If you were to design the med school of the future, what would it look like? A special challenge with cash prizes gives medical students a chance through Dec. 11 to share their bold project ideas to transform physician training. AMA Wire checked in with Susan Skochelak, MD (pictured right), AMA group vice president of medical education. Here’s what she says students should know about this exciting opportunity.
AMA Wire: Why did the AMA decide to launch this student challenge?
Dr. Skochelak: Medical students have an important and unique perspective on how medical education works and how it doesn’t. We want medical students to have the opportunity to propose how they would transform medical school to turn out even better physicians.
AMA Wire: Why do you think this challenge is important?
Dr. Skochelak: This challenge is open to teams led by a medical student, but other team members may be students of any discipline. This challenge will give a voice to medical student ideas about what medical school should be like as well as draw inspiration from other fields such as engineering, computer science or the humanities.
AMA Wire: What do you hope the challenge will accomplish?
Dr. Skochelak: We hope this challenge will lead medical students and those studying other disciplines to work together in new ways to solve the problems facing the U.S. medical education system and even the health care system as a whole.
AMA Wire: Is there a certain kind of project or idea you’re looking for?
Dr. Skochelak: Surprise me. We don’t want to limit the ideas students can submit. As long as the submission touches on key themes in the challenge guidelines, the sky’s the limit.
AMA Wire: How will students benefit from participating?
Dr. Skochelak: The most obvious benefit is the $5,000 prize for the first place team. There is also a $3,000 prize for second place and $1,000 for third place. The other benefit includes the opportunity to get your idea in front of medical education leaders. The first place team will be invited to present at the Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium meeting in Hershey, Pa., March 6-8. We are also looking for other opportunities to disseminate the best ideas.
