Contingency Planning.
Many of us have sustained tragic personal losses and significant other setbacks due to the pandemic. We want you to know that we are here for you and will continue to do everything in our power to support you and advocate for the resources you need to work, teach, and learn.
As we enter the recovery phase of the pandemic we want to be mindful of the guiding principles that have seen us through the worst of the storm:
- To ensure the safety of our students, clinicians, staff and patients in the health system and the community.
- To recognize the fact that we are living through a public health crisis and this is an unprecedented time in medical education.
- To acknowledge the stressors that staff, students, and faculty are facing regarding their future, their goals, and what they want to accomplish. We reflect upon these through a lens of equity, access, and fairness.
- To keep students on track to complete their graduation requirements in a timely fashion.
- To allow flexibility for students to learn and participate remotely when warranted
- To meet our medical education program objectives and the requirements of our governance bodies: Executive Oversight Committee and LCME.
With these principles in mind, and tracking the progress that is being made in our health system, city, and state, we want to share with you our plans for the coming academic year. We have learned some hard lessons about how to manage in a constantly shifting landscape these past two months. These lessons will continue to stand us in good stead as we plan the medical education program’s recovery. As information changes and circumstances evolve, we all appreciate that these plans may change as we near the start of the new academic year, and throughout the academic year as potential future surges emerge.
All our plans are based on:
- Data, recommendations, and Executive Orders from the Governor’s Office,
- Health System data reflecting the availability of clinical teaching sites and clinical teaching faculty (# COVID inpatients; COVID-dedicated inpatient units; outpatient and non-COVID inpatient volume; COVID-deployed faculty),
- Infection Prevention protocols for office spaces, housing, elevators, lecture halls, small group rooms, library,
- Availability of face coverings and other PPE, and
- Availability and utility of viral testing, antibody testing.
As best we can determine from currently available data, we anticipate:
- Starting the academic year on time.
- Setting an expectation that all students arrive on or return to campus by the start of their academic year.
- Hosting Orientation remotely.
- Offering lectures online.
- Teaching small group sessions in-person. Depending on the Governor’s Executive Orders, this may include some combination of face coverings, gloves, symptom and/or temperature screening, regular surface cleaning, and elevator use policy.
- A return to clinical work for all students, with appropriate PPE when indicated.
- A return-to-work plan for staff. Depending on the Governor’s Executive Orders, this will include some of the following provisions: safe commuting, working from home, social distancing, surface cleaning, face covering, gloves, symptom and/or temperature screening, and elevator use policy.
We will continue to closely monitor the data and information cited above and may need to fall back on contingency plans if the current recovery trends for the Health System and city are disrupted. Examples of contingency plans include teaching the first semester courses entirely online and a broader work from home policy.
Our ability to make it this far has depended heavily on open and honest communication. We have benefited enormously from the trust you have placed in us and are committed to ensuring that we live up to your expectations for a safe and productive environment in which we can all work, learn, and teach. We will be sending weekly updates as these plans change and look forward to seeing you all in-person in the near future.
Weekly Curriculum update
In an effort to keep you informed of what is happening in the curriculum, we have created a weekly update about general curriculum planning as well as class specific information.
Update on Clinical Sites
The Curricular Affairs leadership team is working with our clinical sites to assess their readiness for students in time for the academic year. The team, along with other members of Medical Education Leadership, will be meeting with each site over the upcoming weeks to learn more about how and when students might safely return to the clinical environment there.
Compliance Requirements for the Clinical Environment
The compliance requirements to be in the clinical environment with patients continue to evolve given the pandemic. In prior years the Department of Medical Education has overseen the mask fitting process while students have been onsite and Student Health has managed the PPD process through the annual PPD Fair. This year Student Health will be determining the safest way for individuals to meet their PPD requirements and Medical Education will be working closely with the institution and individual sites to manage PPE and PPE fitting. Stay tuned as we learn more.
Class of 2020
The Department of Medical Education is celebrating the Class of 2020 with a send-off Happy Hour on Tuesday, May 12 from 5-6:30p at Zoom Meeting https://mssm.zoom.us/j/97869557972; Meeting ID: 978 6955 7972
Class of 2021
Student Panel: Planning for Residency on Monday, May 11 at 1pm with Drs. Coco Ukogu, Emma Geduldig, Ben Asriel, Zina Huxley-Reicher. https://mssm.zoom.us/j/93897771468; Meeting ID: 938 9777 1468
Upcoming Lottery Deadlines
- Deadline to submit the Year 3 Make-Up Selection Lottery - Friday, 5/8/2020 at 11:59pm
- Year 3 Make-Up Lottery Results released - Friday, 05/15/20 at 5pm
- Opportunity for one to one Make-Up Lottery result switches with students from the same Class of 2021 AND Year 4 Lottery opens - Monday, 05/18/20 - Friday, 05/22/20
- Deadline for students to submit their choices for the Year 4 Lottery - Friday, 05/22/20 at 11:59PM
- Year 4 Lottery results released - Friday, 05/29/20 at 5pm
- Opportunity for one to one Year 4 Lottery result switches with students from the same Class of 2021 - Saturday, 05/30/20 - Monday, 06/08/20 at 9:00AM
- Individual Class of 2021 Make-Up and Year 4 Rotations Fixed and Set - Monday, 06/08/20
Grading Update
In the Class of 2021 Academic Plan, the Office of Curricular Affairs, and the Office of Assessment and Evaluation had committed to providing grade adjustments for Modules 1 and 2 and completed Module 3 clerkships (OB/GYN and Pediatrics) to students by May 15, 2020.
While this project has already started, recent staffing changes due to COVID have necessitated an extension of this deadline to May 22, 2020. We appreciate your patience as we work on this important initiative.
Mount Sinai Funded Scholarly Year
Mount Sinai Funded Scholarly Year opportunities for students in the Class of 2021 and 2022 are now available, some are COVID-19 related. The directory is available in the Medical Student Research Office Blackboard page under Scholarly year or directly by clicking HERE
Please reach out to the point of contact listed for details. Unlike past opportunities that have deadlines, these will be filled on a first come basis and based on the skill set they are looking for. As you know, things are moving fast, so if you have been selected for any of these, please reach out to Dr. Mary Rojas to answer any questions and work through the logistics. Continue to check back as new opportunities arise on a daily basis.
Class of 2022
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 town hall was attended by 144 participants with just shy of 50% who "showed up" with cameras on for the conversation. More than 50 questions were asked by 31 participants.
You can access the recording here and the presentation HERE and the Town Hall Slide Presentation HERE.
Mount Sinai Funded Scholarly Year
Mount Sinai Funded Scholarly Year opportunities for students in the Class of 2021 and 2022 are now available, some are COVID-19 related. The directory is available in the Medical Student Research Office Blackboard page under Scholarly year or directly by clicking here Please reach out to the point of contact listed for details. Unlike past opportunities that have deadlines, these will be filled on a first come basis and based on the skill set they are looking for. As you know, things are moving fast, so if you have been selected for any of these, please reach out to Dr. Mary Rojas to answer any questions and work through the logistics. Continue to check back as new opportunities arise on a daily basis.
InFOCUS 5
The InFOCUS 5, 6, 7 Curriculum Team meets weekly to map out the curriculum for IF5. Members of the ASM Curriculum Team join this weekly meeting to address how to help students bridge the gap between ASM and InFOCUS 5 with an emphasis on ensuring each of you feel prepared for your clerkships. The team has also asked for input from the ASM course representatives on what topics they feel were important to emphasize. Typically, the InFOCUS 5, 6, 7 team sends weekly emails with course details about 4-6 weeks prior to the start of the course. Stay tuned!
Class of 2023
Class of 2023 Town Hall will be held at 4pm on Wednesday, May 13 at https://mssm.zoom.us/j/97047826541
ASM Year 2
The ASM Curriculum Team is planning for a modular curriculum which will allow for adjustment of modules as necessary depending on our ability to meet in person and provide engagement in clinical sites.
In general, students should expect the following:
- Teaching of the physical exam ideally in person and with SPs including review of what was taught previously. This will be followed by an assessment (initially formative and then summative). Based on the ability to meet in person, this module may not be at the beginning of the academic year but will definitely be covered.
- Teaching of foundational skills including Summary Statement, Assessment and Plan.
- Teaching of foundation of oral presentation skills.
- Several practice opportunities for full patient write ups and oral presentations.
- Clinical sites with patients (likely in the spring).
- Clinical reasoning cases taught in small group (either virtual or in person).
- Opportunities for telehealth encounters which will include history taking and communication/interpersonal skills practice.
- OSCE practice with SPs at the Morchand Center.
- Many of the other topics that are addressed in ASM (LGBTQ health, trauma-informed care, nutritional health, etc.) will be incorporated into clinical reasoning sessions.