Self-Proctored and Self-Developed: How a Flexible Preclinical Medical School Curriculum Enables Personal and Professional Development

“Did you drop out of school without telling us?” my dad asked with a chuckle. Throughout my preclinical years at the University of Michigan Medical School, we enjoyed this running joke because I rarely attended lectures and was often out of town on weekends visiting loved ones instead of studying in the library. Contrary to my dad’s suspicions, I successfully completed my preclinical requirements with a strong foundation of medical knowledge. I did not achieve this with a photographic memory, but rather with the support of my school’s unique preclinical curriculum that offered on-demand lecture video streaming and flexible testing windows, as described in a recent Academic Medicine article by Ross et al. Each week of this curriculum ends with an online quiz or summative exam to be taken on any computer in the library between 5:00 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 p.m. on Sunday. By having a testing window rather than scheduled, proctored exams, I set the pace of my learning from week to week. With this flexible curriculum, I was not forced to choose between excelling academically, collaborating with peers to organize fundraisers and wellness initiatives, or sustaining important personal relationships. When I wanted to visit my long-distance boyfriend in New York or attend a medical education conference, I did not fear falling behind in my studies. I simply worked harder earlier in the week and took my test on Friday evening, leaving my weekend completely free. I would return t...
Source: Academic Medicine Blog - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Featured Trainee Perspective flexible testing medical students professional identity professionalism unproctored testing Source Type: blogs