invited M4 peer tutors to apply to serve as Advanced Learning Coaches for Segment 1 and Segment 2 students who needed extra support. Advanced Learning Coaches made a significant difference in the test scores for these students and instilling greater confidence in their ability to succeed.
Beyond ALS, the Class of 2021 played a pivotal role in providing insight in how to better support students during Step 1 and Step 2 prep, which led to the development of more-targeted, meaningful interventions designed to directly capture the student experience and provide the necessary support and study advice throughout these stressful testing experiences.
For Step 1, this led to:
- Fewer required assignments
- Increased Learning Coach support throughout Segment 2
For Step 2, your feedback helped to:
In response, the administration and faculty invested efforts in a major curricular restructuring beginning April 2021. The restructuring provides the following key improvements
- Refine our list of recommended resources
- Provide sample study plans and learning strategies
- Adjust the amount of intervention to effectively target students who most needed support
- Invite Class of 2021 Learning Coaches to facilitate Step 2 Drop-in Sessions
The Class of 2021 provided student leadership and support for the Organizational Communication study, designed to assess and initiate improvements to student-based communication with the goal of creating a more stable and supportive learning environment.
The Class of 2021, the Pioneers of the Warrior M.D. Learning Communities, offered invaluable insight in how to use the Learning Communities to inspire, engage and support students throughout their medical education, particularly in Segments 1 and 2, as they adjust to a new environment and the well-documented firehose of information.
The members of the Class of 2021 have admirably served as official and unofficial mentors for your classmates and ambassadors for learning, supporting the Office of Learning and Teaching as we define innovations to support student learning.
Financial & Debt Management
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 - #1 - April 8, 2021 | Volume 1 - #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