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OSR Liaison Update - GSA Committee on Student Affairs (COSA)July 2009Careers in Medicine (CiM) Update - Improving access and content of MSPI and PVPS: The Medical Specialty Preference Inventory (MSPI) is a survey tool on the CiM web site which samples interest areas to produce a list of probable specialties where a student may excel. Specialties are ranked from highest probability to lowest. Current work is underway to increase the number of specialties included on the MSPI. The Physician Values in Practice Scale (PVPS) is another survey tool on the CiM website designed to identify individual values which can be helpful in distinguishing a specific career path. Current work underway on PVPS will make it better equipped to differentiate between closely related, but different, career elements (ex. research vs. teaching in academia). It will be easier than ever before for students to access MSPI and PVPS, as they are now linked to the main CiM webpage. Alternatives to attrition: As the attrition rate of medical students who graduate from medical school has declined from the steady 98% constant for many years, recent talk has focused on resources available to medical students who decide to pursue alternative careers outside of medicine. The Committee on Student Affairs is currently vetting the issue and will be discussing it in greater detail at their next meeting. If you or your constituents would like to discuss the issue, offer some insight, or suggest a position the OSR should support, please feel free to contact me. Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) - Application timeline under review: With September 1 as the release date for the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and November 1 as the release date for the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) to residency program directors, there is serious concern from deans and students alike that decisions to interview candidates are being made without complete applicant files. Data is currently being collected to determine prevalence of early interviews; the MSPE Working Group will be meeting this fall to discuss further. Please contact me if you have an opinion on this topic that you would like voiced to the Committee on Student Affairs. 4th Year Electives Update - Immunizations, Insurance, and Affiliation Agreements: Although the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) allows students to upload personal information regarding immunization history and health insurance included in standard externship materials, many institutions continue to require students to additionally complete their own affiliation agreement, immunization, and insurance forms. The 4th Year Electives Working Group is currently developing a template affiliation agreement which could be completed by students once, and then applied to most institutions. The group is also investigating student sources for temporary needlestick/work hazard insurance which could be recommended for purchase. National Board of Medical Examiners Update - Change will be "evolutionary": Although there is a lot of talk circulating regarding the changes the NBME will make to the current USMLE testing format, it is important for the OSR to circulate accurate information. At the national GSA meeting in April 2010, in Austin, TX, the NBME will be prepared to give details about the short and long term plans. The one certainty at this time is that within the next five years, the major changes to the USMLE format (Step 1, Step 2CK, Step 2CS) will be technological, with students experiencing more audio/visual improvements within the exams. Questions will also be more case-based and clinically driven, accompanied with field testing of similarly focused new questions. A recent improvement to Step 2CS is a new feedback feature for students who do not pass, documenting specific areas for improvement. Scramble Working Group - The new "Managed Scramble": The National Residency Match Program (NRMP) has recently approved the Managed Scramble, which will go into effect as early as 2011 or 2012, depending on software updates and match participation agreements. This exciting new feature will streamline the process of matching students needing to scramble with residency programs who have available positions. The proposed changes to match week include but are not limited to:
Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)- Re-engineering for 2013: There is currently a new version of ERAS underway which will make it more user-friendly for students, student affairs office staff, and residency programs, as well as going paperless. The new system will be tested with fellowship specialty matches in 2012 and will be ready for the residency match in 2013. A version of ERAS called "ERAS Light" will be used for the Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and General Surgery scramble in 2010; it will include an electronic package of the ERAS application, Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), student transcript, and USMLE board scores that can be easily submitted to residency program directors. OSR Mental Health Services Survey - Results are a call to action: Survey data included 2,251 student responses on issues ranging from suspected prevalence of mental health issues among medical students to the range of mental health services offered at different schools, student use of services, and perceived quality of services provided. The data revealed similar trends reported in the GSA version of the survey and results will be presented at a combined GSA/OSR plenary during the AAMC Annual Meeting this fall in Boston, MA. COSA believes that student mental health services is an area requiring intervention by the GSA and it is currently under discussion by the GSA Steering Committee. Thank you to all OSR members and students who participated in the survey. John Drew Updike |
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