Quality Improvement Communication

Did you know the medical school provides time off for healthcare appointments and other wellness needs?

The Attendance Requirements and Excused Absences policy describe how students can be excused from preclerkship courses or clinical experiences for needed healthcare appointments, wellness needs, or certain academic priorities.

The Duty Hours, Years 3 and 4 policy regulates work hours and independent learning time to provide opportunities for personal care and wellness.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know student feedback on national surveys has a significant impact on your educational experiences?

Annual surveys like the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) are important tools for medical schools to use in continuous quality improvement. They help identify strengths and areas for improvement from the students' perspective. Additionally, they are a required data source used as part of the medical school’s accreditation.

The UMMS has used results from the GQ and other national surveys to gain the necessary resources and support for significant improvement. Participating in these surveys isn’t just a professional expectation; your feedback is essential to our success!

Some highlights of how these surveys have led to change include:

• Low satisfaction with on campus study and relaxation spaces was used to obtain funding for the Health Sciences Education Center and for substantial financial investments in Duluth campus improvements. The result is increased satisfaction to 73% - 86% as of the 2023 GQ
• High levels of student burnout led to the implementation of a Pass/Fail system in both the pre-clerkship and required clerkship phases. The results of reducing cognitive load have resulted in levels of burnout below the national mean as of the 2023 GQ
• Low satisfaction with mental health services resulted in the establishment of the Confidential Bridging Counseling Services (CBC) and telepsychiatry services. This resulted in notable increases in student satisfaction to 89% in 2023
• Low satisfaction with career planning services resulted in the creation of a formal career planning system spanning all four years, the creation of positions dedicated to career planning, the expansion of the Faculty Advising program, and the implementation of Department-Specific Specialty Advisors. Satisfaction has increased to 75% in 2023 (10% above the national mean)

You asked. We listened.

Did you know the medical school had one of its most successful Residency Matches with the Class of 2024?

The Class of 2024 had a final Match rate of 97.5%. This includes 100% Match rates for the primary care specialties of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Med-Peds, and Pediatrics. Engaging in our career advising activities will help ensure your class’ Match is just as successful. Check out your online resources, learn about the various specialties, and contact local Specialty Experts for specialty-specific information and guidance. Students across all classes can also take advantage of the career discernment checklists linked below.

MS1 Checklist: Understand Yourself
MS2 Checklist: Explore Your Options
MS3 Checklist: Choose a Specialty
MS4 Checklist: Prepare for Residency

Reach out anytime to the Career Career Development and Residency Match team at [email protected] or your Faculty Advisor to discuss career options and resources.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know student policies help to ensure you have the best possible educational experience?

Having clear medical student policies facilitates an environment for effective learning, keeps you safe, enforces rules consistently, and communicates the expectations between students, the school, and its representatives.

Medical student policies are kept up-to-date through regular review and revision. For example, a recent review of the Duty Hours policy resulted in the creation of an online, anonymous reporting tool and added language on the University’s non-retaliation policy.

Visit the Medical Student Policies webpage to see the complete list of policies for medical students across all years and campuses. Students can also submit requests for new policies or recommendations for revising existing ones through this webpage.

You asked. We listened.

Do you have ideas for future Did You Know topics? Submit them here!

Did you know we are committed to ensuring you have accessible study spaces and secure storage at our major clinical sites?

To facilitate this, we conduct periodic reviews of clerkship evaluations, with sites below 75% satisfaction triggering a review to identify the root cause of dissatisfaction and take corrective action.

The linked charts reflect student satisfaction from the most recent quarterly review for clerkships.

Student Resources: Clerkship students are provided with a Clinical Space Fact Sheet showing locations of secure storage and study space at our major clinical sites. Updated regularly, this Fact Sheet is available on the Clinical Scheduling Guide web page as part of Clerkship Orientations and provided to Site Directors.

Student Feedback: Students may also submit issues, corrections, or updates about secure storage or study space using an online Clinical Space Update Request Form. Submissions are reviewed and addressed with the appropriate stakeholders.

You asked. We listened. 

Did you know you can apply for student research funds? 

Applications for University of Minnesota Foundation Medical Student Research Grants are now open. The UMF encourages innovative research by Medical School students and awards grants to students pursuing basic, clinical, or community-based research interests. This program encourages medical students to conduct independent, mentored, and academic research using a protocol of their own design. Access the frequently asked questions about the grants. Use this form to submit a question not addressed.

Applications are due by February 15, 2024.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know the medical school has mechanisms for students to report instances of mistreatment and policy violations?
 

Mistreatment: Students can use UReport, which provides an online way to anonymously report instances of alleged mistreatment. Submissions are investigated by the University’s Office of EOAA, Office of Community Standards, or by the medical school’s internal Mistreatment and Harassment Oversight Team.

Duty Hours: The Duty Hours policy sets expectations for time off and Independent Learning Time (ILT) in clerkship scheduling to ensure students have a significant clinical experience, time to prepare for course assessments, and sufficient time to attend to personal matters for maintaining well-being. Students are encouraged to report alleged Duty Hours violations to the Office of Curriculum.

Consent for Educational Sensitive Exams: This policy supports student training by demonstrating the importance of patient consent and by empowering students to consistently confirm consent. Students can anonymously report alleged violations through an online reporting tool, which will be investigated promptly through the Office of Curriculum.

The medical school also regularly monitors these areas through anonymous course/clerkship evaluations and national surveys like the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire and Y2Q.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know taking breaks is extremely important for recharging?
 

Medical school is demanding. To help students deal with these demands, the UMMS supports strategies to increase engagement and reduce student burnout. For ideas on stress-reducing activities or to add your own, check out “The Box,” a living document of options for managing stress with ideas for mind and body approaches, making plans, and connecting with others - developed by students for students.

As the upcoming break approaches, we encourage you to consider planning some intentional, restorative activities. This may include rest, recreational activities, time with loved ones, and solitude. Additionally, research has shown time on social media is not restorative - so consider getting outdoors, reconnecting with people in person, or trying something new.

If you need additional support in coping with stressors, contact the Office of Learner Development in Duluth or the Twin Cities.
You asked. We listened.

Did you know we successfully resolved seven of our ten Accreditation Findings and all of our Unsatisfactory citations? 

The accreditation organization of the medical school, the LCME, determined that seven of our ten outstanding Findings are entirely Satisfactory (meet accreditation requirements), with the remaining three determined to be Satisfactory with ongoing monitoring. This means the medical school has remediated all its Unsatisfactory citations in just two years!

Our success represents substantial student, staff, faculty and medical school leadership commitments.

Your feedback on our annual Quality Improvement Surveys was instrumental to our successes. Look out for future opportunities in spring 2024 to complete the yearly surveys and help us continue to ensure the best educational experience for you.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know the medical school has a new online tool to help you learn more about your away rotation options?
 

The Medical School has developed a new dashboard showing student evaluations of their away rotation sites. The dashboard allows you to filter sites by location (region or state) and by specialty to explore sites that might be a good fit for you. You can access the dashboard by logging in with your Internet ID and password.

Note: The dashboard currently includes data on sites for recently completed evaluations. New sites will be added over time. To learn about more other sites from past years, you can browse previous evaluations or visit our other resources on the domestic away rotation website. You asked. We listened.

Did you know the medical school has a variety of processes to collect feedback about your courses, clerkships and other programs? 

See a summary of key ways the medical school obtains student feedback. In addition, here is a brief video highlighting the importance of providing feedback during medical school.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know Confidential Bridge Counseling (CBC) is available to all students?

More than 35% of our students have taken advantage of CBC services. The CBC includes psychologists in the Twin Cities and Duluth who are available to support your mental health and wellness.

Featuring free, confidential & convenient in-person or telehealth appointments with little to no wait time, CBC provides dedicated “bridging” services for medical students needing brief psychological support, awaiting the start of services elsewhere or for those who would like a referral.

98% of students indicated they would recommend the services to their peers.

To schedule an appointment:

• For Twin Cities students, access the Twin Cities Appointment Calendar or email Dr. Maryanne Reilly-Spong at [email protected].
• For Duluth students, access the Duluth Appointment Calendar or email Dr. Elizabeth Teschner at [email protected]. 

You asked. We listened.

Did you know medical students have a voice in shaping the educational experience?
 

Learn more about how to make your voice heard. 

You asked. We listened.

Did you know we continue to improve because of your feedback?
 

You can review the results here.

Your responses are informing impactful improvement plans that will enhance the educational program and student satisfaction.

More details on these actions will be highlighted in upcoming 'Did You Know...' messages — Stay Tuned.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know the students in our incoming class of 2027 build on our school’s diversity?

• 84 different undergraduate degrees represented
• 23 come to us with advanced degrees
• 82.6% are Minnesota residents
• 32 different languages represented
  

Did you know you can apply for student research funds? 
 

You asked. We listened.

Did you know our Summer Internship in Medical Education (SIME) students have completed projects focused on enhancing the quality of your educational experience?

You asked. We listened.

Did you know we are supporting students interested in rural practice?

Medical educational experiences impact future career choice and practice location. An example is our Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP), a 9-month rural longitudinal integrated clerkship for third-year medical students.

1,217 RPAP participants who completed GME training between 1975-2017 were compared to non-RPAP participants during that same time period. More RPAP participants practiced in-state (65.7% vs 54.4%), primary care (69.0% vs 33.4%), family medicine (61.1% vs 17.3%) and rural (41.2% vs 13.9%).

Learn more about this analysis.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know we provide time off?

The Duty Hours, Years 3 and 4 policy regulate work hours and independent learning time to provide opportunities for personal care and wellness.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know we've completed our annual quality improvement surveys and compiled the results?

These results, including narrative comments, are currently being used to identify ongoing and new CQI initiatives and will be included in the UMMS’ Status Report submitted to the LCME in August 2023.

Any questions or concerns about the surveys or the results can be directed to Joe Oppedisano, Director of Accreditation & Quality Improvement.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know MedIS has a dashboard to track Required Clinical Encounters (RCE) for passing core clerkships and graduation?

You asked. We listened.

The deadline for the next cycle is February 15, 2022.

Did you know the school sets limits on pre-clerkship workload and clerkship duty hours? The school also provides time off for needed healthcare appointments and other wellness needs.

• The Academic Workload in Pre-clerkship Courses Policy details the expectations for academic workload. 
• The Attendance Requirements & Excused Absences Policy describes how students can be excused from pre-clerkship courses or clinical experiences to seek needed care.
• The Duty Hours, Years 3 and 4 Policy regulate work hours and independent learning time to provide opportunities for personal care and wellness.

Did you know we have been working hard to improve student satisfaction with secure storage and study space at our major clinical sites?

The impact of these efforts are:

• Quality Improvement Satisfaction Survey: 80% of MS4 students indicated on the January 2023 survey they were satisfied with secure storage and 82% were satisfied with study space compared to 65% and 77%, respectively, in January 2022.
• Clerkship Evaluations: In the 22-23 Academic Year, 89-96% of students report being satisfied with secure storage, and 88-100% report being satisfied with study space during their required core clerkships. Students can submit issues, corrections or updates about secure storage or study space using an online Clinical Space Update Request Form.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know the medical school maintains clear policies to facilitate an environment for effective learning, keep you safe, enforce rules consistently and provide you with the best possible educational experience?

Medical student policies are kept up-to-date through regular review and revision. For example, based on student feedback, the Attendance Requirements & Excused Absences policy was recently updated to include participation in formal University system governance as a valid reason for an excused absence.

Visit the Medical Student Policies webpage to see the complete list of policies for medical students across all years and both campuses.

You asked. We listened.

Did you know the pre-clerkship curriculum is actively monitored to ensure high satisfaction with educational experiences?

In addition to periodic surveys, real-time data from course evaluations demonstrate high satisfaction with our pre-clerkship courses' overall quality and effective integration of clinical practice and basic science content. Many of the reasons for sustained or improved student satisfaction are the result of student feedback through course evaluations and Course LEADS.

Additional school-wide surveys are currently being conducted throughout this spring semester to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous improvement efforts in these and other areas throughout the medical school. So stay tuned!

You asked. We listened.

We are here for you. Let us know how we can help. 

We would also like to remind you about the Excused Absence Policy. Acceptable uses of the policy include concerns about your or your family's safety, stressors that significantly impact your ability to engage in an educational experience and mental health impacts related to events affecting our community. Our pledge is to minimize the impact of any excused absence on your academic progress and graduation date.

We’re here for you. Take care, and let us know how we can help.

Did you know recent initiatives in formative feedback and observation of H&P have resulted in significant improvements in student learning and satisfaction?

Since the implementation of the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency (Core EPAs) in 2021 and the standardized Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) in 2022, clerkship performance with formative feedback and observation of H&P have shown dramatic improvements.

Recent clerkship evaluation data show:

• Between 97-100% of students report having received mid-clerkship feedback
• Between 95-100% of students indicate they were observed performing the relevant portions of the history and physical exam
• Between 84-98% of students believe the quality of formative feedback meets or exceeds their expectations 

• Significant improvement in the quantity of formative feedback, with only 1-13% of students indicating there is still too little formative feedback

  You asked. We listened.

Did you know the medical school offers comprehensive student services supporting all medical students?

Focus areas include mental health and wellbeing, career and professional development, academic advising, and learner development.

We are committed to your success.

You asked. We listened.