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Medical School Applications Increase PLoS Goes Online: Will It Spark a Revolution in Scientific Publishing? A Word from the President: Project Medical Education ViewPoint: Crossing Boundaries with International Medical Education "Portraits of Medical Education"
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A Word From the PresidentProject Medical Education: Improving the Nation's Health Care by Educating Our Policymakers
Indeed, it was that realization that prompted several of our community's government and public affairs officers (led by Paul Vick from Duke) to create "Project Medical Education" (PME). The immediate trigger for the establishment of PME was the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which posed the most serious threat to federal support for our missions in recent memory, and which heightened a long-standing concern about the meager understanding most policymakers have of academic medicine. In an effort to address that concern, PME was designed to provide an organized, focused educational program for policymakers aimed at increasing their appreciation of and support for medical schools and teaching hospitals. Among the unique features that set this program apart is the typical venue: local academic medical centers. Now a part of AAMC's Office of Communications, the PME program has expanded significantly. To date, more than 52 AAMC institutions in 20 different states have taken part in at least one PME session; and more than 400 participants, including members of Congress, congressional staff, state legislators and staff, and other policymakers, have participated as "students" in the program. Among the topics that are showcased are the lengthy and arduous process of medical education; the benefits provided to local and regional interests; the complex funding mechanisms required to ensure success; and the essential role of government in providing financial support. Participating institutions create the needed environment for legislators or their staff to learn, in a densely packed, rapid-fire sequence of exercises, what it takes to become a doctor. Participants become active learners through role-playing and carefully selected, hands-on experiences that deepen and enrich their understanding of how America's medical schools and teaching hospitals collaborate to produce the world's best doctors. PME's training manual describes a series of well-tested modules that can be individualized by host institutions to construct an integrated sequence for the typical day-and-a-half schedule. In formulating the content of these modules, the PME staff and advisors relied on the results of several opinion research efforts, including congressional polls and two focus groups of congressional staff. These studies confirmed major knowledge gaps among members of Congress and their staff. Here are some examples:
One can only guess at how such knowledge gaps and misconceptions might have contributed to recent decisions by legislators to implement sharp cuts in state and federal funding for teaching hospitals. In any event, such lamentable information deficits are precisely what PME is attempting to overcome. Each AAMC member institution can help deliver our community's message to Congress and state legislators by hosting a PME program at its own medical school or teaching hospital. Those that have done so have been uniformly pleased with the positive reception they have experienced. As Terry Bischoff said during her annual meeting address, it is crucial for each of us to contribute to a better understanding of our community by those who hold such sway over our future. Similarly, everyone in academic medicine should become as familiar as possible with the local and national political landscapes and with relevant developments as they occur. As important as it is to educate policymakers about our issues, in the long run it is our personal engagement in the political process that will make the difference. For more information, contact Chris Tucker, AAMC PME Director, at ctucker@aamc.org.
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Contact Us © 1995-2008 AAMC Terms and Conditions Privacy Statement |
During
the association's 114th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., last
month, outgoing AAMC Chair Theresa Bischoff issued a forceful call
to action to the academic medicine community. In her chair's address,
Bischoff urged us to reflect on the critical role that government
plays in sustaining our country's medical schools and teaching hospitals
and, with that in mind, to recognize how imperative it is for each
of us to become more politically involved. She underscored her call
to action by reminding us that a substantial and critically important
portion of the funding for academic medical centers comes from Medicare,
Medicaid, the National Institutes of Health, and the Veterans Administration.
Given how dependent our institutions are on government-funded programs,
the message is abundantly clear: what happens in Washington matters
- to each and every one of us!