Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1018418
EDUCATORS AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF K ANSA S SCHOOL OF MEDICINEŸWICHITA AND AT THE KU MEDICAL SCHOOL LOCATIONS IN K ANSA S CIT Y AND SALINA E XPECT INCOMING MEDICAL STUDENTS TO "ACE" THEIR STUDIES. L A S T Y E A R, THE K U medica l school imple- mented a new cu r r icu lu m ca l led ACE . ACE s t a n d s for a c t i v e , c omp e t e n c y- b a s e d a n d excel lence-driven. It 's focused on g iv ing t he nex t generation of physicia ns the ty pes of skills a nd competencies needed in today 's practices a nd hea lthca re settings. The KU medica l curriculum was last revised in 2006. W hile consultant reports, sur veys, self- study a nd accreditation reviews va lidated the qua lit y of education, KU med school educators thought they could do better. So in 2013, they emba rked on a n in-depth curricu lum rev iew a nd revision. ACE was rolled out to f irst-yea r students last year, explains Scott Moser, MD, Associate Dean of Cur r icu lum at K USM-Wich ita . Th is pa st July, second-yea r students were introduced to the new curriculum. Major cha n ges w it h t he ACE cu r r icu lu m involve how students lea rn a nd what they need to excel. Gone are the 15 hours of lecture — three hours ever y weekday morning — that were delivered in person on the Ka nsa s Cit y ca mpus a nd by televideo to the Wichita a nd Sa lina ca mpuses. W hile students still have seat time in lecture settings, it 's been pa red down to f ive hours. More emph a si s i s pla ced on sm a l l-g roup lea rning sessions, super vised by a loca l faculty member. In Wichita, for example, the 28 students who entered medica l school for the f irst yea r under ACE were div ided into g roups of seven students each, Dr. Moser says. W h i le devoti n g such a huge block of ti me t o l e c t u r e s h a d b e e n a n e f f i c i e n t w a y t o deliver information by one professor to more tha n 200 students at three locations, it wasn't effective, Dr. Moser says. " We know people lea rn much better by active lea rning, not passive," he says. The new learning format is intended to provide a more stimulating learning environment, rather tha n rote memorization. "It 's become quite interactive," says Ga rold Minns, MD, KUSM-Wichita Dea n. " There a re more oppor tunities to stimulate questions a nd a nswers. Let 's face it — a ny of us who've sat through a 50 - to 60 -minute lecture have had ou r m i nds wa nder. W hen you're a n s wer i n g questions, that 's ha rder to do." The sma ll-group settings a lso a llow for more collaboration with other hea lthcare educators — such as those from Wichita State a nd Newma n universities — and professiona ls who are invited to help faci litate discussions a nd sha re more pat ient- a nd ca se -ba sed educat ion , K USM- Wichita off icia ls say. T h o s e c o l l a b o r a t i o n s h e l p s t u d e n t s understa nd that today 's doctors genera lly don't ma nage a patient independently but of ten use a tea m concept involving hea lthca re a nd even 'ACE' Training for Tomorrow's Doctors BY AMY GEISZLERšJONES Brian Pate, MD, Chair of the KUSM-Wichita Pediatrics Depar tment Scott Moser, MD, Associate Dean of Curriculum at KUSM-Wichita Garold Minns, MD, KUSM-Wichita Dean 1 2❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R F E A T U R E