The American Medical Association (AMA) Wednesday announced that the UNMC College of Medicine is one of 20 medical schools selected to join its Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium.
The consortium’s goal is to enhance the innovative work underway to create the medical school of the future and quickly spread these innovations to additional medical schools throughout the country.
Bridging gaps
In 2013, the AMA launched its Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative to bridge the gaps that exist between how medical students are trained and how health care is delivered.
Some of the projects proposed by the new schools include programs that incorporate medical students into care coordination teams in an accountable care organization aimed at improving care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Other projects focus on developing advanced simulation and telemedicine technologies to foster skills specific to the needs of rural or remote communities.
UNMC’s project will focus on transitioning interprofessional education into interprofessional practice with the goal of advancing teamwork and communication among health professionals.
The medical schools will each receive $75,000 over the next three years to advance the AMA’s innovative work aimed at transforming undergraduate medical education to better align with the 21st century health care system. The schools were selected from among 170 eligible U.S. medical schools by a national advisory panel which sought proposals that would significantly redesign medical education.
Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., UNMC chancellor, said the initiative is an important step in medical education.
“It signifies a new day for how physicians will be trained to provide care in the 21st century health delivery system — training for now and in the future — not the way we’ve always done it,” Dr. Gold said. “The health system is evolving, and it’s important that we take a leadership role.”
Dr. Gold was chair of the AMA’s Council on Medical Education during the formal kickoff of the Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium.
The 20 new schools will build upon the projects that were created by the 11 schools awarded grants by the AMA in 2013. Their work will ultimately impact thousands of medical students across the nation currently being trained to care for patients. With the added schools, the now 31-school consortium will support training for an estimated 18,000 medical students who will one day care for 31 million patients each year.
“We’re thrilled and honored to be selected to join the consortium and collaborate with other select institutions to continue the redesign of medical education,” said Brad Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. “The college’s membership in the consortium validates the challenging curriculum design work already being done here, not just at the College of Medicine, but in all of the colleges at UNMC.”
Kelly Caverzagie, M.D., associate dean for educational strategy in the UNMC College of Medicine and principal investigator for UNMC in the consortium, said being part of the collaborative work signals a greater UNMC presence on a national stage.
“Joining this initiative provides greater opportunity to collaborate within the UNMC colleges and Nebraska Medicine,” Dr. Caverzagie said. “The colleges have been working on curriculum changes related to interprofessional practice.
“We have a great team here that developed the program, submitted the application and will lead our effort. It truly is an honor to be invited to join this high level collaborative.”
Congratulations to faculty and staff! I am proud to be a grad of the School of Medicine 1958!!