University of Virginia School of Medicine
Curriculum Committee
Minutes – 09/06/12

Pediatric Conference Room, 4:00 p.m.

Present (underlined) were: Gretchen Arnold, Robert Bloodgood, Megan Bray,  Donna Chen,  Thomas Gampper, Peter Ham, Donald Innes (Chair), John Jackson, Keith Littlewood, Nancy McDaniel, Mohan Nadkarni, Selina Noramly, Bart Nathan, Linda Waggoner-Fountain, Casey White,  Bill Wilson,  Mary Kate Worden,  Courtney Chou,  Jeremiah Garrison,  Debra Reed (secretary)

1.  iPhone Interface.  John Jackson reported that demos of the iPhone interface for completing the patient checklists in the clerkships have been received. The developer has requested suggestions for improvement. The application is about 90% complete at this point. Students and faculty will be able to use the app off-line and sync the information to the server when cell phone coverage or wi-fi is available.
   
   
2.  SMD 2017 and SMD 2018 Pre-Clerkship Curriculum Schedules. Amended SMD 2017 and SMD 2018 preclerkship curriculum weekly schedules were distributed.  The Committee approved the schedules. The final schedule for the Class of 2017 and the tentative schedule for the Class of 2018 were approved. Both schedules will be made available on the Curriculum website.
   
   SMD 2017 Preclerkship Schedule
   SMD 2018 Preclerkship Schedule
   
   
3. Proposal for Saturday, Feb 9, 2013 as the final day for SMD15 to take USMLE-1. For the Class of 2015 the College Deans have proposed Saturday, Feb 9, 2013 as the final day to take USMLE-1 before the start of the Pre-Clerkship Transition on February 18 and Clerkships on March 4^th. This is 3 days earlier than the original Wednesday, Feb 13^th date. From a reporting perspective it will make no difference in the release date of scores (estimated to be March 20 or 27). This proposal provides the students a week off before they start the Transition/Intro course on Monday, Feb 18^th. 
   
   The Committee approved Saturday, Feb 9, 2013 as the final day to take USMLE-1 for the Class of 2015 to allow a student to start clerkships on March 4th.
   
   
4. A policy regarding the effect of absences on the successful completion of the clerkship is needed. An unwritten policy has required that the NBME Subject Exams be taken only after completion of missed clinical time and in the next academic cycle.  This began ~2004 when NBME Subject exams were required of all clerkships when available. 
   
   The lead proposal was “All required work in a clerkship must be completed prior to taking the NBME Subject Examination. If significant time has been lost due to illness or other compelling personal or family issues, e.g. absent more than 3-5 days, the student is required to make up at least a week of clinical time and take the NBME Subject Exam in the next academic cycle. If any assignments remain incomplete the student can take the NBME Subject Examination as a make-up in the next academic cycle. In either case the student will receive an "Incomplete" until all work is completed.“ After much discussion (Jackson-Wilson Compromise) this was modified to the following:
    

   If a student is absent up to 20% of the time within a given clerkship, the clerkship director will determine whether the student will take the shelf exam at the end of the rotation. The score that the student obtains on the shelf exam will be recorded, and the student would not be able to re-take the shelf exam unless that student did not receive a passing score on the shelf exam.  If the student elects to postpone taking the shelf exam, it cannot be taken before the next academic cycle. If the student is absent more than 20% of the time within a given clerkship, the student will take the shelf exam in the next academic cycle, after making up the clinical time and fulfilling the other requirements of that clerkship. In either case the student will receive an "Incomplete" until all work is completed.

   
   The purpose of this policy is to provide a clear, consistent definition for both students and faculty while allowing Clerkship Directors sufficient leeway to counsel individual students regarding their clerkship.
   
   This does not change in anyway the current general policy regarding attendance and absences.
   http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/handbook/policy/attendance.cfm
   If a student misses more than 2 contiguous days, she/he must also notify their Student Affairs Dean and the Office for Student Affairs (som-studentaffairs@virginia.edu). The course, system or clerkship director will determine how and when the student can make up the time and activities that have been missed.
   
   
5. Planning and evaluation process for fall/winter - a) systems, b) clerkships and c) electives.  The Committee discussed how evaluations for all systems, clerkships, electives and other components of the Curriculum such as Cells to Society, Orientation, CPD, intersessions might be improved. The Committee agreed that timeliness of the evaluations is very important for real time change to the programs in the following year. Subgroups of the Curriculum Committee could be joined by System Leaders and Clerkship Directors to evaluate individual elements of the Curriculum.  Each element would complete a self-evaluation and the subgroups will be provided with specific lines of inquiry, e.g. strengths, weaknesses, anticipated changes.  The subgroups report findings and recommendations to the Curriculum Committee and monitor compliance in implementation of the recommendations.  Methods used for evaluation of GME programs were discussed.  Don Innes and Casey White will meet with Keith Littlewood and Linda Waggoner-Fountain to learn more about the GME review process.   The Mulholland Society or SMEC should be able to provide the names of students who would be willing to serve on these review subcommittees.   If the review questions are carefully planned (drawing on information readily available in Oasis and online), the amount of faculty time necessary for these reviews can be kept to a manageable level.
   
   
6. Dean’s Town Hall Meeting for SMD 2016.  Approximately half the class of SMD16 attended the Dean’s Town Hall meeting September 6, 2012.    A summary of the discussion will be prepared and made available to the Curriculum Committee.  For the most part, student comments were positive.     A SMD2015 Town Hall meeting is scheduled for 10/3/12 as well as a Town Hall meeting with randomly selected students from all four classes on 10/30/12.
   
   

Donald J. Innes, Jr., M.D.
dmr