University of Minnesota Medical School MSPE Information

2024 MSPE

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) Information

 

Grading

Pre-Clinical

The pre-clinical curriculum at the University of Minnesota Medical School is graded No Pass (N), Pass (P). Grades in preclerkship courses are criterion-referenced, that is, based on a student’s mastery of the material and not comparative to other students in the class. A student must accumulate 70% or more of the total points in the course in order to earn a course grade of P (Pass).

Clinical Required Rotations

The clinical curriculum is graded No Pass (N), Pass (P) for required clerkships.   The University of Minnesota Medical School moved to No-Pass, Pass grading for required clerkships in the 2021-22 academic year. Prior to this all required clerkships were graded Honors (H), Excellent (E), Satisfactory (S) and No Pass (N).

Pass/No-Pass Info Sheet

Clinical Elective Rotations

Elective rotations are graded either Honors (H), Excellent (E), Satisfactory (S) and No Pass (N), or No Pass (N), Pass (P).
 

Student Assessment

Beginning in the 2021-22 academic year, all students in required clerkships are assessed using Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). EPAs were created to bridge the gap between competency based education and clinical practice. They were designed by the AAMC to make formative assessment meaningful in the clinical workplace. Each of the 13 EPAs integrate the competencies which every student must demonstrate to graduate from the University of Minnesota Medical School. EPAs truly represent the day to day of the work of the physician. EPAs create an assessment for learning, by providing ongoing, specific and actionable feedback to support the growth and development of a student, future resident and physician.  

The EPAs define a shared set of clinical activities that residents are expected to perform on day one of residency. By using them as a construct for assessment we have an opportunity in undergraduate medical education to develop a new construct toward preparedness and, as an end goal, improvements in patient safety. Ideally, students will perform the Core EPAs consistently in situations of varying complexity as they practice and receive actionable feedback, formulating learning goals for future demonstrations of competence. Recent data indicates that graduates who felt prepared to perform many of the Core EPAs without direct supervision made the transition to residency easier. These graduates were noted to be better prepared to perform many of the essential tasks of an incoming intern.

Students are assessed within all required clinical clerkships using the 13 core Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) adopted from the AAMC. Observations, ratings and comments for each EPA are completed by attending faculty and residents. Students are required to complete and be observed on at least 4 EPAs per week. It is the goal for individual students to reach a level of “Indirect Supervision” on all 13 core EPAs by completion of their core required clerkships. A Clinical Competency Committee convenes every other month to review student EPA progress and deem entrustment for them.

EPA Assessment Info Sheet

 

Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships

Students in the University of Minnesota can choose to participate in several different longitudinal integrated clerkship experiences (LICs) that span the students third year of training, these include: RPAP and MetroPAP - Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) and the University of Minnesota Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP) spend the third year of their training under the supervision of a clinical primary care faculty member, VALUE - Students in the Veteran Affairs Longitudinal Undergraduate Education (VALUE) spend the third year of their training at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center, REACH - Students in the Regions Equitable Affordable Community Health Program (REACH) spend their third hear at Regions Hospital, a level 1 trauma center, HeLIX - Students in the Hennepin Longitudinal Integrated Experience (HeLIX) spend their third year at Hennepin County Medical Center, and EPAC - Several students each year participate in the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) program, a national medical education pilot program in collaboration with the AAMC in which students are advanced through their clinical role based on demonstration of competency, not based on time. Find details for each through the links on the right. 

 

Average length of enrollment (initial matriculation to graduation) at the medical school:

85% of the Class of 2024 completed their MD program in four years, 15% took additional time.


Medical School requirements for successful completion of USMLE Step 1, 2:

USMLE Step 1: Required for promotion, Required for graduation

USMLE Step 2CK: Required for graduation

 

University of Minnesota Medical School requirements for successful completion of Objective/Observed Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE):

The Medical School requires the Clinical Competency Assessment, an OSCE, for all late 3rd/early 4th year medical students

 

Utilization of the course, clerkship, or elective director's narrative comments in composition of the MSPE.  The narrative comments contained in the attached MSPE can best be described as:

Edited for fact and grammar, but not for content

 

Utilization by The University of Minnesota Medical School of the AAMC "Guidelines for Medical Schools Regarding Academic Transcripts."  This medical school is:

Partially in compliance with Guidelines' recommendations. Exceptions: Summary of transfer credit accepted and the name of the institution from which the credit is accepted is not listed, Academic dismissals are not noted, Initial date of dismissal is not noted.

 

Creation of the MSPE and Use of the AAMC Recommendations

The individuals who completed the MSPEs for the Class of 2024 include: Kelsey Angell, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Woubeshet Ayenew, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Anne Becker, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Iris Borowsky, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Britt Erickson, M.D., Faculty Advisor; David Hamlar, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Jessica Hane, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Marshall Hertz, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Sheilagh Maguiness, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Brian Muthyala, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Nersi Nikakhtar, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Maren Olson, M.D., Faculty Advisor; David Satin, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Tseganesh Selameab, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Peter Weissmann, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Andrea Westby, M.D., Faculty Advisor. All Faculty Advisors and MSPE content are overseen by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. Each student meets with one of these faculty members to review their academic history and clinical performance evaluations. After the MSPE is drafted, students are able to review their MSPE and make corrections of fact and grammar only. Each student signs a release before their MSPE is transmitted to residency programs.

 

Use of the AAMC's MSPE Recommendations

1. The MSPE template recommended by the AAMC is used. 

2. ACGME Core Competencies are not highlighted unless reflected in the grading for a clerkship.

3. Professionalism details are not included unless reflected in the grading for a clerkship.

4. and 5. Noteworthy Characteristics have replaced the Unique Characteristics. The Noteworthy Characteristics are determined by the student in consultation with their Faculty Advisor. 

6. Comparative performance data has been provided for each core clinical rotation graded on the No-Pass, Satisfactory, Excellent, Honors scale in-text. No comparative performance data is provided for required core clinical rotations graded Pass (P), No-Pass (N). No comparative performance data is provided for the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) longitudinal integrated clerkship courses. 

7. Components of the final grade for each core clinical rotation are included. Grade components are not included for longitudinal integrated clerkships, including the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP), Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP), VA Longitudinal Undergraduate Education (VALUE), or Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) courses. Elective courses are graded entirely upon clinical performance. 

8. No overall comparative ranking has been calculated for the Class of 2023. The University of Minnesota Medical School does not formally rank students, nor is a key word/adjective used. 

9. Every attempt has been made to keep the MSPE to 7 pages, though some may be longer due to variability of narrative comment length. 

10. The MSPE is limited to the 6 sections, Identifying Information, Noteworthy Characteristics, Summary, Academic History, Academic Progress, and Medical School Information. 

 

Students are permitted to review the MSPE prior to its transmission:

Yes

2023 MSPE

Medical School Information Page for the

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) 

University of Minnesota Medical School

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Grading

Pre-Clinical

The pre-clinical curriculum at the University of Minnesota Medical School is graded No Pass (N), Pass (P). Grades in preclerkship courses are criterion-referenced, that is, based on a student’s mastery of the material and not comparative to other students in the class. A student must accumulate 70% or more of the total points in the course in order to earn a course grade of P (Pass).

Clinical Required Rotations

The clinical curriculum is graded No Pass (N), Pass (P) for required clerkships.   The University of Minnesota Medical School moved to No-Pass, Pass grading for required clerkships in the 2021-22 academic year. Prior to this all required clerkships were graded Honors (H), Excellent (E), Satisfactory (S) and No Pass (N).

Histograms are embedded in the MSPEs for students who completed required clerkships prior to the change to No Pass (N), Pass (P) grading for required clerkships. These histograms are derived from the aggregate clerkship grades for the last three full academic years where full H/E/S/N grading was used: 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21.  For the three year aggregate, an average of 59% received the grade of Honors in the required clerkships, 35% received the grade of Excellent (E) in the required clerkships, 6% received Satisfactory (S) grades, and .2% received No-Pass (N) grades.

Pass/No-Pass Info Sheet

Clinical Elective Rotations

Elective rotations are graded either Honors (H), Excellent (E), Satisfactory (S) and No Pass (N), or No Pass (N), Pass (P).
 

Student Assessment

Beginning in the 2021-22 academic year, all students in required clerkships are assessed using Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). EPAs were created to bridge the gap between competency based education and clinical practice. They were designed by the AAMC to make formative assessment meaningful in the clinical workplace. Each of the 13 EPAs integrate the competencies which every student must demonstrate to graduate from the University of Minnesota Medical School. EPAs truly represent the day to day of the work of the physician. EPAs create an assessment for learning, by providing ongoing, specific and actionable feedback to support the growth and development of a student, future resident and physician.  

The EPAs define a shared set of clinical activities that residents are expected to perform on day one of residency. By using them as a construct for assessment we have an opportunity in undergraduate medical education to develop a new construct toward preparedness and, as an end goal, improvements in patient safety. Ideally, students will perform the Core EPAs consistently in situations of varying complexity as they practice and receive actionable feedback, formulating learning goals for future demonstrations of competence. Recent data indicates that graduates who felt prepared to perform many of the Core EPAs without direct supervision made the transition to residency easier. These graduates were noted to be better prepared to perform many of the essential tasks of an incoming intern.

Students are assessed within all required clinical clerkships using the 13 core Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) adopted from the AAMC. Observations, ratings and comments for each EPA are completed by attending faculty and residents. Students are required to complete and be observed on at least 4 EPAs per week. It is the goal for individual students to reach a level of “Indirect Supervision” on all 13 core EPAs by completion of their core required clerkships. A Clinical Competency Committee convenes every other month to review student EPA progress and deem entrustment for them.

EPA Assessment Info Sheet

 

Longitudinal IntegratedClerkships

Students in the University of Minnesota can choose to partiicpate in several different logitudinal integrated clerkship experiences (LICs) that span the students third year of training, these include: RPAP and MetroPAP - Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) and the University of Minnesota Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP) spend the third year of their training under the supervision of a clinical primary care faculty member, VALUE - Students in the Veteran Affairs Longitudinal Undergraduate Education (VALUE) spend the third year of their training at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center, REACH - Students in the Regions Equitable Affordable Community Health Program (REACH) spend their third hear at Regions Hospital, a level 1 trauma center, HeLIX - Students in the Hennepin Longitudinal Integrated Experience (HeLIX) spend their third year at Hennepin County Medical Center, and EPAC - Several students each year participate in the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) program, a national medical education pilot program in collaboration with the AAMC in which students are advanced through their clinical role based on demonstration onf competency, not based on time.

 

Average length of enrollment (initial matriculation to graduation) at the medical school:

83% of the Class of 2023 completed their MD program in four years, 17% took additional time.


Medical School requirements for successful completion of USMLE Step 1, 2:

USMLE Step 1: Required for promotion, Required for graduation

USMLE Step 2CK: Required for graduation

 

University of Minnesota Medical School requirements for successful completion of Objective/Observed Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE):

Twin Cities Campus – The Medical School requires the Clinical Competency Assessment, an OSCE, for all late 3rd/early 4th year medical students

Duluth Campus - Community Clinical Medicine course

 

Utilization of the course, clerkship, or elective director's narrative comments in composition of the MSPE.  The narrative comments contained in the attached MSPE can best be described as:

Edited for fact and grammar, but not for content

 

Utilization by The University of Minnesota Medical School of the AAMC "Guidelines for Medical Schools Regarding Academic Transcripts."  This medical school is:

Partially in compliance with Guidelines' recommendations. Exceptions: Summary of transfer credit accepted and the name of the institution from which the credit is accepted is not listed, Academic dismissals are not noted, Initial date of dismissal is not noted.

 

Creation of the MSPE and Use of the AAMC Recommendations

The individuals who completed the MSPEs for the Class of 2023 include: Kelsey Angell, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Woubeshet Ayenew, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Anne Becker, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Iris Borowsky, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Britt Erickson, M.D., Faculty Advisor; David Hamlar, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Jessica Hane, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Marshall Hertz, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Sheilagh Maguiness, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Brian Muthyala, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Nersi Nikakhtar, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Maren Olson, M.D., Faculty Advisor; David Satin, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Tseganesh Selameab, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Peter Weissmann, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Andrea Westby, M.D., Faculty Advisor. All Faculty Advisors and MSPE content are overseen by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. Each student meets with one of these faculty members to review their academic history and clinical performance evaluations. After the MSPE is drafted, students are able to review their MSPE and make corrections of fact and grammar only. Each student signs a release before their MSPE is transmitted to residency programs.

 

Use of the AAMC's MSPE Recommendations

1. The MSPE template recommended by the AAMC is used. 

2. ACGME Core Competencies are not highlighted unless reflected in the grading for a clerkship.

3. Professionalism details are not included unless reflected in the grading for a clerkship.

4. and 5. Noteworthy Characteristics have replaced the Unique Characteristics. The Noteworthy Characteristics are determined by the student in consultation with their Faculty Advisor. 

6. Comparative performance data has been provided for each core clinical rotation graded on the No-Pass, Satisfactory, Excellent, Honors scale in-text. No comparative performance data is provided for required core clinical rotations graded Pass (P), No-Pass (N). No comparative performance data is provided for the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) longitudinal integrated clerkship courses. 

7. Components of the final grade for each core clinical rotation are included. Grade components are not included for longitudinal integrated clerkships, including the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP), Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP), VA Longitudinal Undergraduate Education (VALUE), or Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) courses. Elective courses are graded entirely upon clinical performance. 

8. No overall comparative ranking has been calculated for the Class of 2023. The University of Minnesota Medical School does not formally rank students, nor is a key word/adjective used. 

9. Every attempt has been made to keep the MSPE to 7 pages, though some may be longer due to variability of narrative comment length. 

10. The MSPE is limited to the 6 sections, Identifying Information, Noteworthy Characteristics, Summary, Academic History, Academic Progress, and Medical School Information. 

 

Students are permitted to review the MSPE prior to its transmission:

Yes

2022 MSPE

Medical School Information Page for the

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) 

University of Minnesota Medical School

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Special characteristics

The pre-clinical curriculum at the University of Minnesota Medical School is graded No-Pass, Pass.

The clinical curriculum is graded Honors (H), Excellent (E), Satisfactory (S) and No Pass (N).  The histograms embedded in the MSPEs are derived from the aggregate clerkship grades for the last three full academic years: 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21.  For the three year aggregate, an average of 59% received the grade of Honors in the required clerkships, 35% received the grade of Excellent (E) in the required clerkships, 6% received Satisfactory (S) grades, and .2% received No-Pass (N) grades. 

Students in the University of Minnesota can choose to partiicpate in several different logitudinal integrated clerkship experiences (LICs) that span the students third year of training, these include: RPAP and MetroPAP - Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) and the University of Minnesota Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP) spend the third year of their training under the supervision of a clinical primary care faculty member, VALUE - Students in the Veteran Affairs Longitudinal Undergraduate Education (VALUE) spend the third year of their training at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center, REACH - Students in the Regions Equitable Affordable Community Health Program (REACH) spend their third hear at Regions Hospital, a level 1 trauma center, HeLIX - Students in the Hennepin Longitudinal Integrated Experience (HeLIX) spend their third year at Hennepin County Medical Center, and EPAC - Several students each year participate in the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) program, a national medical education pilot program in collaboration with the AAMC in which students are advanced through their clinical role based on demonstration onf competency, not based on time.

COVID-19 Impact on Class of 2022 Curriculum

In mid-March, 2020, the University of Minnesota Medical School removed all students from the in-person clinical training environment. This was aligned with the Minnesota Governor’s stay-at-home order and in concert with our clinical partners. Our Guiding Principles were the safety of the patients, staff, and students; the proper utilization of scarce resources in the form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); and ensuring a high quality learning environment with adequate supervision and patient volumes. During their time away from the in-person clinical training environment, students continued to engage in high-quality structured virtual curriculum in required clerkships and in virtual elective clerkships, many of which were centered on service-learning and health equity to allow students to have direct learning experiences around the pandemic. The required clerkship structured curriculum with which students engaged while out of the clinical environment was designed to provide a foundation in that discipline’s common diagnoses, key concepts, and complement their educational experiences in in-person settings once they were able to return to the clinical environment.

As we began to meet the Guiding Principles for in-person clinical experiences, many of our graduating students returned to the clinical environment at the end of June, 2020. As our capacity in the in-person clinical training environment increased, we were able to offer training to all students in the in-person environments beginning August 31st, 2020.

Each required clerkship was divided into two components: virtual (Part A) and face-to-face (Part B), each with unique course numbers. Part A courses were graded Pass or No Pass while Part B continued to be Honors, Excellent, Satisfactory, or No-Pass. In all cases, the combination of Part A and Part B courses had the same learning goals and objectives as their previous integrated courses.


Average length of enrollment (initial matriculation to graduation) at the medical school:

88% of the Class of 2022 completed their MD program in four years, 12% took additional time.


Medical School requirements for successful completion of USMLE Step 1, 2:

USMLE Step 1: Required for promotion, Required for graduation

USMLE Step 2CK: Required for graduation

 

University of Minnesota Medical School requirements for successful completion of Objective/Observed Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE):

Twin Cities Campus – The Medical School requires the Clinical Competency Assessment, an OSCE, for all late 3rd/early 4th year medical students

Duluth Campus - Community Clinical Medicine course

 

Utilization of the course, clerkship, or elective director's narrative comments in composition of the MSPE.  The narrative comments contained in the attached MSPE can best be described as:

Edited for fact and grammar, but not for content

 

Utilization by The University of Minnesota Medical School of the AAMC "Guidelines for Medical Schools Regarding Academic Transcripts."  This medical school is:

Partially in compliance with Guidelines' recommendations. Exceptions: Summary of transfer credit accepted and the name of the institution from which the credit is accepted is not listed, Academic dismissals are not noted, Initial date of dismissal is not noted.

 

Creation of the MSPE and Use of the AAMC Recommendations

The individuals who completed the MSPEs for the Class of 2022 include: Woubeshet Ayenew, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Anne Becker, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Iris Borowsky, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Britt Erickson, M.D., Faculty Advisor; David Hamlar, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Marshall Hertz, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Sheilagh Maguiness, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Brian Muthyala, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Nersi Nikakhtar, M.D., Faculty Advisor; David Satin, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Tseganesh Selameab, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Jamie Starks, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Peter Weissmann, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Andrea Westby, M.D., Faculty Advisor. All Faculty Advisors and MSPE content are overseen by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. Each student meets with one of these faculty members to review their academic history and clinical performance evaluations. After the MSPE is drafted, students are able to review their MSPE and make corrections of fact and grammar only. Each student signs a release before their MSPE is transmitted to residency programs.

 

Use of the AAMC's MSPE Recommendations

1. The MSPE template recommended by the AAMC is used. 

2. ACGME Core Competencies are not highlighted unless reflected in the grading for a clerkship.

3. Professionalism details are not included unless reflected in the grading for a clerkship.

4. and 5. Noteworthy Characteristics have replaced the Unique Characteristics. The Noteworthy Characteristics are determined by the student in consultation with their Faculty Advisor. 

6. Comparative performance data has been provided for each core clinical rotation graded on the No-Pass, Satisfactory, Excellent, Honors scale in-text. No comparative performance data is provided for the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) longitudinal integrated clerkship courses. 

7. Components of the final grade for each core clinical rotation graded on the No-Pass, Satisfactory, Excellent, Honors scale. Grade components are not included for longitudinal integrated clerkships, including the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP), Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP), VA Longitudinal Undergraduate Education (VALUE), or Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) courses. Elective courses are graded entirely upon clinical performance. 

8. No overall comparative ranking has been calculated for the Class of 2022. The University of Minnesota Medical School does not formally rank students, nor is a key word/adjective used. 

9. Every attempt has been made to keep the MSPE to 7 pages, though some may be longer due to variability of narrative comment length. 

10. The MSPE is limited to the 6 sections, Identifying Information, Noteworthy Characteristics, Academic History, Academic Progress, Summary, and Medical School Information. 

 

Students are permitted to review the MSPE prior to its transmission:

Yes

2021 MSPE

Medical School Information Page for the

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) 

University of Minnesota Medical School

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Special characteristics

The pre-clinical curriculum at the University of Minnesota Medical School is graded No-Pass, Pass. The top 25% of the class receive a designation of honors for their overall performance in each of the first two years.

The clinical curriculum is graded Honors (H), Excellent (E), Satisfactory (S) and No Pass (N).  The Honors grade (H) is intended to reflect performance in the required clerkships in the top 30%.  For the Class of 2021, an average of 49% received the grade of Honors in the required clerkships, 44% received the grade of Excellent (E) in the required clerkships, 7% received Satisfactory (S) grades, and .2% received No-Pass (N) grades. The histograms embedded in the MSPEs are derived from the aggregate clerkship grades of all of the members of the class scheduled to graduate in May 2021. Thus, for those who took the clerkships outside of the 2019-2020 academic year, these histograms may be less representative of their actual cohort. As a result, we have included the semester of the clerkship in the MSPE and have included the histograms for the required clerkships for the current and past three graduating classes below:

Class 2021 Required Clerkship Grade Histogram
Class 2020 Required Clerkship Grade Histogram
Class 2019 Required Clerkship Grade Histogram
Class 2018 Required Clerkship Grade Histogram

Students in the University of Minnesota can choose to partiicpate in severl different logitudinal integrated clerkship experiences (LICs) that span the students third year of training, these include: RPAP and MetroPAP - Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) and the University of Minnesota Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP) spend the third year of their training under the supervision of a clinical primary care faculty member, VALUE - Students in the Veteran Affairs Longitudinal Undergraduate Education (VALUE) spend the third year of their training at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center, REACH - Students in the Regions Equitable Affordable Community Health Program (REACH) spend their third hear at Regions Hospital, a level 1 trauma center, HeLIX - Students in the Hennepin Longitudinal Integrated Experience (HeLIX) spend their third year at Hennepin County Medical Center, and EPAC - Several students each year participate in the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) program, a national medical education pilot program in collaboration with the AAMC in which students are advanced through their clinical role based on demonstration onf competency, not based on time.

COVID-19 Impact on Class of 2021 Curriculum

In mid-March, 2020, the University of Minnesota Medical School removed all students from the in-person clinical training environment. This was aligned with the Minnesota Governor’s stay-at-home order and in concert with our clinical partners. Our Guiding Principles were the safety of the patients, staff, and students; the proper utilization of scarce resources in the form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); and ensuring a high quality learning environment with adequate supervision and patient volumes. During their time away from the in-person clinical training environment, students continued to engage in high-quality structured virtual curriculum in required clerkships and in virtual elective clerkships, many of which were centered on service-learning and health equity to allow students to have direct learning experiences around the pandemic. The required clerkship structured curriculum with which students engaged while out of the clinical environment was designed to provide a foundation in that discipline’s common diagnoses, key concepts, and complement their educational experiences in in-person settings once they were able to return to the clinical environment.

As we began to meet the Guiding Principles for in-person clinical experiences, many of our graduating students returned to the clinical environment at the end of June, 2020. As our capacity in the in-person clinical training environment increased, we were able to offer training to all students in the in-person environments beginning August 31st, 2020.

Each required clerkship was divided into two components: virtual (Part A) and face-to-face (Part B), each with unique course numbers. Part A courses were graded Pass or No Pass while Part B continued to be Honors, Excellent, Satisfactory, or No-Pass. In all cases, the combination of Part A and Part B courses had the same learning goals and objectives as their previous integrated courses.


Average length of enrollment (initial matriculation to graduation) at the medical school:

81% of the Class of 2021 completed their MD program in four years, 19% took additional time.


Medical School requirements for successful completion of USMLE Step 1, 2:

USMLE Step 1: Required for promotion, Required for graduation

USMLE Step 2CK: Required for graduation

 

University of Minnesota Medical School requirements for successful completion of Objective/Observed Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE):

Twin Cities Campus – Requires two OSCEs in the second year for all students. The Medical School requires the Clinical Competency Assessment, an OSCE, for all late 3rd/early 4th year medical students

Duluth Campus - Community Clinical Medicine course

 

Utilization of the course, clerkship, or elective director's narrative comments in composition of the MSPE.  The narrative comments contained in the attached MSPE can best be described as:

Edited for fact and grammar, but not for content

 

Utilization by The University of Minnesota Medical School of the AAMC "Guidelines for Medical Schools Regarding Academic Transcripts."  This medical school is:

Partially in compliance with Guidelines' recommendations

  • Exceptions:
  • Summary of transfer credit accepted and the name of the institution from which the credit is accepted is not listed
  • Academic dismissals are not noted
  • Initial date of dismissal is not noted

Creation of the MSPE and Use of the AAMC Recommendations

The individuals who completed the MSPEs for the Class of 2021 include: Woubeshet Ayenew, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Anne Becker, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Iris Borowsky, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Alisa Duran, M.D., Faculty Advisor, Britt Erickson, M.D., Faculty Advisor; David Hamlar, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Marshall Hertz, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Tara Holm, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Sheilagh Maguiness, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Brian Muthyala, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Nersi Nikakhtar, M.D., Faculty Advisor; David Satin, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Tseganesh Selameab, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Jamie Starks, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Peter Weissmann, M.D., Faculty Advisor; Andrea Westby, M.D., Faculty Advisor. All Faculty Advisors and MSPE content are overseen by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. Each student meets with one of these faculty members to review their academic history and clinical performance evaluations. After the MSPE is drafted, students are able to review their MSPE and make corrections of fact and grammar only. Each student signs a release before their MSPE is transmitted to residency programs.

Use of the AAMC's MSPE Recommendations

1. The MSPE template recommended by the AAMC is used. 

2. ACGME Core Competencies are not highlighted unless reflected in the grading for a clerkship.

3. Professionalism details are not included unless reflected in the grading for a clerkship.

4. and 5. Noteworthy Characteristics have replaced the Unique Characteristics. The Noteworthy Characteristics are determined by the student in consultation with their Faculty Advisor. 

6. Comparative performance data has been provided for each core clinical rotation graded on the No-Pass, Satisfactory, Excellent, Honors scale in-text. No comparative performance data is provided for longitudinal integrated clerkships for Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) courses. 

7. Components of the final grade for each core clinical rotation graded on the No-Pass, Satisfactory, Excellent, Honors scale. Grade components are not included for longitudinal integrated clerkships, including the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP), Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP), VA Longitudinal Undergraduate Education (VALUE), or Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) courses. Elective courses are graded entirely upon clinical performance. 

8. No overall comparative ranking has been calculated for the Class of 2021. The University of Minnesota Medical School does not formally rank students, nor is a key word/adjective used. 

9. Every attempt has been made to keep the MSPE to 7 pages, though some may be longer due to variability of narrative comment length. 

10. The MSPE is limited to the 6 sections, Identifying Information, Noteworthy Characteristics, Academic History, Academic Progress, Summary, and Medical School Information. 

Students are permitted to review the MSPE prior to its transmission:
Yes