Master & Longitudinal Course Update
Across the Lifespan
Across the Lifespan continues with lectures, TBLs, Labs and workshops. We are now in the Child and Adolescent life stage, during which you learn(ed) about various stages of child and adolescent development and physiology. On Tuesday, November 15, you met a young adult with disabilities and her family. On November 16, you will learn about the care of people with disabilities, a session that is in large part the result of a former medical student’s initiative. The last 2 days before your Thanksgiving break are spent on topics that transition into the reproductive years, including atypical puberty, the HPO axis and sex steroid physiology, transgender health, infertility, contraception, and abortion care. We are proud to announce our very first ATL simulation session, on Thursday, November 17.
After your Thanksgiving break, you will spend the week in large part in Labs and Workshops, learning on various pathologies of the reproductive years. Finally, on December 5, you will start the last life stage, Aging, focusing on the “5Ms” (Mind, Mobility, Medications, Multicomplexity and Matters Most). The course qualifier will open Wednesday, December 7 and will close on Sunday, December 11 at 11:45 PM.
Anatomy
Anatomy continues with a lecture on the Pelvis, and the qualifier on the pelvis and perineum will open on Friday, December 2.
Populations & Methods
In a schedule change, the Populations and Methods workshops will begin at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, November 16 to allow students to attend an important session in Anatomy. The November 16 workshop will focus on falls in the elderly as a public health challenge, and the economics of prevention as a methods topic. This latter material will be included on the qualifier. After the Case Study, there will be a review session to help in preparation for the qualifier. The Populations and Methods qualifier opens Wednesday, November 16, and closes on Sunday, November 20 at 11:45 PM. The 30-question exam must be completed in 3 hours.
Please check the BlueDogs learning management with the filter settings on “PreClerkship” for details of the MS1 and “Year Two” for MS2 schedules.
If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about the Pre-Clerkship curriculum, please contact the Pre-Clerkship Co-Directors, Dr. Peter Takizawa and Dr. Michael DiGiovanna, or the Manager of the Pre-Clerkship, Marion Miller.
Clinical Skills Course Update - MS2s
The following weeks of class are meant to align with content in Across the Lifespan. We have long known about the disparities in healthcare for people with disabilities. In class on November 29, you will hear from clinicians who care for patients with disabilities and/or have disabilities themselves as they explore the challenges they face in the healthcare system, and their strength and resilience. This session offers you another opportunity to review and apply relevant content in the Inclusive Language Initiative & Glossary.
On December 6, we will discuss the clinical approach to sexual health. You will start with a large group discussion and interview demonstration about sexual health, and then move into small groups where you will interview standardized patients about sexual health.
If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about the CS curriculum please contact Dr. Jaideep Talwalkar or Tracy Yale or any of your CS faculty.
Medical Coach Experience (MCE)
Congratulations on the last weeks of your MCE course. We wish you a refreshing Thanksgiving break. You have one session left the week of November 28 to receive feedback from you MCE coaches. We look forward to celebrating with you and your MCE coaches the passage of the Class of 2025 to the clinical years on December 1 from 6:00-8:00 PM in Cohen Auditorium. Please RSVP here and complete this evaluation of your MCE coaches.
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Barry Wu or Tracy Yale.
Transition Course
The next set of experiences to help you prepare for the clerkship year will be the Transition course which will run from Monday December 12 until Friday December 16. It will cover important topics that will enhance your understanding of your role on the clinical rotation, practical aspects of being a clerk, particular clinical skills, how to address difficult situations while on rotation, and so much more. You’ll feel more confident heading into the winter break after going through this week of learning activities. As a reminder, don’t schedule travel plans to leave New Haven until after the last session on that Friday. Check out BlueDogs for the course schedule.
If you have any questions about the Transition course, please contact Dr. David Hersh or the Manager of the Clerkships and ATP, Gina Franco.
Absences from Clerkships in the First Block
A reminder that if you are planning to present your research at a conference during the first clerkship block (1/3 - 3/24/2023) and need to request an absence from the clerkship that you are on to do so, then the request for the absence needs to be submitted by Monday, December 5. Requests after that date will likely be denied unless there are significant extenuating circumstances. To submit a request, students should contact Gina Franco to receive a Request to attend Conference Form, complete the form and submit it to Dr. David Hersh and Gina Franco. Do not pay for travel or hotel until you hear back from Gina and Dr. Hersh about a decision on your request. As a reminder, you are allowed to be absent only once from clerkships for a conference over the 12-month period; so, choose carefully which conference you'd like to attend. Also, the absence should only be for up to three days - a day to travel to the conference, a day to present, and a day to travel back to the New Haven area. You will not be excused to attend the entirety of the conference.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. David Hersh or the Manager of the Clerkships and ATP, Gina Franco.
AAMC Y2 Survey
By this time, you all should have received the link to the Y2Q survey form the AAMC. This important survey assists us in continuing to improve the curriculum and the learning environment. For this to be representative of your class, we need as many of you to participate as possible. The aggregate responses will be reviewed by Dean Brown, education leadership and the departments at YSM. They will also be reviewed by the LCME, our accreditation body, and your responses will inform changes in the curriculum as well as innovations at YSM.
To create a fun and rewarding incentive for your class, Dean Illuzzi has partnered with HAVEN Free Clinic to contribute some of her discretionary funds from the Deputy Dean's budget to HAVEN. Many students and providers volunteer at HAVEN to provide free care to uninsured patients in our community. The HAVEN executive directors have shared areas in which they would like to provide further support to their patients, particularly with regard to covering medical transportation and medications. As many of you know, HAVEN has its own budget, which is funded by gifts, endowments (which are a part of the Yale endowment directed to HAVEN), and support from YSM. Therefore, Dean Illuzzi has created a discretionary fund that can be accessed by HAVEN leadership to pay for some of these additional costs not included in the annual budget with the goal of improving access to care.
For the Y2Q survey, we will provide up to $10 per survey completed to the HAVEN discretionary fund. If your class reaches above 90%, we will match this contribution, thus doubling the contribution to $20 per survey. This can generate up to $2000 per class for the AAMC surveys and would allow HAVEN to provide transportation and cover some medications to those patients who would otherwise not be able to access the clinic or take optimal medications prescribed.
Currently, 46.7% of MS2s have completed the survey. We hope you will find the link to the survey in your email and complete it as soon as you can!