Scholarly Concentration in Medical Education

Scholarly Concentration Lead: David Howard, M.D.

The Scholarly Concentration in Medical Education certifies that the recipient has completed at least 320 hours of study (self-directed, didactic, practical/hands on) and has demonstrated a working knowledge of the principles and approaches to medical education. This Scholarly Concentration will help to prepare students for the active teaching component of residency programs and a potential career in academic medicine.

Medical Students who earn a Scholarly Concentration in Medical Education will:

  • View themselves as educators and demonstrate an understanding of the role of physician as teacher
  • Participate in various educational activities over 4 years
  • Progress through the stages of RIME (reporter, interpreter, manager, educator) and reflect on their educational development
  • Produce a portfolio which includes a log of hours spent on teaching; reports, impressions, and pertinent self-evaluation from teaching experiences; and thoughts, applications, and research of the principles of medical education over the 4 year span
  • Submit/present a scholarly product near the end of SCME completion

Structure of the Scholarly Concentration in Medical Education program:

  • Program will have a SCME Coordinator/Director who will create an application, policy, longitudinal activities plan, identify mentors, and supervise and implement the program
  • Concentration will be open to students beginning in their MS1 year
  • Students must enroll and begin work on Medical Education Concentration between January of year one and no later than December of year two
  • Students will work with the course coordinator to develop a plan for earning the SCME
  • Students will be responsible for logging hours and maintaining a portfolio describing teaching activities, self-assessments, and examining areas for growth
  • Coordinator may serve as a mentor or may identify and coordinate another mentor for students
  • Students will meet with SCME coordinator at least twice annually and will have quarterly meetings with mentor
  • Required 8 weeks of time (320) hours over 2 ½ -3 ½ years

Activities are sorted in levels I through IV, with minimum requirements for each level:
Level Hours Description
Level I - Reporter (Learn About) Minimum 50 hours Read articles or books, attend lectures, webinars, or conferences related to teaching, learning, education, or medical education.  Take notes and reflect on application of what you have learned to your own teaching.
Level II - Interpreter (Do) Minimum 75 hours Conduct lectures, facilitate, lead activities in topic areas related to medicine, review the literature and apply principles to teaching. Log activities, plans and impressions.
Level III - Manager (Refine) Minimum 75 hours Guide medical students in developing clinical skills, tutor medical students in preparing for classroom and/or board exams and prepare self-evaluation related to these efforts.
Level IV - Educator (Demonstrate Scholarship) Minimum 50 hours Create curriculum, implement an existing curriculum, design new approaches and educational materials/resources, create evaluation materials, design and conduct research projects in medical education, give presentations, publish

Potential activities (not an exhaustive list):

  • MS1 Attend on-campus faculty development programs, webinars; conduct a summer project in a high school or college (dorm, student services, student health center) re health care, medical career, wellness, etc.; participate in a public health initiative (e.g., smoking cessation programs, state health policy legislation) or other School of Medicine outreach activities
  • MS2 Serve on medical education committees for School of Medicine (Y1 and 2; student development; Block planning; etc.); leadership position in Student Outreach Clinic (coordinate preclinic educational sessions; create materials for patient education, practitioner resources; waiting room education); attend on site programs Bierkamper/Goodman (prepare brief reports reflecting educational features)
  • MS3 Give lectures for Community Health Science, Psychology, classes on campus, participate in AHEC career fair, health care heroes program, Scholars in Health Literacy and Aging project, contribute cases or Team-Based Learning exercises to Y I and II block curriculum; serve on Y3-4 committees, Student Promotion and Conduct Committee, block/curriculum planning committees
  • MS4 Participate in electives such as Med610 (Teaching in Medicine), Med 661T (Supplemental Instruction), Med 661R (CPS for High School Students), Med 661s (Family Medicine Scholar) and/or Med 690 (Individual Study or Research in Medical Education). Other options are to train patient models and standardized patients, develop SIM Center activities, write cases, participate in block planning teams, facilitate a team-based learning session, participate in research projects with faculty, prepare literature review for publication, and/or produce course teaching videos. Additional projects are available through individual faculty members. Fourth year students may also become mentors for a BS-MD student's case-based thesis and presentation.

Places to Publish

The goal of SCME is for every participant to have a peer-reviewed publication by fourth year. Please review this list of places to publish and disseminate (including conferences) in medical education.