One change, different effects: the impacts of reducing clerkship length.

Background: Medical school curricula are constantly evolving and change has potential positive and negative effects. At East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine, a broader understanding of the effects of a curriculum change (reduction in clerkship length for one transitional year) was explored.

Methods: A broad, system-wide evaluation was used to evaluate impacts on all stakeholders.

A Career Exploration Program: An Effective Alternative to the Traditional Use of Faculty Advisors.

Problem: Providing medical students with resources to make effective career choices is challenging for medical schools as career options outnumber the formal clinical rotations students can experience during their undergraduate education.

Approach: In 2009, the authors introduced the Career Exploration (CE) courses into the required curriculum at the Quillen College of Medicine. This three-course sequence includes large-group sessions addressing broad issues related to career choices, small-group specialty interest groups, individual student self-assessments, assignments through which students receive individualized feedback, and individual student advising sessions.

An interactive approach to teaching practice management to family practice residents.

Three years ago, our residency program began a new approach to teaching practice management to our second- and third-year residents. The underlying principles for the new curriculum involved a realization that our residents lacked basic business understanding and that they would likely learn more effectively through a hands-on approach. The new curriculum, which we describe in this article, is in large part built around the establishment of a mock practice during the second year of residency.