The Flexible M.D. at the University of Minnesota Medical School
The flexible M.D. gives medical students the opportunity to construct educational experiences that meet their individual needs and allow them to better serve communities and patients. The University of Minnesota Medical School previously has offered a great deal of flexibility informally to individual students, those who had the drive to do something outside the usual track.
The Medical School now extends that flexibility, in a formal way, to all its students enrolled fall 2005 and after. Primarily, the change is in timing rather than the rigor of one's learning experiences—students still have to meet a stringent set of educational objectives.
Medical students seeking to take advantage of the flexible M.D. will outline their plans to faculty and staff members of an educational enrichment committee. They need guidance, because medical education is complex, combining the need to master patient care and medical knowledge with developing skills in the other competencies of a physician: practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. (For more, see the ACGME site on core competencies.)
Students entering the University of Minnesota Medical School in fall 2005 or later may take anywhere from three and one-half to six years to complete their medical education and pay the same price to earn their M.D. We believe this flexibility in the long term will improve their ability to serve the needs of patients and communities.
Examples of students taking advantage of the flexible M.D. include:
- Rob Schleiffarth became fascinated by a heart defect in mice during his first year in medical school so he asked to take a year between the usual years two and three to devote to research. He says he's honed his critical thinking skills while solidifying his commitment to research. His pursuit of personal goals in his medical education exemplifies the opportunities offered by the Flexible M.D. Now, after being captivated by combination of surgery and research presented by otolaryngology, Schleiffarth is applying to ENT residencies and plans to become a specialist in pediatric otolaryngology, studying birth defects of the head and neck.
- Stephanie Smith took advantage of the Flexible M.D. program to perform qualitative research in Cape Town, South Africa, and then work at a public clinic in Quito, Ecuador. "The flexible M.D. Program has given me the opportunity to push boundaries and has helped me create my own version of enhancing human well-being," says Smith, who spent nine months overseas. "My experiences abroad have helped me extend my imagination across national and cultural boundaries to increase my capacity for empathy, and to bring justice to the bedside," explains Smith, who aspires to a career combining medicine, ethics, and human rights.
- Peter Ragusa was awarded the American Medical Association's Government Relations Advocacy Fellowship (GRAF) in 2006. As the GRAF, Ragusa will work for one year in the Division of Legislative Counsel in the AMA's Washington, D.C. offices. He will advocate for medical student issues on behalf of the 50,000-member Medical Student Section of the AMA. He is excited about the opportunity, "I am thrilled to have been chosen for this position and could not be more enthusiastic about the chance to work on health policy, and for the future of medicine, in our nation's capital."
- Other possibilities might include taking time to work in a clinic for the underserved, working at a medical device company as an intern, or working for policy changes in health care funding.
However they adapt their educational programs, medical students must have a plan in order to benefit from flexibility. In training the next generation of physicians, the Medical School responds to the concerns of our communities. We will ensure that University of Minnesota Medical School students excel in patient-focused care. The flexible M.D. is one step towards that goal.
Questions? Contact meded@umn.edu
