Transitions in Undergraduate Medical Education
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To the Editor:
In the September 2019 edition of The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, a team of researchers from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) provided a report on an innovative, 4-week transitional course (Introduction to Clinical Clerkship) that improved student comfort and preparedness for clerkship.3 We applaud the learner-centered approach of PCOM in helping students with this key transition in their medical training.
There are 3 major transition points in undergraduate osteopathic medical education: (1) a shift from fragmented, undergraduate coursework to professional, cohort-based learning (first year), (2) leaving primarily classroom-based learning (second year), train in the clinical setting (third year), and (3) preparing to move from medical school to graduate medical education (GME) training (fourth year). The most successful students can effectively navigate these transition points4 and are subsequently the most ready for residency.
In a similar manner to PCOM's efforts to improve student experience during transition point 2, the clinical faculty at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM) implemented a month-long experience to prepare students for clerkships, Clinical Colloquium (C1), with an emphasis on transformative learning.2,5
In spring 2019, to address transition point 3, MU-COM also introduced the GME Colloquium (C2). This new course is a month of activities designed to guide students into their fourth year and prepare them for entry into GME. The focus of C2 is to build residency application portfolios, provide a better understanding of the GME match process, and reinforce clinical skills and the osteopathic entrustable professional activities.1
Many colleges of osteopathic medicine are envisioning the future of medical education and implementing innovative approaches to help ensure that our students become graduates that will thrive in today's dynamic world of health care delivery. Future research efforts should involve collaboration across colleges of osteopathic medicine with similar goals to help ensure the success of all osteopathic medical graduates.
References
1. American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. Osteopathic Considerations for Core Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for Entering Residency. American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine; 2016. http://www.aacom.org/docs/default-source/med-ed-presentations/core-epas.pdf?sfvrsn=20. Accessed September 16, 2019.Search in Google Scholar
2. AtherleyA, DolmansD, HuW, HegaziI, AlexanderS, TeunissenPW. Beyond the struggles: a scoping review on the transition to undergraduate clinical training. Med Educ. 2019;53(6):559-570. doi:10.1111/medu.13883Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
3. ButtsCA, SpeerJJ, BradyJJ, et al.. Introduction to clerkship: bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical medical education. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2019;119(9):578. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2019.101Search in Google Scholar PubMed
4. Colbert-GetzJM, BaumannS, ShafferK, et al.. What's in a transition? an integrative perspective on transitions in medical education. Teach Learn Med. 2016;28(4):347-352. doi:10.1080/10401334.2016.1217226Search in Google Scholar PubMed
5. SurmonL, BialocerkowskiA, HuW. Perceptions of preparedness for the first medical clerkship: a systematic review and synthesis. BMC Med Educ. 2016;16:89. doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0615-3Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
© 2020 American Osteopathic Association
Articles in the same Issue
- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
- Transitions in Undergraduate Medical Education
- ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
- Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Practice Patterns of Third-Year and Fourth-Year Osteopathic Medical Students: An Educational Research Project
- Does the Halo Effect for Level 1 Trauma Centers Apply to High-Acuity Nonsurgical Admissions?
- Weekly Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment to Improve Measures of Sympathetic Tone in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Study
- Regular Mindful Yoga Practice as a Method to Improve Androgen Levels in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
- BRIEF REPORT
- Effect of Abdominal Lymphatic Pump Treatment on Disease Activity in a Rat Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- CLINICAL REVIEW
- Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Acute Coronary Syndrome or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
- REVIEW
- Rhinitis: The Osteopathic Modular Approach
- CASE REPORT
- Psychogenic Adipsia Presenting as Recurrent Functional Vomiting and Hypernatremia
- CLINICAL IMAGES
- Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans
Articles in the same Issue
- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
- Transitions in Undergraduate Medical Education
- ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
- Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Practice Patterns of Third-Year and Fourth-Year Osteopathic Medical Students: An Educational Research Project
- Does the Halo Effect for Level 1 Trauma Centers Apply to High-Acuity Nonsurgical Admissions?
- Weekly Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment to Improve Measures of Sympathetic Tone in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled Pilot Study
- Regular Mindful Yoga Practice as a Method to Improve Androgen Levels in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
- BRIEF REPORT
- Effect of Abdominal Lymphatic Pump Treatment on Disease Activity in a Rat Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- CLINICAL REVIEW
- Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Acute Coronary Syndrome or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
- REVIEW
- Rhinitis: The Osteopathic Modular Approach
- CASE REPORT
- Psychogenic Adipsia Presenting as Recurrent Functional Vomiting and Hypernatremia
- CLINICAL IMAGES
- Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans
