University of Virginia School of Medicine
Curriculum Committee
Minutes – 04.07.11

Pediatric Conference Room, 4:00 p.m.

Present (underlined) were: Gretchen Arnold, Robert Bloodgood, Megan Bray, Troy Buer, Chris Burns, Donna Chen, Eugene Corbett, Thomas Gampper, Wendy Golden, Donald Innes (Chair), John Jackson, Keith Littlewood, Veronica Michaelsen, Mohan Nadkarni, Linda Waggoner-Fountain, Bill Wilson,  Mary Kate Worden,  Christina Portal,  Nicole White,  Sam Zhao,  Debra Reed (secretary)

1. Announcements:  Sam Zhao was welcomed as the new Mulholland President and the most recent member of the Curriculum Committee.
   
   
2. NBME Shelf Exams.  The NBME will be converting the NBME Clinical Science paper subject examinations to a web-based format starting July 1, 2011.  John Jackson reported that the UVA will pilot the web-based format for Family Medicine and if all goes well, with another of the clerkships this year. Family Medicine has already paid for their paper exams for the year and work is now underway to change the exams to the web-based format. Students will be able to use their own computers to take the exams and exams will be administered/proctored in the Learning Studio and Auditorium in the Claude Moore Educational Building.  Students will be assigned staggered seats to avoid being able to see other students’ computer screens during the exams.  In the future, it is thought that the exams will become totally web-based so accommodating the entire class every 8 weeks for these exams will be necessary.   Multiple subject exams may be administered at the same time.   John Jackson asks that anyone who has operational ideas for administration of these exams should contact him.  Questions regarding the use of the shelf exams in two formats this year and the equivalency of the exams among the class were raised – it is believed that the testing method should not have any effect on student scores.  The turn-around-time for results from the online exams will be much shorter.   The Curriculum Committee unanimously endorsed the pilot program.
   
   
3. Continuity Between Clerkships and MSTP Graduate Programs.  The Committee discussed ways to provide an on-going clinical experience to the MD/PhD students when they are doing their PhD work.  Because the PhD Program removes the students from the clinical setting for many years before the clinical portion of their program, finding ways to keep them connected to clinical medicine during this period is important. We are responsible for ensuring that the MD/PhD students meet competencies for the MD degree. Currently they are not required to take clinical electives, only the clerkships, selectives, and the ACE and DxRx. Also they take the transition course and are strongly encouraged to take clinical electives. Suggestions included developing a 1-4 hour experience each week or month in a clinic, asking the students to act as mentors in the CPD program, participation in Simulation Center activities, or participation in the clerkship orientation activities. Questions arose as to liability insurance for the MSTP students if they are not registered as medical students.
   
   
4. 
   
5. Student Work Hours.  Current policy for student work hours is below:
   
   Clinical Service Work Hours
   Medical students rotating on clinical services (clerkships, selectives and electives) should be subject to the same principles that govern the 80-hour work week for residents. Clerkship, electives and selectives directors are responsible for monitoring and ensuring that duty hours are adjusted as necessary. Student duty hours should be set taking into account the effects of fatigue and sleep deprivation on learning and patient care. In general, medical students should not be required to work longer hours than residents*. (Curriculum Committee 9/9/2004; modified 12/18/2008)
   
   * LCME Standard ED-38. The committee responsible for the curriculum at a medical education program, along with the program’s administration and leadership, must develop and implement policies regarding the amount of time medical students spend in required activities, including the total number of hours medical students are required to spend in clinical and educational activities during clinical clerkships (or, in Canada, clerkship rotations).
   
   Annotation: Attention should be paid to the time commitment requiredof medicalstudents, especially during the clinical years. Medical students' hours should be set after taking into account the effects of fatigue and sleep deprivation on learning, clinical activities, and health and safety.
   
   The Committee discussed the recent changes in the resident service as described on the ACGME website:
   
   http://www.acgme-2010standards.org/approved-standards.html
   http://www.acgme-2010standards.org/pdf/dh-ComparisonTable2003v2011.pdf
   
   The medical student policy will be amended to reflect those changes. A revised version will be presented at next week’s meeting.
   
    
6. National Board of Medical Examiners Results.  Results were distributed on the performance of UVA SOM examinees taking USMLE Step 1 for the first time in 2010.    UVA SOM students consistently scored above the national mean in all areas.    These results as well as those from prior years are found on the SOM website at: 
   
   http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/handbook/academics/licensure.cfm
   
    

Donald Innes

dmr