SUNY Downstate College of Medicine Curriculum Renewal

A: At a minimum, Clerkships will start 2 weeks earlier in the calendar year, so less total time will be allotted to the pre-clerkship years ("Years 1 and 2"), which affects all teaching in years 1 and 2, including basic science and clinical teaching (e.g. ECM). However, there will be a major change in the distribution of material throughout the 4 years and part of building the new curriculum (currently ongoing) will be to decide what is taught, when it's taught, and how it's taught.

A: The teaching of Basic Science material is going to be affected by several changes in the new curriculum: the elimination of the separation of the normal and abnormal, the possible introduction of different teaching methods or shifts in emphasis on teaching methods (e.g. asynchronous learning, Standardized Patients), the need to eliminate unnecessary redundancies and the integration of basic science and clinical teaching wherever possible across the 4 years. These aspects, along with the start dates of the clerkships, will affect the material that gets delivered. There will also be an increased emphasis on re-visiting or adding basic science material in Years 3 and 4, which will be one component of curriculum building in the coming months.

A: All block content is being reorganized. We can't make any more specific determinations about individual elements until we see how all the pieces fit together, because we are trying to look at this as an integrated whole and not as a series of parts that operate independently. All blocks that are currently being taught will change based on the need to eliminate the separation between normal and abnormal. Then there will be the effects of methods, assessment, and integration with clinical teaching.

A: Detailed work at the block level will probably not begin until late 2010. Our aim is to give block directors and teaching faculty plenty of time to refashion materials and content. It was one of the main reasons that the start date of the new curriculum was pushed to 2012: to give all faculty sufficient time to plan and prepare. The goal is to have the detailed structures of all blocks ready at least 12 months before the fall 2012 start date.

A: To achieve the goals set out in Doc 1:

• More meaningful 4th year
• Greater focus on career exploration and the residency process.
• Time for remediation, if necessary
• Time for electives and scholarly work
• Visiting electives are easier to get

If USMLE Step examinations merge, new timeline gives us flexibility

A: All required Clerkship Blocks will be finished by the end of the 3rd year. The main impact on Clerkships will be that they are paired or grouped into blocks and will have to coordinate their content accordingly. Also, Clerkships will integrate basic science content brought into years 3 & 4. Some clinical material covered in Clerkships may also be moved to earlier parts in the curriculum. It is not yet clear whether individual clerkships will change in duration.

A: Because our current curriculum structure does not support the elements and goals of the Curriculum Proposal in Doc 1. To recoup some time, the first thing we did was add 4 weeks to the total time of the curriculum. Thus, the start date of Year 1 will be in the first week of August (gaining 2 weeks), and we are reducing the vacation between MS 1 and MS 2 by 2 weeks. We still needed a minimum of 2 additional weeks to make all the pieces fit in the appropriate timeframe. So the Clerkships will need to move from between 2-8 weeks earlier.

A: Although Doc 1 had proposed a 5th clerkship related block, if the length of the blocks are 12 weeks, having a 5th block would be problematic due to the overlap of blocks and cause scheduling distress. Therefore there are only 4 Related Clerkship Blocks represented on the timeline diagrams. Ambulatory experiences could be integrated into either the first or second half of the curriculum. Clinical experience in primary care is required by the LCME and will also be integrated into the curriculum.

A: The overall goal of the Core Content Blocks is to teach knowledge or core clinical skills that are not included in the clerkships, and to re-introduce and reinforce relevant basic science. At the beginning of each Related Clerkship Block, students would receive a set of relevant educational experiences such as didactic sessions, assigned readings with assignments, and online modules that prepare the student for the ensuing clinical work. The timeline diagrams reflect the Related Clerkship Blocks as follows: 2 weeks for Basic Science / Core Concept blocks and 10 weeks clinical time. An alternative would be if 1 week was sufficient for the Core Content portion of the block, then a 1 week Integrated Exercise and Assessment period could be given at the end of each of the Related Clerkship block.