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March 17 - Update to the MD Curriculum

Dear Students,

Updates as of Tuesday, March 17, 2020
 
While it is a very chaotic time, it is also a time to be proud of our Emory SOM community. We are very fortunate to work with such dedicated, thoughtful, and supportive students, faculty, and staff.
 
We have broken down the update below by class, but we are sending all students and faculty the same update so everyone is on the same page.
 
Class of 2020:
  1. Students currently on clinical rotations should still report. We are working with clinical sites and clerkship directors to allow students to complete any final clinical requirements before graduation. Your final rotation may be supplemented by online learning, but any necessary changes in your final month will be provided to you by your clerkship director.
  2. All Discovery-related student meeting travel is cancelled at this time.
  3. The modified Match Day plan that involved small groups is cancelled. We cannot tell you how disappointed we are to have to do this. We will send students a Zoom link to experience Dr. Eley’s address and Ms. Eddingfield’s countdown. We encourage students to still celebrate at home with their loved ones. The Student Affairs Office is working on sending students personalized emails at noon on Friday to inform them of their match.
  4. All elective non-clinical courses (e.g. Harvey) will be modified by the individual instructor to deliver material virtually.
  5. If there are any small group sessions scheduled, they will be done virtually. Instructions on how to participate will be given to you by your small group advisor.
 
Class of 2021:
  1. An announcement was made today by Prometric that they will be closing their testing centers starting tomorrow (3/18). The earliest they will re-open is April 16th. We know this affects many of you scheduled to take Step 2 CK. We understand this is very stressful. You are not alone as this affects all medical students in the country. Let me reassure you that the school will work with students to ensure flexibility over this requirement. There are initial discussions about the potential of medical schools possibly administering the proctored exams, but we do not have any more information as to whether or not this will happen.
  2. All clinical clerkships are suspended until at least April 6th. Students should not report to their clerkships tomorrow. All clerkship directors are aware. We will ensure that faculty are made aware this evening as well. It doesn’t hurt however to reach out to your supervisors to make sure they know. Please do not contact individual clerkship directors. Direct all questions to Dr. Erica Brownfield. Please be patient over the next 24-48 hours while we are working on what you can do during this time. We will reach back out with an updated communication regarding this by Wednesday.
  3. Students planning on doing an away elective in April will need to find an alternative experience. Given that the AAMC has encouraged all medical schools to suspend visiting student electives, you may have already received a cancellation notice from the institution you planned on visiting. Please work with Drs. Felner and Heron and Laura Hopkins in Student Affairs to alter your schedule. Please notify the host institution that you will not be coming in April for your elective rotation.
  4. Discovery will continue as planned. If students run into any difficulties or concerns regarding their project, they should contact Dr. Maureen Powers. Discovery travel for students is suspended at this time. Discovery administration will make no international travel arrangements pending reassessment in 1 month. Discovery leadership will similarly assess away projects at that time.
  5. Radiology make-up exams will not be held in the SOM. We are working with Aquifer and IT to allow you to do this at home with the Honor Code in effect. You will hear from Dr. Gadde and Carol Dowdle regarding the make-up exams no later than this Thursday, March 19th.
  6. There will be no simulations or assessments in the SOM for now.
  7. Small group sessions will continue as planned, but not in person. These will be done virtually via Zoom. Small group advisors will notify you regarding how to participate in these sessions.
 
Class of 2022:
  1. An announcement was made today by Prometric that they will be closing their testing centers starting tomorrow (3/18). The earliest they will re-open is April 16th. We know this affects some of you scheduled to take Step 1. We understand this is very stressful. You are not alone as this affects all medical students in the country. Let me reassure you that the school will work with students to ensure flexibility over this requirement. There are initial discussions about the potential of medical schools possibly administering the proctored exams, but we do not have any more information as to whether or not this will happen.
  2. All clinical clerkships are suspended until at least April 6th. Students should not report to their clerkships. All clerkship directors are aware. We will ensure that faculty are made aware this evening as well. Please be aware that the dean’s office and clerkship directors will be working non-stop to figure out plans for students and will communicate these to you in the next 1-2 days. Please do not contact individual clerkship directors. Direct all questions to Dr. Erica Brownfield. Please be patient over the next 24-48 hours while we are working on what you can do during this time. We will reach back out with an updated communication regarding this by Wednesday.
  3. There will be no simulations or assessments in the SOM for now.
  4. Small group sessions will continue as planned, but not in person. These will be done virtually via Zoom. Small group advisors will notify you regarding these sessions.
 
Class of 2023:
  1. Anatomy demos and dissections will not occur this week. Dr. McKeon will communicate any virtual plans to the class as they are made. The scheduled Virtual Anatomy Sessions for Tuesday, March 17th at 9:30 and 10:30 am and Friday, March 20th at 1pm, are CANCELLED. Dr. McKeon and Dr. Schulman are working on how we will make up the in-person Anatomy sessions (dissections, demos, with Dr. Tigges, etc.). They are looking at all options and as soon as the best option has been determined, this information will be communicated directly to students.
  2. OPEX is cancelled at least until the end of March.
  3. All lectures will be done via Zoom. A link for each lecture will be placed on the Student Portal calendar for students to access remotely. We strongly recommend you participate in these sessions as it is important for students to not fall behind. The lectures will still be recorded as usual for you to access at any time you desire.
  4. Small group sessions will continue as planned, but they will all be held virtually. Small group advisors and/or M4 mentors will notify you regarding how to participate in these sessions.
  5. Community Learning and Social Medicine (CLSM) has already planned for meetings to occur virtually on Monday afternoon. The instructions on how to participate in these virtual meetings will be sent out by the CLSM leadership. Students should not attend any gathering of community members.
  6. Any electives should be done virtually. Please contact your elective director to discuss plans for how this can occur.
 
 
Erica Brownfield, MD, FACP
Associate Dean, Medical Education
Professor of Medicine
 
William Eley, MD, MPH
Executive Associate Dean
Office of Medical Education and Student Affairs
Graduate Medical and Continuing Medical Education
Professor of Hematology/Oncology