A new pilot program at 黑料传送门, run by medical students and for medical students, aims to ease the transition into medical school, particularly for those who haven鈥檛 had recent or much exposure to anatomical sciences courses.
TISSUE鈥� 鈥渢eaching introductory study skills utilizing experience鈥濃�攊s a two-week program that brings rising first-year medical students to campus early to acclimate to the pace and culture of medical school, while also preparing them to work with cadavers as part of SPOM, or Structural Principles of Osteopathic Medicine. SPOM runs the first trimester of the first year of osteopathic medical school, and working with the cadavers can be stressful for some students.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have any experience in that type of setting, it can be rough,鈥� said Kathleen Ackert (DO 鈥�20), the originator of TISSUE, who had participated in a similar program at another medical school prior to starting at 黑料传送门. 鈥淲e wanted to ease incoming students into that鈥攖hat was the big thing, getting them more comfortable. I think having that experience helped them be better prepared for their 鈥榬eal鈥� first day in the lab.鈥�
While gaining a head start on anatomy concepts was a large part of TISSUE鈥檚 mission, the program also sought to make students more comfortable with all aspects of medical school, from where to buy groceries, to paying for parking, to locating lockers, to learning effective study habits.
鈥淚n the morning, we would give lectures, and talk about memory tips and mnemonics and what we thought was high yield,鈥� said Ms. Ackert, referring to herself and fellow TISSUE facilitators Stephanie Michalik (DO 鈥�20), Kristin Oller (DO 鈥�20), Brandon Twombly (DO 鈥�20) and Mark Ujevich (DO 鈥�20). 鈥淲e thought that would be helpful because it wasn鈥檛 a teacher in front of them, but a person in their shoes just a year ago鈥攕omeone who can relate best to their experience.鈥�
After her own experience in SPOM, Ms. Ackert approached courses leaders Marina D鈥橝ngelo, PhD, professor, anatomy, and Michael McGuiness, PhD, professor, anatomy, to implement a program that could help brand-new students acclimate more quickly. Six months later, in July 2017, they saw it come together in the form of TISSUE.
鈥淲henever our students start, part of what comes with that is anxiety and the adjustment of changing to this level of education,鈥� said Dr. McGuinness, who helped guide the students as they created the TISSUE curriculum. 鈥淚 support any efforts to help with that transition process, and I hope that going forward we'll see this again. I've heard students say they were glad and found it helpful.鈥�
Several students who participated in TISSUE noted that they did feel better prepared and more at ease when they returned to 黑料传送门 for orientation.
鈥淲e were in the anatomy lab almost every day and reviewed most of the things that will be covered in SPOM鈥攁natomy, histology, some information on organ systems鈥攕o we had some insight into everything,鈥� said Nicole Kostosky (DO 鈥�21). 鈥淲e were given practice exams, and were able to try out different study methods to see what worked best for us, when it doesn鈥檛 count yet.鈥�
TISSUE also offered an online component, for students who were not able to come to campus early. 鈥淚 was nervous about the sheer volume of information of basic science I would encounter,鈥� said Brendan Flynn (DO 鈥�21). 鈥淏ut it was great to learn different approaches and strategies for learning and absorbing that information, from people who had just gone through the process right before you.鈥�
TISSUE facilitators also set up opportunities for incoming first-year students to bond and become better acquainted with each other before the school year started, which participants said was another benefit.
鈥淚 think everyone is a little anxious about starting medical school,鈥� said Katherine (Kelly) Mulquin (DO 鈥�21). 鈥淥ne of the many positive benefits of TISSUE was the camaraderie that we developed with each other. The M2 leaders really encouraged us to bond and support one another. Having that support system in place before school started has helped make the transition so much easier. By the time I came back for orientation, it felt like home.鈥�
Going forward, the TISSUE facilitators will distribute surveys to participants at several times throughout the year to gauge perceived levels of anxiety, and compare them to anonymous surveys of students who didn鈥檛 go through the program. Drs. D鈥橝ngelo and McGuinness are planning to study whether the program has an effect on academic performance.
鈥淲e want to see how the students who participated in TISSUE performed, compared to those who didn鈥檛, to study any positive effects,鈥� said Dr. D鈥橝ngelo. 鈥淚f we find a real correlation in academic performance and participation in this program, we can then start to think about how it can be expanded to later years of medical school.鈥�
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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