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OSR Chair's Update
AAMC-OSR Administrative Board Update
June 2008
Regional Meeting Recap
Thank you to everyone who attended a GSA/MAS/OSR Regional Meetings. Your
ideas and feedback are the OSR's greatest resource. The topics raised
at these meetings will be discussed at the June Administrative Board and
carried forward as appropriate. Also, congratulations to the newly elected
regional chairs and regional delegates.
AAMC Governance Review
The AAMC is in the process of a governance review that commenced soon
after the publication of the Strategic Thinking and Positioning document
last fall. In February, a Town Hall Meeting was held to present the proposed
model to the Administrative Boards of the Councils and Organizations and
representatives of the various Professional Development Groups within
the AAMC. The proposal calls for the creation of a Board of Directors
with 17 members. Board positions would include a mix of ex officio roles
and at-large members selected based on their skills, experience, and expertise.
In its current form, the proposal includes one student, one resident,
and one member of the public on the Board. The model has been discussed
by the constituencies of the AAMC, including students, at their spring
meetings. The feedback will be incorporated into a revised proposal that
will be re-examined by the Executive Council in June. Final action will
likely be taken at the 2008 Annual Meeting by the AAMC Assembly, in which
the OSR is represented by its twelve administrative board members.
OSR Online Community
The OSR Online Community (Blackboard)
received a facelift based on suggestions received from Administrative
Board members and the OSR at large. It has been streamlined to highlight
important content; please take a few minutes to sign on and check out
the changes. Current content includes discussions sparked by regional
meeting content, project information from different committees, profiles
of OSR reps, and more. This tool can improve our ability as a national
OSR to communicate and coordinate efforts, but this potential cannot be
realized without the consistent efforts of OSR representatives. Please
take the time to log in, participate in online discussions, update your
profile, upload a photo, and explore the other tools available. The Administrative
Board will review the content and format of the site again at its June
meeting, so contact any board member with feedback. For assistance logging
in, email Denine Hales.
Input toward USMLE Comprehensive Review
The Committee to Evaluate the USMLE Program (CEUP)'s recommendations will
be made public in the near future. The major themes include a shift to
a two-gateway model with integration of basic science with clinical sciences
throughout the exam components and redesign of the exams to better reflect
the range of competencies important to medical practice. The OSR offers
constructive feedback to the NBME on all steps of the current USMLE series
and regularly communicates with the NBME via the OSR liaison. In addition,
Peter Ragusa from the AMA-MSS serves as the student member to CEUP and
represents medical students at large during these discussions. Student
leaders from AAMC-OSR, AMA-MSS, and AMSA confer regularly during this
process to ensure a conduit for student input during this process. Please
contact OSR Chair Diane Reis with
any questions or feedback and look for upcoming updates.
ACGME US Residency Program Match Data
The OSR Ad Board continues to explore the collection and communication
of comprehensive data on ACGME U.S. residencies. Theoretically, the data
would be akin to the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) book
used by medical school applicants, but would likely be presented in an
electronic database format. A document articulating the principles of
gathering program-specific match data has been produced, vetted through
the GSA Steering Committee, and was affirmed by the Council of Deans in
February 2007. In November, this document was shared with the Organization
of Program Directors Associations (OPDA), which has encouraged programs
to make all suggested information available on their websites. Discussions
between the AAMC and other stakeholders have also begun. In addition,
OSR Immediate Past Chair Jim Littlejohn will present the principles articulated
in the document at a Student Affairs Officers Professional Development
Conference in June.
Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS)
VSAS is a new AAMC application intended to streamline the process of applying
for "away" electives typically taken in the 4th year of medical school.
The ten school pilot was launched on April 1st for schools and April 15th
for students. The service is a web-based system with three interfaces:
students (applying for electives), "home" schools (supporting those applications
by verifying data), and "host" schools (receiving the applications). Two
OSR liaisons are serving on the constituent advisory committee. More>>
Cost of Medical School Education
The AAMC has updated its 2004 report, "Medical
School Tuition and Young Physician Indebtedness". This information
was disconcerting to many in the academic medical community and three
years later, we continue to witness troubling trends in the cost of medical
education that warrant further investigation into how best to approach
this problem. GSA-COFSA (Committee on Student Financial Assistance) and
AAMC Student Financial Services are developing FIRST (Financial Information,
Resources, Services, and Tools), an internet portal that will include
information appropriate to the different stages of the continuum of medical
education tailored to the individual. While the tools are still being
developed, early resources are available. More>>
Diversity Recruitment Efforts
The 2008 Annual Meeting program will include a repeat of the meet and
greet session held in 2007 by OSR and the GSA-Minority Affairs Section
in the AAMC Division of Diversity Policy and Programs. The session seeks
to promote communication between medical students and high school and
college students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine who have
an interest in medical school. In addition, the OSR Ad Board has provided
feedback on the development of AspiringDocs.org and the revamping of the
portion of the AAMC web site dedicated to pre-medical students and designed
to offer them helpful information on how to prepare for a career in medicine.
AAMC Strategic Thinking and Positioning Process
Over the past year, the AAMC has engaged in a comprehensive strategic
thinking and positioning process as it continues to address the salient
topics of academic medicine and health care in the years to come. As a
part of this process, the various constituents and stakeholders in the
AAMC, including the OSR, have provided input on various drafts. In September,
the AAMC Executive Council approved the new mission and vision statements
for the AAMC as well as nine strategic priorities that will guide the
association's efforts over the next two to seven years. Read
"Learn, Serve, Lead" (PDF, 13 pages)
GLBT "Effective Practices"
Based on GSA and OSR surveys regarding GLBT issues in medical education,
recommendations from the GSA and OSR regarding institutional programs
and educational activities in the areas of human sexuality, sexual orientation,
and gender identity were approved and sent to member schools last year.
This document reflects the need for institutions to follow good educational
practices, to create respectful learning environments, and to graduate
students who provide good patient care to a diverse patient population.
Read
recommendations (PDF, 2 pages) Also, read the resource of "effective
practices."
Charting Outcomes in the Match Document
The OSR Ad Board has put forth considerable effort in deliberating and
soliciting feedback from medical students on the 2006 NRMP and AAMC report,
"Charting
Outcomes in the Match." (PDF, 139 pages) The latest edition
has been released.
Guidelines for Use of Medical Interpreter Services
The Organization of Student Representatives has developed a resource for
medical students who need additional guidance in the use of a medical
interpreter during interactions with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
patients. Students can use the medical interpreter card during encounters
with LEP patients as a basic reference for interpreter options and their
appropriate use. See
Guidelines for Use of Medical Interpreter Services >>
Additional Updates on the activities and projects of the OSR Administrative
Board are available via the OSR
Web site. For more information about the OSR, please contact Ally
Anderson, Manager, Student and Community Service Programs.
Diane C. Reis
OSR Chair
University of Wisconsin SOM and Public Health
dcreis@wisc.edu
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