As Academic Colleges evolve, mentorship need soars

February 17, 2016|

By Lin Lofley

When Dr. Elizabeth Brickner, Professor of Internal Medicine and Co-Director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, became a mentor in UT Southwestern Medical School’s Academic Colleges program three years ago, the first thing she did was pull out a copy of Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking.

First-year medical student Michael Zhou practices an abdominal exam as Dr. Elizabeth Brickner explains the procedure to other Cary College members.

Bates, according to the Amazon website, is considered “the pre-eminent textbook” for teaching physical examination, history taking, interviewing, and other core assessment skills. It’s owned by nearly every medical student, and lately it seems to have enjoyed a renewed wave of readership among faculty mentors across the country.

“I read my Bates textbook intently before the sessions in my first year of colleges,” said Dr. Brickner, a cardiologist by training who hasn’t regularly performed things like a joint examination in a long time. “I was a little intimidated because I felt ‘rusty’ about doing some of the exams. Besides, the importance of the physical exam can’t be overstated and I enjoy teaching the students those skills.”

Dr. Mary McGarry, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, encountered the same concerns before she began to mentor students within UT Southwestern academic college system last fall.

“I attended the mentors meetings, read the supplemental materials from the mentors website, and went back over Bates to make sure I’m teaching them the skills they need to meet and exceed the challenges that lie ahead,” Dr. McGarry said. “I still find myself asking for input from the more seasoned mentors as a guide to make sure I’m on track regarding important teaching points.”

Experienced mentors will continue to be in demand in coming years, as the students’ curriculum needs expand. The good news is that the ranks of the mentors will grow as well.

By May, 14 more mentors will be needed, said Dr. James Wagner, Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Academic Colleges, who’s always ready to talk with full-time faculty members about joining the ranks of mentors. The expansion of the Academic Colleges from two years of medical school to four years has created expanded mentoring opportunities.

“The Academic Colleges Program is an integral part of the transformation from medical student to physician at UT Southwestern,” said Dr. W. Gary Reed, Headmaster of the Academic Colleges. “It is the place students first learn how to interact with patients and think like a physician.

“It is also a place to discuss important issues such as ethics, professionalism and personal wellness with colleagues. I am biased, but I think it may be the most important part of our medical school curriculum.”

Drs. Brickner and McGarry agreed that there is a time consideration to weigh, but that the benefits of mentorship can’t be entered on a spreadsheet.

“My time commitment has decreased somewhat since the first two years,” Dr. Brickner said, “largely because I feel more prepared for sessions. The major time outlay is the actual sessions themselves, which take up all of one afternoon each week.

“That said, I have really enjoyed my involvement in the colleges and strongly recommend it to other clinical faculty.”

“This is labor intensive,” Dr. McGarry said. “When you take into account preparation times, actual face-to-face time with the students, and the time it takes to grade and critique student write ups, it’s not insignificant.

“But I can say this: I feel re-energized after working with all these amazing young people.”

“The success of learning communities at medical schools across the country has led to a growth in those communities,” said Dr. Wagner, leader of a study whose findings were reported in Medical Teacher, the journal of AMEE, an international association for medical education. “Our study documented many benefits to faculty involved in learning communities like our Academic Colleges. Another study from our group documented an increase in academic colleges from 18 medical schools in 2006 to 66 in 2014.”

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Dr. Brickner holds the Charles B. Mullins, M.D. Professorship in Clinical Practice and Teaching in Cardiology.

Dr. Reed, who serves as the Medical School’s Associate Dean for Quality, Safety, and Outcomes Education, holds the S.T. Harris Family Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine, in Honor of Gary Reed, M.D.; Sinor/Pritchard (Katy Sinor and Kay Pritchard) Professorship in Medical Education Honoring Donald W. Seldin, M.D.; and the Eva A. Rosenthal Professorship in Internal Medicine, in Honor of Gary Reed, M.D.