ACOE_Self-Study

These data were presented and analyzed at meetings of the Institutional Research and Planning Committee (IRPC) , President’s and Dean’s Council and Curriculum Committee. In 2014 -15, the Curriculum Committee developed and passed a detailed proposal to address the shortcomings of clinical medicine education. This proposal consolidates certain aspects of clinical medicine didactic instruction into a single instructional unit that consists of lectures and laboratories. The proposal was approved by the Office of Academic Affairs and instituted in the 2015-16 academic year as a course entitled Clinical Medicine. It is taught in the second year of the curriculum and consists of 18 hours of lecture and 10 hours of lab. (Other material related to clinical medicine continues to be covered in related courses.) The topics covered are taught by several instructors including ODs, MDs, DOs, and NPs and involve discussion of interprofessional interactions and collaborative practice. Only 29% of the Class of 2018 – the first class to take the new general medicine course -- did not believe enough time was devoted to the subject, an improvement over the percentage that expressed the same view in previous years. Although SUNY performance on systemic health items of NBEO Part I have historically been strong, these scores and exit surveys will continue to be monitored to assess the effectiveness of this intervention. Progress examinations To monitor and improve curriculum delivery of core material, Academic Affairs is in the process of implementing a series of comprehensive progress examinations to determine student acquisition, retention, and integration of didactic material. The exams will be given in the early fall of second year, and in the early winter of third year (before boards). The general results of these exams will be used by department chairs and faculty IORs to identify and improve areas of difficulty. Specific results will be provided to each student to identify gaps in knowledge and guide additional learning. Specific results of poorly performing students will be given to the directors of the student advising program to identify and guide students needing academic assistance. Academic Advising and Remediation Programs Academic Affairs, working with the Department of Biological and Vision Sciences, the Department of Clinical Education, and in collaboration with the office of Student Affairs, developed two programs to identify and assist the struggling student learner. 1. The Academic Advising Program: In response to the difficulties and rigor of the academic program, an academic advising program was developed in 2016 to identify and assist students in academic difficulty. These students are identified throughout the first three years of the program by monitoring the results of early assessment each semester, academic performance at the end of each semester, reports from IORs and when self-identified by students seeking assistance through Student Affairs or Academic Affairs. Program directors are provided information on student performance and the students are contacted confidentially. Students who respond are provided advisors from the faculty who meet the student. After an initial meeting where the student’s difficulties are assessed using several tools to determine the areas of difficulty, strategies are developed to assist the student. These strategies are tailored to the student’s specific needs and may include tutoring in an area

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