We are pleased to announce that registration for the 27th Annual Meeting of IAMSE, to be held June 10 – 13, 2023 in Cancun, Mexico is now open. At this annual meeting of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) faculty, staff, and students from around the world who are interested in health science education join together in faculty development and networking opportunities. Sessions on curriculum development, assessment, and simulation are among the common topics available at the meeting.
Featured plenary speakers include Professor Kara Caruthers (Meharry Medical College, USA), Dr. Michelle Daniel (University of California San Diego School of Medicine, USA), Dr. Anique de Bruin (Maastricht University, The Netherlands), and Dr. Ricardo Leon-Borquez (World Federation for Medical Education).
Harvard Medical School Medical Student COVID-19 Curriculum One of the greatest difficulties facing everyone nowadays is a lack of clarity about what is going on and what lies ahead. We students especially feel a need to deepen our knowledge of the situation, as we are often viewed as resources by our friends and family. However, it soon became clear how challenging it was to process the wealth of information coming our way. A team of us at Harvard Medical School set out to quickly collate and synthesize accurate information about the pandemic to share with those who do not have the time or resources to research it themselves. Additional resources include Curriculum for Kids, an article written by the team discussing the curriculum, and an opportunity to give direct feedback to the developers.
AAMC COVID-19 Resource Hub The AAMC continues to monitor guidance from federal, state, and local health agencies as it relates to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Find information and updates from AAMC on this emerging global health concern.
Acland Anatomy Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy contains nearly 330 videos of real human anatomic specimens in their natural colors.
MedEd Portal Virtual Resources This collection features peer-reviewed teaching resources that can be used for distance learning, including self-directed modules and learning activities that could be converted to virtual interactions. As always, the resources are free to download and free for adaptation to local settings. The collection will be reviewed and updated regularly.
Aquifer Aquifer is offering free access to 146 Aquifer signature cases, WISE-MD (Surgery), and WISE-OnCall (Readiness for Practice) through June 30, 2020, to all current Aquifer institutional subscribers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Kaplan iHuman With i-Human Patients, students experience safe, repeatable, fully-graded clinical patient encounters on their devices anywhere, anytime.
Online MedEd The unprecedented COVID‐19 crisis has upended the medical and medical education landscape. Our aim during this difficult and confusing time is to support you with what we do best—concise, high–yield videos to help you get up to speed efficiently and effectively—so you can feel confident with however you’re being called on to adjust.
ScholarRX Bricks In response to a request for assistance from a partner medical school impacted by COVID-19, ScholarRx has agreed to make its Rx Bricks program available at no cost to M2 students for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year. This comprehensive, online resource can assist schools in implementing contingency plans necessitated by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Osmosis You can raise the line by training healthcare workers who don’t have experience treating COVID-19. Encourage healthcare workers you know to complete this free CME course on COVID-19 so they’re prepared to fight the virus.
AnatomyZone Top-quality anatomy videos, all for free.
Harvard Macy Crowdsourced List of Online Teaching Resources Collated by the Harvard Macy Institute (@HarvardMacy)
Firecracker We understand some of the unique challenges you are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, as a company, are putting together resources to help you keep up with your courses as well as stay up to date with the latest research and evidence-based practices for addressing this new coronavirus.
5 Minute Consult Primary health care is important to everyone, and now more than ever it’s important that you have access to evidence-based diagnostic and treatment content. To help you with caring for all of your patients, we are offering 30-day free access to 5MinuteConsult.com. Use code 5MC30DayAccess73173 to sign up.
Our association is a robust and diverse set of educators, researchers, medical professionals, volunteers and academics that come from all walks of life and from around the globe. Each month we choose a member to highlight their academic and professional career and see how they are making the best of their membership in IAMSE. This month’s Featured Member is our 2019 annual meeting site host, IAMSE President Rick Vari.
Rick Vari, PhD Professor & Senior Dean for Academic Affairs Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Roanoke, Virginia, USA
Why was the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine the right choice for the 2019 IAMSE meeting? We are the right choice for the meeting this year because we did a fabulous conference several years ago and we were already in the queue for a future IAMSE meeting. We had some scheduling issues with our original site for 2019 and we were able to step in and fill the void. We have a wonderful hotel site (at the Hotel Roanoke), and the people who came from all across North America for the Collaborating Across Borders V: An American-Canadian Dialogue on Interprofessional Healthcare and Practice, in 2015 really enjoyed it. As a relatively new medical school, we are excited about continuing our growing success in medical education; hosting the IAMSE meeting is a real honor for us.
What opportunities will attendees see in Roanoke that they’ve not seen in years past? Roanoke is a beautiful city to have a conference. We’ve localized the venue, which is a major goal for IAMSE. Attendees and exhibitors will appreciate the layout of the conference site. We are adjacent to the Roanoke Market Square with restaurants, breweries, and shopping featuring local items. There are just lots of opportunities for networking and entertainment. The program is outstanding with presentations and sessions on current and future challenges facing health sciences educators. International abstract submission is up, so more colleagues from other parts of the world may be attending. Increased student participation will be another highlight. This year, IAMSE is also hosting a Taste of Roanoke Street Fair which will replace the annual gala dinner. IAMSE 2019 is going to be a very easy conference to attend. If you can stay for the Grand Extravaganza on Tuesday afternoon it is going to be very special with a hiking trip to a beautiful location on the Blue Ridge Parkway and a visit to the Ballast Point brewery (East Coast operation) for dinner.
Can you tell me more about this new event? We are blocking off the Market Square in downtown Roanoke. We will have tastes of local food, beverages, and music. This is a chance to interact in a casual fun setting with lots of local food and a live band! It’s going to be a lot of fun.
What session or speaker are you most looking forward to this year? I’m looking forward to, of course, the Board of Directors and Committee Chairs meeting. I’ve enjoyed being president and interacting with the Board and Committee Chairs in this planning session provides IAMSE with a sense of solid direction. The plenary sessions also look very strong. I’m interested in the Gen Z session (Generation Z: The New Kids on the Block) and How to Use Disruptive Technology to Make Education Better – Not Just Different.
It sounds likes there is much to look forward to this year. Anything else you’d like to share? The local response from the other medical schools in the area in support of the IAMSE meeting in Roanoke has been very strong. As a new school, this is a tremendous opportunity for us and the other medical schools in the area to get better acquainted.
To learn more about the 2019 IAMSE Annual Meeting, including the plenary speakers, workshops and networking opportunities, or to register, please visitwww.IAMSEconference.org.
Reserve your spot before March 15 to ensure the Early Bird Discount!
The IAMSE booth will be exhibiting at the annual winter meeting of the Group for Research in Pathology Education (GRIPE) in New Orleans, LA on January 24-26, 2019. IAMSE Association Manager Julie Hewett will also be delivering a pre-conference workshop titled, “Using Social Media to Disseminate Your Scholarly Work.” If you plan on attending this meeting, don’t miss this session and do not forget to swing by the IAMSE booth and say hello!
Information on the GRIPE Meeting can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there!
We are pleased to announce that registration for the 23rd Annual Meeting of IAMSE, to be held June 8-11, 2019 in Roanoke, VA, USA, is now open. At this annual meeting of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) faculty, staff and students from around the world who are interested in medical science education join together in faculty development and networking opportunities. Sessions on curriculum development, assessment and simulation are among the common topics available at the annual meetings.
Featured plenary speakers include Don Cleveland, Claudia Krebs, Craig Lenz and Geoff Talmon.
Medical school presents numerous challenges that contribute to stress, which has been linked to burnout, diminished well-being, and impaired academic performance among students. In response, medical schools have implemented various stress-reduction programs, which can be categorized as either reactive, addressing stress after it arises, or proactive, aiming to prevent stress before it develops. Among the proactive approaches, peer tutoring and mentoring programs have proven effective in mitigating stress and promoting student well-being.
This article explores the implementation of a peer-assisted learning (PAL) program at Nova Southeastern University’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, aimed at improving student wellness and reducing stress while increasing content mastery. The PAL session was modeled after the medical school’s problem-based learning and team-based learning curriculum with a near-peer design utilizing second-year medical students instructing first-year medical students. Key results from the anonymous surveys given to first-year medical students include that the PAL learning session reduced test anxiety, increased student confidence in their mastery of course material, and most students believed they gained a mentor from this program.
This study builds on previous research demonstrating that PAL sessions are beneficial for student learning and adds to them by diving deeper into measures of student wellness and stress reduction. This information is valuable and useful for instructors seeking to implement PAL into courses they are involved in as well as administrators aiming to implement PAL on a larger scale in their medical education programs. Further investigation into PAL programs, including their optimal format and session design, are warranted to best determine how they can promote the well-being of medical students.
Matthew McMillin, PhD Assistant Professor Huffington Department of Education, Innovation & Technology Baylor College of Medicine
Join the upcoming IAMSE Winter Webcast Audio Seminar series webinar series with the theme of “Tailored Education: Helping Every Student Across the Finish Line.” Over five sessions, we will cover the concepts of precision medical education and individualized support, from big-picture theories to innovative implementation, showing how adaptive and personalized learning environments can better meet diverse student needs.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to join the conversation on Helping Every Student Across the Finish Line!
The series begins on January 9, 2025, with a presentation by Alice Fornari, ‘Guiding the Next Generation: Enhancing Medical Education through Mentorship, Coaching and Sponsorship.’ The series will continue on January 16 with Sanjay Desai presenting ‘Precision Education: The Future of Lifelong Learning,’ followed by the January 23 session, ‘Coaching and Remediation: Developing a Toolkit for Learners Who Struggle,’ presented by Jean Klig. The series will continue on January 30 with Marc Triola presenting ‘From Bytes to Bedside: Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Medicine and Medical Education.’ To wrap up the Winter 2025 WAS Series will be Inna Lindner presenting ‘Medical Education Readiness Program (MERP): Our Guided Approach to Foster Success in Medical School’ on February 6.
Below we look at the first week’s presentation:
Alice Fornari, EdD, MS
Guiding the Next Generation: Enhancing Medical Education through Mentorship, Coaching and Sponsorship
Presenter: Alice Fornari, EdD, MS, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell University Session Date & Time: January 9, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST Session Description: This webinar explores the multifaceted role of medical science educators on their individualized professional journey, with an emphasis on their professional functions as coaches, mentors, advisors and sponsors. It begins by distinguishing between coaching, mentoring, and advising. The webinar delves into the specific skills and strategies required for effective coaching, the dynamics of mentor-mentee relationships, and the techniques for providing academic and career advising. Special attention is given to interactions with learners, highlighting the importance of understanding their needs, building trust, and tailoring approaches to individual contexts.
Challenges faced by educators in these roles and strategies for overcoming them are discussed. Finally, the webinar will link the Kern National Network (KNN) conceptual framework of flourishing: Character, Caring and Practical Wisdom to the mentor and mentee roles of mentoring and coaching and when appropriate sponsorship.
As a reminder, the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to once again accept applications for the IAMSE-ScholarRx Student Educational Research Grant Program.
Students must be members of IAMSE to be eligible to apply for this grant. All students will need to have a faculty mentor sign off on the proposal confirming that all policies will be met. Proposals must be accompanied by a letter from an appropriate institutional official confirming that the institution will pay to send the student to the IAMSE meeting the year following project completion to present the results of the proposed work; timing of the presentation is flexible as to be appropriate for the completion of the project. Up to four (4) student grants will be awarded for up to $2500 USD.
Applications are to be submitted through the form found here by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 15, 2025.
All information regarding the IAMSE-ScholarRx Educational Research Grant Program, including the application process, eligibility, proposal format, and evaluation criteria, can be found on the IAMSE website here. A template for the budget can be found here. Note that you may need to open the template in another window to download it.
Our Association is a robust and diverse set of educators, students, researchers, medical professionals, volunteers and academics that come from all walks of life and from around the globe. Each month we choose a member to highlight their academic and professional career and see how they are making the best of their membership in IAMSE. This month’s Featured Member is Doug McKell.
Doug McKell Adjunct Assistant Professor College of Population Health Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
How long have you been a member of IAMSE? I have been a member of IAMSE for 6 years, ever since Bonny Dickinson, one of my Medical Education classmates at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, invited me to attend my first IAMSE Annual Conference in Roanoke, VA, in 2019.
Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing? What are you looking forward to? The highlight of my membership experience has been the opportunity to meet with many talented IAMSE community members with a wide range of medical and health professional expertise. I have been amazed by the strong volunteer commitment of members serving on various committees and programs. Participating in the WAS Seminar series Committee, the Annual Program Committee, and the Virtual Forum Program Committee has allowed me to meet many of these dedicated IAMSE members. As a result, I continue to learn more about the challenges – and opportunities – in health professions education. I have expanded my research interests to consider new approaches to educating health professionals, specifically in applying Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health to training health professionals.
What interesting things are you working on outside of the Association right now? For the past 6 months, I have focused on designing ways to integrate digital assistants, AI Chatbots, into graduate courses I teach for residents, practicing physicians, pharmacists, and advanced practice nurses. I want to better understand the implementation barriers to their use, in addition to the potential benefits to students and faculty. This quest has taken me deeper into understanding Competence-Based Education, Self-Directed Learning, Critical Reasoning, Human-Computer interface, Universal Design for Learning, and Professional Identity Formation, all areas of IAMSE members’ expertise.
As the Lead of the IAMSE AI Community of Growth (CoG), what have you gotten out of leading the CoG since it began, and what is your favorite part about being the Lead of the AI CoG or the AI CoG in general? The expanding network of IAMSE members interested in responsible AI use continues to challenge me to consider how, when, and especially for what purpose we adopt any AI technology or specific tool. My two AI Community of Growth collaborators, Drs. Lise McCoy and Diego Niño have been valuable collaborators in developing and leading the AI CoG since it began as an early morning interest group at the 2023 IAMSE Cancun Annual Meeting. IAMSE members continue to join the AI CoG listserv and attend our monthly Zoom discussions. It has become a terrific professional community of over 100 members that continues to strengthen network collaboration, research interests, and informal information sharing about AI in health professional education.
Anything else that you would like to add? I am grateful for the warm welcome I received joining IAMSE and the opportunity to be on several committees. I also want to thank the IAMSE leadership of Drs. Peter de Jong and Carol Nichols for their vision to create the AI CoG and their ongoing support. I continue to benefit personally and professionally from the IAMSE leadership, especially their support of the AI Community of Growth and the recently published AIAMSE AI Needs Assessment on AI’s Impact on Medical Education survey (SharedIt link: https://rdcu.be/d0gVj). We plan to repeat this survey in 2025 to help provide the IAMSE members with additional information about the rapidly changing AI landscape in health professions education. Finally, a new AI Certificate program for IAMSE members will be available at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Calgary in response to the need for coordinated skill-based AI information.
As a final reminder, the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to announce the call for oral and poster abstracts for the 29th Annual IAMSE Conference to be held at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from June 14-17, 2025. The IAMSE Conference offers opportunities for training, development, and mentoring, to meet the needs of learners and professionals across the continuum of health professions education.
The first time you enter the site, you will be required to create a user profile. Even if you submitted abstracts in previous years, you will need to create a new account.
All abstracts for oral and poster presentations must be submitted in the format requested through the online abstract submission site.
You may list several authors, but you are limited to one presenter.
Once the submission deadline has passed, you may not edit your abstract. This includes adding authors.
Once the submission deadline has passed, authors will no longer have access to their abstract submissions.
There is no limit on the number of abstracts you may submit, but it is unlikely that more than two presentations per presenter can be accepted due to scheduling complexities. Abstract acceptance notifications will be returned in March 2025. Please contact support@iamse.org for any questions about your submission.
The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to once again accept applications for the IAMSE-ScholarRx Student Educational Research Grant Program.
Students must be members of IAMSE to be eligible to apply for this grant. All students will need to have a faculty mentor sign off on the proposal confirming that all policies will be met. Proposals must be accompanied by a letter from an appropriate institutional official confirming that the institution will pay to send the student to the IAMSE meeting the year following project completion to present the results of the proposed work; timing of the presentation is flexible as to be appropriate for the completion of the project. Up to four (4) student grants will be awarded for up to $2500 USD.
Applications are to be submitted through the form found here by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 15, 2025.
All information regarding the IAMSE-ScholarRx Educational Research Grant Program, including the application process, eligibility, proposal format, and evaluation criteria, can be found on the IAMSE website here. A template for the budget can be found here. Note that you may need to open the template in another window to download it.
Thank you, IAMSE Student Professional Development Committee
In today’s rapidly evolving medical education landscape, one size does not fit all. This five-session series titled, “Tailored Education: Helping Every Student Across the Finish Line,” explores how personalized and precision-focused approaches can empower every medical student to succeed. Join leading medical educators in discussing strategies that support the success of every learner, from individual mentorship to data-driven learning support.
Sessions will cover the concept of precision medical education, from big-picture theories to innovative implementation, showing how adaptive learning environments can better meet diverse student needs. The series also emphasizes the critical role of mentorship, coaching, and sponsorship in guiding students towards personal and professional success. Additionally, it highlights pre-matriculation programs as a key strategy for preparing incoming students, enhancing their readiness, confidence, and ability to succeed.
Join us as we explore innovative strategies to personalize medical education, build supportive learning environments, and guide every student towards becoming the best medical practitioner they can be.
Questions regarding the registration process, specifically for institutions, or other FAQs about the Winter 2025 WAS Series can be found by clicking here.
Tailored Education: Helping Every Student Across the Finish Line
Join us for each one-hour session beginning Thursday, January 9 at 12 PM EST. Sessions in the Winter 2025 series include:
January 9, 12:00 PM EST – Guiding the Next Generation: Enhancing Medical Education through Mentorship, Coaching and Sponsorship, presented by Alice Fornari, Hofstra University
January 16, 12:00 PM EST – Precision Education: The Future of Lifelong Learning, presented by Sanjay Desai, American Medical Association
January 23, 12:00 PM EST – Coaching and Remediation: Developing a Toolkit for Learners Who Struggle, presented by Jean Klig, Harvard Medical School
January 30, 12:00 PM EST – From Bytes to Bedside: Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Medicine and Medical Education, presented by Marc Triola, NYU Langone Health
February 6, 12:00 PM EST – Medical Education Readiness Program (MERP): Our Guided Approach to Foster Success in Medical School, presented by Inna Lindner, Adtalem Global Education
Questions regarding the registration process, specifically for institutions, or other FAQs about the Winter 2025 WAS Series can be found by clicking here.
Our Association is a robust and diverse set of educators, students, researchers, medical professionals, volunteers and academics that come from all walks of life and from around the globe. Each month we choose a member to highlight their academic and professional career and see how they are making the best of their membership in IAMSE. This month’s Featured Member is Sarah Clayton.
Sarah Clayton Associate Professor and Interim Department Chair Physiology & Pharmacology Department Des Moines University Des Moines, Iowa, USA
How long have you been a member of IAMSE? I have been a member of IAMSE for about 10 years.
Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing? What are you looking forward to? I really think the Association is quite dynamic and working to continually improve medical education. I pour over the publications to glean new ideas and approaches to my teaching. In addition, the Fall and Spring Webinar Series are always well organized and timely. In the past, our institution has used these as events where faculty could meet, review the seminar, and then hold discussions as time allowed. I have always gotten great insights and ideas, especially as a novice educator. I am looking forward to widening my collaborative “net” as I engage further with members across the Association and work together to advance medical education.
What interesting things are you working on outside of the Association right now? I was recently just promoted to Interim Chair for the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. While this role is a bit daunting to me, I know the relationships that I have made, within DMU and with outside colleagues, including those within IAMSE, will put me in a good position to understand the best approaches to this new position. I also became a Fellow of the National Academy of Osteopathic Medical Educators this year. Additionally, I have very active research collaborations within Des Moines University, when I am not in the classroom.
Congratulations on receiving the IAMSE Reviewer of the Year Award this year! Can you reflect on what that means to you? Where do you see your impact within the Association? I was truly honored and humbled to receive this award – it came as a complete surprise! I appreciate the validation of my work, and it has allowed me to get more involved with IAMSE as an Associate Editor for MSE. As I increase my engagement with the Association, I am looking forward to sharing experiences and collaborating with other amazing medical educators around the world and giving back to my profession.
Anything else that you would like to add? I would like to express my gratitude to all the members of the Association and especially those members that made specific impacts on where I am today, including Drs. Kurt Cornish and Edward (Pat) Finnerty. Their enthusiasm for medical education and encouragement to engage with the Association made a powerful impact on my career trajectory. I have really enjoyed the home I have found within the Association and the opportunities it has afforded; I would highly recommend that medical educators engage with this Association, as the community is supportive and collaborative.
Join us at 12:00 PM EST Thursday, January 9, 16, 23, 30, and February 6, 2025 for the IAMSE Winter 2025 Webcast Audio Seminar Series titled “Tailored Education: Helping Every Student Across the Finish Line.”
Tailored Education: Helping Every Student Across the Finish Line In today’s rapidly evolving medical education landscape, one size does not fit all. This five-session series explores how personalized and precision-focused approaches can empower every medical student to succeed. Join leading medical educators in discussing strategies that support the success of every learner, from individual mentorship to data-driven learning support.
Sessions will cover the concept of precision medical education, from big-picture theories to innovative implementation, showing how adaptive learning environments can better meet diverse student needs. The series also emphasizes the critical role of mentorship, coaching, and sponsorship in guiding students towards personal and professional success. Additionally, it highlights pre-matriculation programs as a key strategy for preparing incoming students, enhancing their readiness, confidence, and ability to succeed.
Join us as we explore innovative strategies to personalize medical education, build supportive learning environments, and guide every student towards becoming the best medical practitioner they can be.
Further details about the Winter 2025 series, including registration, speakers, topics, and more will be coming soon, so keep an eye on your inbox. For more details on our archives of previous seasons, please visit www.iamse.org.
The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to announce that applications for the 2025 Medical Educator Fellowship (MEF) Program are now being accepted! IAMSE is once again offering members and non-members the option of completing the MEF Program 100% virtually, from any location around the globe.
The primary goal of the MEF is to support the development of well-rounded healthcare education scholars through a program of targeted professional development and application of learned concepts to mentored research projects. The program is designed for healthcare educators from all backgrounds who wish to enhance their knowledge and productivity as educational scholars.
Please note that as a prerequisite, applicants are required to have completed the ESME course or the IAMSE Foundations Course. For more detailed information about the IAMSE Foundations Course, please visit the information on our website at https://www.iamse.org/foundations-of-health-professions-education-course/.
Applicants for the next cohort will be accepted until December 1, 2024. To submit your application, fill out this application form. As part of the application form, you will need to upload your IAMSE Foundations Course Completion Certificate and your CV.
For questions about the Fellowship or how to apply, please contact support@iamse.org. We thank you for your interest and look forward to supporting you in achieving your professional goals in educational scholarship.
Laying the Groundwork: Enhancing Medical Student Preparedness Through Pre-Matriculation and Mentoring Presenters: Dyron Corley, Ed, and Stephanie Dearden, MA, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
[The following blog was generated by Doug McKell and Akshata Naik]
The final session of the IAMSE Fall 2024 webcast focused on enhancing medical student preparedness through pre-matriculation and mentoring programs. Dr. Dyron Corley and Ms. Stephanie Dearden from Rowan Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine discussed their three- week, free, in-person program for incoming students, which includes two curricular tracks: a) Synergistic Group Learning (SGL), which is lecture-based, and b) Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which is small group based. The program, funded by the medical school and federal work-study grants, is designed to facilitate incoming medical students’ academic, social, and environmental adjustment, introduce them to the medical school curriculum, and begin the development of their metacognitive skills. The program’s effectiveness is evaluated using the LASSI inventory and final exam scores, demonstrating first-year medical students’ improvement in anxiety reduction (stress) and learning how to apply effective study skills.
Dr. Corley described their three-week pre-matriculation program, which takes place in June before formal orientation at the start of the student’s first year. Usually, around 130 students attend this program, about 50% of the first-year entering class. He stressed that the program is built on a peer-to-peer model, fostering a strong sense of community and support. While some SOM faculty lecture about content-specific medical school topics, the pre-matriculation program primarily relies on well-qualified second year medical students to be content teachers and peer mentors. He emphasized that they wanted to establish interpersonal connections among the first-year medical students, based on the mentoring relationships demonstrated by their second-year medical students, and build relationships with the faculty and staff through large and small group interactions. He stressed that this support does not end upon completing the pre-matriculation program. The Office of Student Services continues to provide targeted interventions to those who are academically at risk and are identified as needing additional continual support. To address this, they created the “learning groups initiative,” which allows them to follow the students needing support for the subsequent three blocks of the medical school career.
The pre-matriculation program relies on the leadership of previously successful first-year students as the driving force for its success through the abovementioned objectives and interventions. Established twenty years ago, this program was created to help students with their biochemistry preparation component because, at that time, this topic was not part of the MCAT, and the faculty needed to make sure that students were prepared for that content coming into medical school.
Dr. Corley stated that their pre-matriculation program has evolved into providing students a jumpstart in medical school and preparing them for the rigors of what they’ll experience in their first year. Their two-art core question is – What do we want our students to participate in to prepare them, and what do we want them to take away? He described the following Program Goals: The Pre-Matriculation Program will: 1. Facilitate the academic, social, and environmental adjustment of incoming first-year medical students. 2. Cultivate a safe and nurturing environment for incoming first-year medical students. 3. Establish inter-class connections and build relationships with faculty and staff. 4. Support retention efforts by providing targeted interventions to academically at-risk learners. Program Objectives after participating in the Pre- Matriculation program were that students should be able to: 1. Feel a sense of membership and belonging through supportive personal connections. 2. Demonstrate various study and metacognitive skills to become independent learners and navigate the necessary personal and environmental adjustments to medical school. 3. Engage in self-reflection and problem-solving to identify knowledge gaps and address continuing academic concerns. 4. Outline and explain key concepts related to Anatomy, Biochemistry, Histology, Microbiology, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), and Physiology within the framework of their respective curriculum.
Dr. Corley emphasized that the program and faculty want to cultivate a safe and nurturing environment for incoming students to practice goal-setting and self-reflection skills, assess the effectiveness of their learning and study habits, and improve the organization’s time management skills. They also want to establish individual class connections among students and build relationships with the faculty, staff, and other peers through large and small group interactions. Finally, they want to ensure the support did not end with the pre-matriculation program. So, in the support efforts, they want to ensure that the interventions targeted those who were academically at risk and identified the need for continual support.
Ms. Dearden then described the two groups of students participating in this pre-matriculation program, which were evenly divided in numbers between each group: Mandatory participation attendees based on application metrics, science GPA, biology MCAT Score—biology, and other factors, and Voluntary participation attendees choosing to attend to focus on alleviating study anxiety by increased preparedness for the academic and social rigors of medical school. She stressed that a carefully selected group of second-year OMS-II students serve as Teaching Assistants (TAs) and mentors in the pre-matriculation program and are essential to the program’s success. Approximately 20 students were hired: ten from SGL and ten from PBL. All second-year medical student mentors must have a minimum overall pre-clerkship exam average of 82. They are responsible for the following activities: developing and delivering curriculum content, breaking down curriculum content, teaching transferrable skills related to curriculum content, facilitating small group discussions, and providing group and 1:1 mentoring. They also create and proctor quizzes, exams, practicums, and facilitator evaluations. She pointed out that it is unusual for them to be part of the core faculty but that, in doing so, they provide powerful role models of success for the incoming students. Ms. Dearden emphasized that the selection process focuses on mentoring skills and personal stories, including selecting some second-year student mentors who struggled during their first year.
Ms. Dearden discussed the ongoing support efforts to make sure that this, and other student support programs, targeted the interventions to those who were academically at risk and identified the need for continual support. For the PBL group, they created the longitudinal learning groups initiative, which follows them for the subsequent three blocks of their medical school career. For students in the SGL group, it has been administratively easier to check on their progress and ensure they’re receiving the support they need to do well by providing weekly support and review sessions. Their program objectives focus on entering medical students and creating a strong sense of membership and belonging through supportive personal connections. One of the running themes of their program is to make sure that students, their mentors, and the faculty and staff on campus are connected. She stresses that they also wanted to ensure students demonstrated metacognitive skills to become learners and navigate the necessary personal and environmental adjustments to medical school. They give them time to practice the skill sets that they would need to do well in medical school, such as engaging in self-reflection, problem-solving, identifying knowledge gaps, and not being afraid that if they have gaps, whether it’s knowledge or skill-building, we want them to cultivate a growth mindset.
Ms. Dearden reviewed the program’s effectiveness as measured by the student’s performance in their first three blocks of curricula. The pre-matriculation participants demonstrated better organizational skills compared to non-participants. Data from the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) showed improved anxiety, attitude, information processing, self-testing, and time management. She also stated that the program had increased interest in voluntary attendance from entering students and a growing interest from faculty in presenting mini- lectures. However, as their program evolves, they have focused on reducing content to allow more practice and peer interaction, thereby increasing the one-on-one interactions. Finally, the pre-matriculation program intends to expand their second-year medical student TA training to incorporate more coaching techniques and more faculty input into the exams during the program.
The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is pleased to announce the call for abstracts for oral and poster abstracts for the 29th Annual IAMSE Conference to be held at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from June 14-17, 2025. The IAMSE Conference offers opportunities for training, development, and mentoring, to meet the needs of learners and professionals across the continuum of health professions education.
Students who would like feedback on a draft of their abstract prior to final submission should email it to the Student Professional Development Committee, care of Sara Allison at support@iamse.org, by November 10, 2024.
The first time you enter the site, you will be required to create a user profile. Even if you submitted abstracts in previous years, you will need to create a new account.
All abstracts for oral and poster presentations must be submitted in the format requested through the online abstract submission site.
You may list several authors, but you are limited to one presenter.
Once the submission deadline has passed, you may not edit your abstract. This includes adding authors.
Once the submission deadline has passed, authors will no longer have access to their abstract submissions.
There is no limit on the number of abstracts you may submit, but it is unlikely that more than two presentations per presenter can be accepted due to scheduling complexities. Abstract acceptance notifications will be returned in March 2025. Please contact support@iamse.org for any questions about your submission.
