Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Bioethics 2
Elizabeth A. Kitsis, M.D., Department of Epidemiology &
Population Health and Department of Medicine (Rheumatology)
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Dept of Epidemiology & Population Health
Dept. of Family Medicine
Legal Division, Montefiore
Teaching Staff (faculty/others)
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
3
1
1
17
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
1
19
N/A
N/A
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1.
Identify ethical issues associated with the information students are learning in their other second-year
courses.
2.
Analyze ethical dilemmas in a sensitive and systematic manner using moral reasoning skills.
3.
Analyze ethical dilemmas that a student might face in the third-year, and propose ethically defensible
approaches to resolving the situations.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
Bioethics 2 is a required second-year course that builds on the foundations of bioethics learned in
Bioethics 1. It consists of seven monthly sessions covering topics such as privacy and confidentiality,
medical errors and malpractice, public health emergencies, and ethical issues in organ
transplantation. Some sessions begin with a lecture and include a one-hour small-group discussion;
others consist of a 90-minute group discussion. The small groups are composed of approximately 15
students and led by one or two facilitators with expertise in bioethics.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Bioethics 2
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Yes
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
No
X
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system.
The course is taught at only one site.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
X Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
Students receive feedback on the mid-term essay.
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students. See above response.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Bioethics 2
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
The faculty for this course consists of individuals with strong backgrounds in bioethics. All smallgroup facilitators have significant education and experience in the field; most have completed a
masters or certificate program in Bioethics. The educational space is adequate for the
course. Lectures are given in a large lecture hall, and small-group discussions are held in
classrooms in which the chairs are set up for a roundtable discussion.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
Student Feedback: 2012-13
The evaluation was completed by 183 students from the second-year class, using our online
evaluation system. This number represents 99.5% of the students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Course eMED Page as a Learning Resource:
Course Web Resources:
Lectures Overall:
Small Group Discussions as a Learning Experience:
Course Examination:
Course Overall:
3.72-3.86 (3.84-3.91 last year)
3.64 (3.78 last year)
3.52 (3.46 last year)
3.52 (3.63 last year)
3.33 (3.47 last year)
3.54 (3.82 last year)
3.52 (3.67 last year)
3.59 (3.75 last year)
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome (see instruction page)
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:

Material is interesting, important to a career in medicine
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine


Academic Year 2012-2013
Small group sessions stimulating
Excellent faculty/course director
Problems to be overcome:
Despite the major areas of strength noted above, student comments contained mention of a few
areas of weakness and suggestions for improvements:



Timing of the course: should be consolidated, end earlier, not be scheduled before exams
Final essay exam: use board-style questions; make questions harder, more interesting
Social media session: unnecessary; students “knew more than faculty”; have PR person
lead this session
The course was viewed positively by students, and scored comparably to last year. Some students
commented that they found the material interesting and relevant to their future careers in
medicine. Others noted that they particularly enjoyed the small-group discussions and thought that
the faculty were strong. Suggestions for changes included consolidating the course in order to
enhance continuity, changing the final exam, and eliminating the social media session.
The following changes have been made in the course for 2013-14:
o
o
o
o
We held a faculty development session on small-group teaching methods.
The course was consolidated into two blocks, with sessions meeting more frequently in
each block.
The social media session has been revised.
The final exam will be modified.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Cardiovascular Medicine
Charles W. Nordin, M.D., Department of Medicine (Cardiology)
Stephen M. Factor, M.D., Departments of Pathology and
Department of Medicine (Cardiology)
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Medicine
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
27
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
10
22
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1.
Recognize the pathophysiologic and pathologic expression of the major categories of cardiac disease:
coronary artery disease, myocardial infarctions, hypertension, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, valvular
heart disease, pericardial disease, pulmonary hypertension and congenital heart disease.
2.
Identify and evaluate the important risk factors for coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure, and
to describe ways in which cardiovascular disease can be prevented.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
3.
Formulate appropriate differential diagnoses based on the clinical presentation of common cardiovascular
diseases.
4.
Select treatment options for common cardiovascular diseases based on best evidence and patient-centered
factors.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
The course is divided between formal lectures and case conferences. The lectures cover some of
the major topics in cardiovascular pathophysiology: myocardial infarction, coronary artery
disease, arrhythmias, valvular heart disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure, pulmonary
and pericardial disease.
In addition, students meet in small groups to discuss three cases in six case conferences. All three
protocols closely follow actual cases that led to a pathologic evaluation. Class leaders are
designated for each session, but all students are responsible for being prepared each day; the
cases cover material that is not in the lectures with which students should be familiar.
Finally, the lecturers in Pathophysiology, Pathology and Pharmacology have put together the
course syllabus. Students are responsible for the material in the main part of the syllabus.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Cardiovascular Medicine
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Yes
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
No
X
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system.
N/A
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
x
x
Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
No formal feedback is provided.
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students. See above response.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Cardiovascular Medicine
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
Excellent facilities are provided by Einstein: all teaching is at the medical school.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
See Review of 2012 Cardiovascular System Course by the Evaluation Sub-committee below:
At its meeting on April 9, 2013, the Evaluation Subcommittee reviewed the results of the student
evaluation of the Cardiovascular System course. This evaluation was completed by 186 students
from the second-year class, using the eMED learning management system. This number represents
100% of the students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
eMED Page as a Learning Resource:
Course Web Resources:
Use of Appropriate Clinical Correlations:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Lectures Overall:
Case Conferences:
Conferences as Overall Learning Experience:
Availability/Responsiveness of
Course Director:
Exam:
Course Overall:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
4.17 (4.33 last year)
3.89 (4.14 last year)
4.05 (4.30 last year)
3.85 (3.97 last year)
4.34 (4.31 last year)
3.25-4.52 (3.32-4.69 last year)
4.02 (4.11 last year)
3.75-3.88 (4.09-4.12 last year)
3.81 (4.17 last year)
4.31 (4.51 last year)
4.04 (3.94 last year)
4.16 (4.26 last year)
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome.
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:








Case conferences
Quality of teaching/lectures
The course director
Course review lectures
Text syllabi
Organization/structure of the course
Clinical correlations
Practice questions
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:
Despite the major areas of strength noted above, student comments contained mention of the
following areas of weakness and suggestions for improvements:






Issues with case conferences (reliance on eMED, too long, too many, make optional, rotate
leaders, reduce group size, give conference materials in advance, etc.)
Improve dietary and preventive cardiology lectures
Syllabi do not match a few lectures
Organizational issues (order of lectures, improve pathology lectures, clarify heart failure
lectures)
Combine first- and second-year courses
Pharmacology: not enough emphasis, over-represented on exam
With regard to the specific areas for improvement:
Based on last year’s evaluation, we revised the exam extensively to have more, smaller case vignettes, with the
hope that it would make for a more balanced exam. We appreciate the criticisms and shortened the exam
considerably this past year. I also will be working on it next year to try to get a better balance in the material,
now that it is no longer strictly “case-based.”
I would say that the criticism of the exam was actually quite a bit less than in previous years, and the students
rated it more highly.
Case Conferences: Overall the case conferences still are well regarded. We do not think they should be
shortened. The idea of suggested answers is a good one, and has been made before. The students get suggested
answers now for the first-year CV physiology course. We will revisit it for next year.
The last few comments were made by only a handful of students.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Endocrine System
Eric J. Epstein, M.D., Department of Medicine
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
Department of Pathology
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
28
5
9
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
9
41
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Describe normal adrenal anatomy and physiology; diagram the transport, metabolism and
excretion of adrenocortical hormones; and explain glucocorticoid excess, insufficiency,
therapy, and mechanisms of action.
2. Examine the thyroid anatomy, explain thyroid hormone metabolism and function, and
compare the clinical manifestations and treatments of common thyroid diseases.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
3. Identify mediators and causes of growth (both physiologic and aberrant), using standardized
growth charts to evaluate growth in children.
4. Explain the metabolic processes, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and treatment of
calcium disorders and common bone diseases.
5. Summarize the physiologic regulation of hormones involved in hypertension; differentiate
among clinical representations, laboratory findings, and treatment of multiple forms of
Endocrine based hypertension.
6. Describe the genetic etiology, basic pathology and clinical features of common neuroendocrine
tumors and neoplasia syndromes (MEN I and II).
7. Outline lipoprotein metabolism and differentiate among primary and secondary lipid disorders,
including causes, physical findings, relation to other diseases, and treatment.
8. Describe causes and complications related overweight and obesity, hormonal regulation of
both body mass and appetite, and therapeutic strategies for obesity.
9. Compare the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical complications, and treatment of type 1 and
type 2 diabetes.
10. Describe the anatomical relationships of the hypothalamus, anterior and posterior pituitary
glands; illustrate the negative feedback systems involving these glands; summarize disorders of
aberrant pituitary growth (masses), pituitary gland hyperfunction and hypofunction.
11. Classify the various hormone and hormone receptor subtypes as well as the functionality and
regulation of binding proteins
12. Integrate basic science knowledge into the disease states associated with hormonal disorders.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
The Endocrine System course provides an integrated learning experience in normal and abnormal
organ system structure and function. As such, it includes the study of the biochemistry, physiology,
pathophysiology, pathology and pharmacology of a system that itself influences the function of
virtually every cell and organ in the body.
Hormones that affect growth, development and function of reproductive organs are considered in
this course, but the major study of reproductive endocrinology will not occur until the
Reproductive Systems course that immediately follows this course. Thus, the “complete” study of
endocrinology encompasses two successive courses.
For each of the major topics in this course (hypothalamic-pituitary function, thyroid, adrenal,
calcium and metabolic bone disease, obesity and diabetes) there are two lecture hours, followed
(usually on the same day) by a two-hour case conference (obesity is part of the EPHEM 2 course).
The other topics will be covered in lectures only, but learning objectives and sometimes study
questions are included in the syllabus to help students focus on the important points.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Endocrine System
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
Yes
X
No
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system. One site for this course.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
X Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
The course is only five weeks in duration; beyond open access to the course director, there is no
formal mid-course feedback.
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students. See above response.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Endocrine System
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
All facilities and resources are adequate.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
The 2013 summary report for the Endocrine System course is as follows:
The evaluation of the Endocrine System course was completed by 186 students from the secondyear class, using the eMED online evaluation system. This number represents 100% of the students
enrolled in the course this year. The evaluation employs a 5-point scale where 1=unsatisfactory and
5=excellent. In interpreting these data, means > 3.5 can be viewed as very positive assessments,
those between 2.6 and 3.4 as reflecting “adequate” ratings, and means < 2.5 as indicating
substantial dissatisfaction with that component of the course.
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Syllabus as a Learning Resources:
Web Resources:
Use of Appropriate Clinical Correlations:
Lectures Overall:
Case Conferences Overall:
Availability/Responsiveness of Course Director:
Exam:
Course Overall:
4.35 (4.20 last year)
4.47 (4.19 last year)
4.15 (4.14 last year)
3.89 (3.79 last year)
4.54 (4.37 last year)
4.46 (4.18 last year)
4.34 (4.20 last year)
4.64 (4.51 last year)
4.06 (3.79 last year)
4.41 (4.25 last year)
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome:
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine








Academic Year 2012-2013
Organization of the course/syllabus
Overall excellent teaching
Case conferences
Specific lectures/lecturers
Course director
Clinical correlations/relevance
The “Endo-rama” review lecture
Balance of lectures/slides/syllabi
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:
Despite the major areas of strength noted above, student comments contained mention of the
following areas of weakness and suggestions for improvements:







Pace of lectures at end of course: too many lectures. Too much new material
Timing of case conferences; need more time to prepare after lectures
More practice questions similar to exam questions
Make lectures more clinical
Specific lectures (e.g., Lipids)
Exam: too difficult (students felt unprepared based on sample questions)
Syllabus: some lectures lacked syllabi; syllabus too dense
The course director reviewed the evaluations committee report for the Endocrine System course in
2012 and the following were addressed for 2013. Of note, the data for 2013 show improvement in
all modalities assessed by student feedback.
1. I did move two lectures to earlier in the course, but the students probably didn't feel that
change.
2. I am aware of the conference timing, but when the conference does not fall on the same day,
many comments appear about having too much time between the lecture and the
conferences.
3. Endo-rama was introduced to increase familiarity with practice questions; I will be adding
more questions to the syllabus this coming year.
4. The lectures are heavily clinical, but always supported by basic science concepts.
5. I work closely with our lipidologist each year to improve his lecture; I am seeing
improvements, but the scores are not showing this. I will work with him again this year.
6. I reduced the exam by 20 questions this year and introduced a review session to prepare the
students better.
7. We will add some more reading material for the lectures that do not have syllabus chapters,
such as Growth and Development. (Of note, this was addressed for both Growth and
Development and Endocrine Neoplasia, and each topic had relevant reading material in
2013).
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Epidemiology, Population Health, & Evidence-Based
Medicine 2
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Robert Goodman, M.D., Department of Medicine
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Medicine
Department of Epidemiology and Pop. Health
Department of Radiology
Department of Emergency Medicine
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
6
5
1
2
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
0
14
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
Interpret and apply the results of randomized trials:
1.
Identify the role of randomization in reducing confounding.
2.
Identify the role and importance of blinding in reducing bias.
3.
Interpret, use, and communicate measures of effect such as relative risk, relative risk reduction, absolute risk
reduction, and number needed to treat.
4.
Explain how “drop-outs” and “lost” subjects are accounted for in randomized trials and the rationale for the
“intention to treat principle.”
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
5.
Identify methodological difficulties of randomized trials used to evaluate complementary and alternative
therapies.
6.
Identify methodological issues and difficulties in the design and interpretation of active control equivalence /
non-inferiority trials.
7.
Identify advantages and disadvantages of randomized trials viz a viz observational studies in the evaluation
of therapies.
8.
Recognize some of the difficulties in generalizing results of randomizing trials to individual patients.
Interpret and apply the results of studies of screening strategies:
9.
Identify both the limitations and advantages of observational studies and randomized trials in the evaluation
of screening strategies.
10. Identify biases associated with the evaluation of screening strategies.
11. Define, interpret, and explain the phenomenon of “over-diagnosis” as it pertains to screening strategies.
12. Describe the current evidence and recommendations for mammographic breast cancer screening.
13. Identify lung cancer screening modalities and the evidence for their effectiveness in reduction lung cancer
mortality.
Interpret diagnostic test results, and studies of diagnostic tests:
14. Define and calculate sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value.
15. Interpret a “likelihood ratio.”
16. Use “pre-test probability” to estimate “post-test probability.”
17. Quantify the risk associated with radiation exposure from various radiological procedures, particularly CT.
Interpret the results of meta-analyses:
18. Describe what meta-analysis is and what it is used for.
19. Systematically critique the validity of published systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and interpret the
results
20. Interpret “forest plots” and “funnel plots.”
21. Identify colon cancer screening modalities and the evidence for their effectiveness in reducing colon cancer
mortality.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
EPHEM introduces students to concepts and problems in population health, epidemiology, clinical
epidemiology and evidence-based medicine. The goal of the course is for students to develop the
skills needed to critically interpret the medical literature in order to understand: 1. The
distribution and determinants of disease in populations; 2. The elements of diagnosis, treatment,
and prognosis of disease in individuals; and 3. The application of these to the health of populations
and individual patients. While the focus of EPHEM 1 is on populations and EPHEM 2 is on
individual patients, both courses aim to integrate population and patient perspectives. The goal of
EPHEM 2 is for students to acquire the tools needed to critically appraise the medical literature,
interpret the results, apply these results to the care of individual patients, and to communicate these
results to patients, all the while recognizing the uncertainty inherent in clinical medicine. It builds
on and develops the concepts introduced in EPHEM 1.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Epidemiology, Population Health, & Evidence-Based Medicine II
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Yes
No
X
X
X
X
Residents
Graduate Students
Postdoctoral Fellows
Medical Students
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system. N/A
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
X
Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
N/A
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.
Three quizzes, practice questions with answers and explanations are provided.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Epidemiology, Population Health, & Evidence-Based Medicine II
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes?
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
Space and resources are adequate. No computer hardware or software is needed/used.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
NOTE: New course in 2012-2013:
Numerical Data (100% of students responding); 5 point Likert scale (1 lowest, 5 highest)
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Course eMED Page:
Assigned Readings (Primers)
Small-Group Discussions as a Learning Experience
Mean Score for Facilitators
Quizzes
Final Exam:
Course Overall:
3.60-4.10
3.32
3.34
3.87
3.28
3.97
2.89
3.46
3.33
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome.
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:

Primers/worksheets: excellent summaries, etc.

Practice questions: reinforced concepts

Faculty facilitators

Focus on broad concepts Course director

Provided useful tools to analyze articles
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Material relevant to future clinical practice

Fair exams, quizzes

Articles current, relevant to other courses
Academic Year 2012-2013
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:

Timing: condense the course, have fewer sessions

Add lectures as refresher/review

Schedule final exam earlier

Questions on exams/quizzes: confusing, too detailed, poorly worded, etc.

Standardize groups or rotate facilitators

Issues with quizzes: weighted too heavily in grade, etc.

Add practice questions: make available on eMED

Fewer case conferences

Course director focused on semantics

Quality of teaching

No session the day before the exam
Areas of Concern Identified by Students (followed by course director’s responses):

Timing: condense the course, have fewer sessions:
The course has been expanded over the last few years and now includes sessions on meta-analysis,
non-inferiority trials, as well as diagnosis, screening, randomized trials, and observational studies.
There are currently ten 1.5 - 2 hour sessions. The goal of the course, in addition to preparing
students for the boards, is (more importantly) to prepare them so as to be able to critically interpret
the medical literature when they are caring for patients in their clinical rotations and beyond. I do
not agree that the course should be condensed.

Add lectures as refresher/review:
A review session at the end of the year will be considered. This past year I did provide online
practice questions, with answers/explanations leading up the final exam.

Schedule final exam earlier:
The course is unique in that it runs throughout the year and it is integrated into the content of
students’ subspecialty courses. I do not think scheduling the exam before the completion of the
course would be fruitful.

Questions on exams/quizzes: confusing, too detailed, poorly worded, etc.:
The quizzes were hard; and I believe this served to motivate students to prepare better for the final
exam, even if it may have provoked some anxiety. No student failed the course.

Standardize groups or rotate facilitators:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Some students objected that they all didn’t have me as their small-group leader. I can certainly
sympathize with this sentiment. However, this apparently wasn’t due to the quality of my teaching
(several faculty scored higher marks than I did), but rather the perception that my group had an
advantage since I was writing the quizzes and exams. Such an advantage was not apparent in the
exam/quiz scores. All material on the exams is found in the readings for the course (the “Primers”)
or from the handouts for the individual sessions. Using handouts, pre-session e-mails, and presession faculty meetings, we attempted to “standardize” the information as much as possible. It is
nevertheless possible that on one or two occasions a faculty member may have given a definition of
a p-value or 95% confidence interval that differed from what was written in the primers. We will
work harder this year to ensure that that does not happen. I think rotating facilitators is not a good
idea, and in fact I have worked hard to ensure as much continuity as possible. There was one group
that had several preceptors over the course of the year; these students complained about this, and I
do think this group was short-changed. This will not happen in the upcoming year. Groups will
have either one preceptor or shared (2 maximum) over the year.

Issues with quizzes: weighted too heavily in grade, etc.:
There were three quizzes, each worth 10 points each. I do not agree that they were weighted too
heavily. As noted, no one failed the course.

Add practice questions: make available on eMED:
Questions, with answers and explanations (as well as opportunity for discussion) were made
available on online leading up to the final exam, and most of the class took advantage of these. I
intend to do this again in the upcoming year. This could also be done throughout the year.

Fewer case conferences:
See above.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases
Douglas Simon, M.D., Department of Medicine
(Gastroenterology)
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Medicine
Department of Pathology
Department of Pediatrics
Department of Radiology
Department of Surgery
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
34
5
2
1
1
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
22
24
2
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Explain how luminal gastrointestinal physiology concepts are used to interpret diseases of the
luminal gastrointestinal tract.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
2. Recognize the different classes of medications used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, to
differentiate the mechanism of actions of drugs within each class and when to prescribe the
medications within each class.
3. Describe the pathophysiology of the most common gastrointestinal disorders including reflux
disease, constipation, diarrhea and Irritable bowel Syndrome, including a differential diagnosis and
treatment options for each.
4. Recognize the causes, pathophysiology, clinical consequences and management of acute and chronic
pancreatic diseases.
5. Explain the underlying immunological abnormalities, pathological findings, pathophysiology, extraintestinal manifestations and pharmacology of the different treatment options for Inflammatory
Bowel Disease.
6. Explain why patients with chronic diseases (cancer, HIV, TB, etc.) lose weight and how this is different
from starvation.
7. Recognize the importance of screening for colorectal cancer and compare the weaknesses and
strengths of the different colon cancer screening modalities.
8. Describe hepatic physiology, function and anatomy and use this to explain standard tests of liver
function and disease.
9. Differentiate hepatocellular from biliary tract disease and be able to formulate a differential
diagnosis from review of routine blood tests and imaging studies.
10. Appreciate the pathology/histology of luminal gastrointestinal and hepatic disorder and explain how
this can be used to diagnose and treat different disorders.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
Content is covered in course title.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
Yes
X
No
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system.
N/A
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
X Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
X Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
Mid-course feedback is provided by a quiz that counts for 20% of the student’s final grade. The
quiz is given during the mid-way point in the course.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.
In addition to the course quiz, there are multiple online practice questions. After each question
feedback is given on the correct and wrong answers with detailed explanations.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
There is adequate space for lecturing and small-group case conferences. All case conferences are
taught in rooms with Internet and projector. These allow students and faculty to see pathology
images, do online searches, etc. The faculty also use the course website discussion groups to answer
students’ questions. The website also allows students to see and hear lectures.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
At its meeting on April 9, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the student
evaluation of the Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases course. This evaluation was completed by 186
students from the second-year class, using the eMED learning management system. This number
represents 100% of the students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Course eMED Page as a Learning Resource:
Course Web Resources:
Use of Appropriate Clinical Correlations:
Lectures Overall:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Review Lecture:
Gross Demonstration:
Case Conferences as a Learning Experience:
Availability/Responsiveness of
Course Director:
Quizzes:
Course Exam:
Course Overall:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
3.84 (3.94 last year)
3.31 (3.65 last year)
3.85 (3.91 last year)
3.86 (4.03 last year)
4.04 (4.09 last year)
3.59 (3.69 last year)
3.43-4.35 (3.32-4.38 last year)
3.30 (3.94 last year)
3.21 (3.39 last year)
3.72 (3.89 last year)
4.08 (4.36 last year)
3.72
3.44 (3.32 last year)
3.61 (3.76 last year)
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome (see instruction page)
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:








Online learning resources: practice quizzes, questions, pathology review)
Comprehensive, organized syllabus
Excellent lectures/lecturers
Case conferences, excellent facilitators
Important subject, interesting material
Organization
Clinical correlations
Enthusiastic course directors (available, responsive)
Areas of Concern Identified by Students (followed by course director’s responses):
Despite the major areas of strength noted above, student comments contained mention of the
following areas of weakness and suggestions for improvements:
 Too much material covered in too short a time – felt rushed
Agree. There is not much we can do about this. The course has been cut down over the years from 8
weeks to almost 4 weeks.

Organizational issues: group lectures by organ, integration of physiology and pathology, too
much repetition, etc.
The course is already organized by organ (esophagus, stomach, pancreas lectures, etc.)

Exam issues: too many questions, some ambiguous or overly detailed, not representative of
lectures, e.g., no IBD questions
Not having IBD questions on the exam was a mistake by the course leader. Prior years the IBD
topic was covered by essay questions and a last minute decision was made not to have essay
questions this year.

Slides in lecture: too many per lecture, often repeated, poor quality
Agree. There is a lot of material to cover in only 4 weeks.


Syllabus: overly dense, needs editing, pages not numbered, too much emphasis on;
Some lectures: too long, slides outdated
Disagree.
 Make the course more case-based, fewer lectures (but improve conferences)
Agree. I would like to try this.
 Keep lectures: students don’t prepare for conferences
Disagree.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Hematology
Lawrence I. Cytryn, M.D., Department of Medicine
(Hematology)
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Dept. of Medicine, Division of Hematology
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
19
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify) Case Conferences
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
11
13
4
3
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Describe normal hematopoiesis and regulation of blood cell production.
2.
Explain the function of blood cells and how changes in production or increased destruction/loss results in
manifestations of disease.
3.
Distinguish the impacts of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on red blood cells.
4. Summarize how clonal abnormalities in hematopoiesis result in specific malignant hematologic disorders.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
5. Define normal hemostasis and how abnormalities in blood vessels, platelet numbers, platelet function, or
decreased concentrations of clotting factors result in bleeding.
6. Explain how clot formation is normally limited physiologically, and delineate the factors that cause
hypercoagulability and thrombosis.
7. Demonstrate appropriate evaluation and management of patients with primary hematologic disorders.
8. Discuss several useful tools and basic principles to enhance understanding and appreciation of Hematology.
9.
Perform simple lab techniques.
10. Utilize terminology commonly used in the field of hematology to communicate ideas and engage in
cooperative education.
11. Apply appropriate interpersonal and communication skills, including an appreciation for diverse
perspectives, during small group learning sessions.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
Normal Hematopoiesis
Normal Blood Cells – Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, Platelets
Normal Hemostasis
Normal Immunoglobulins, Serum Protein and Immuno- Electrophoresis
Abnormal Hematopoiesis
Red Cell Disorders – Anemia, Erythrocytosis
Hematologic Malignancies – Leukemias, Lymphomas, Plasma Cell Dyscrasias, Myelodysplastic Syndromes,
Myeloproliferative Neoplasia
Hemorrhagic Disorders
Thrombotic Disorders
Antithrombotic and Anticoagulant Therapy
Transfusion Medicine
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Hematology
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Yes
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
No
X
X
X
Hematology
Fellows
Medical
Students
X-Assist in
venipuncture
labs, not
instructors
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system. Course is taught at one site.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
X Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
Frequent small groups allow individual student-teacher interaction and commentary. Email and
online discussion groups for discussion of content, ideas, and question-answer sessions.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.




Links to practice cases available on course home page.
Frequent feedback during wet labs for venipuncture, blood smear preparation, image
review, small case discussions, and clinical scenarios/game format; case conferences for
complex case discussions.
2-hour review in full-class session
Post-final exam review session, course director and full class
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Hematology
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
All resources are adequate to teach this course.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
At its meeting on June 25, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the student
evaluation of the Hematology course. The evaluation was completed by 188 students from the
second-year class, using our online evaluation system. This number represents 100% of the
students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Course eMED Page as a Learning Resource:
Course Web Resources:
Use of Appropriate Clinical Correlations:
Lectures Overall:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Review Lecture:
Laboratories:
Laboratories Overall:
Case Conferences:
Case Conferences Overall:
Availability and Responsiveness of Course Director
Exam:
Course Overall:
4.07 (4.46 last year)
4.12 (4.49 last year)
4.08 (4.23 last year)
4.10 (4.39 last year)
4.27 (4.51 last year)
3.95 (4.36 last year)
2.87-4.46 (3.63-4.56 last year)
4.19 (4.56 last year)
3.93-4.08 (3.97-4.27 last year)
3.90 (4.23 last year)
4.06-4.08 (4.14-4.00 last year)
3.98 (4.25 last year)
4.59 (4.78 last year)
4.11 (4.37 last year)
4.20 (4.49 last year)
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:









The course leader: available, responsive (including e-mails) to student concerns,
compassionate, good role model
Laboratories, excellent lab instructors, etc.
Organization of the course: tie-in with other courses, continuity between lecture,
conferences, and labs
Case conferences, facilitators
Lectures/lecturers: excellent, approachable
Patients in lecture
Interesting material
Review lecture
Fair exam, not too long
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:
Despite the major areas of strength noted above, student comments contained mention of a few
areas of weakness and suggestions for improvements:







Specific lectures: thalassemia, hematopoiesis, leukemia, lymphoma
Better overall organization of lectures
Exam issues: too easy. Short; to much memorizing, no critical thinking; not reflective of
review lecture
More practice questions/problem sets
No concerns
Laboratories: more time for venipuncture, too much time for venipuncture; outdated
methods; not well organized
Combine lab and conference
Course director’s responses to areas identified by students:
-
Specific lectures and better organization of lectures: (Note: These are the largest number of
negative comments, 10 comments each, or 5.3% of the class). I will reassign at least several
lectures this coming year. One or more of our faculty will not be returning. We have several
new faculty joining the course, and I may try to consolidate two lectures into one to use the
free lecture differently. Several lectures may include more of the “advanced course” content
than they should. I will meet with the faculty this fall to review this issue, among others. I
also will arrange a teaching session for any interested lecturers on using the Audience
Response System.
-
Exam: I may add some more questions, as 50 questions does seem like a bit too few (there
have been 50 final exam questions since my first participation in the course in 1997). I give a
post-final exam review to all interested students immediately after the test, and a substantial
proportion of the class uses the full amount of time.
“Too easy”: This year’s class did better than last year’s class, but in the end I want the exam
to test what I think they should know; the course is meant to teach what they should know, so
they should know pretty much everything on the exam.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
“Too much memorizing, no critical thinking”: 10 questions are cases to be matched to
uncaptioned microscopic images; 29 of 40 are small or medium length clinical scenarios for
the stems, some of which do and some of which do not require critical thinking. I will try to
improve this by increasing the proportion of questions requiring critical
thinking. Unfortunately there is a fair amount of basic knowledge necessary, and though we
try to teach it so that it can be understood rather than memorized, this is not always
possible. Note: All test questions come directly from lecture. I attend every lecture and take
notes with this in mind. I write all the questions, and the students know this from day one and
from subsequent reminders.
-
I think having “more practice questions” is a good idea, I will use the website to post
questions of the week. However there already is a link to the American Society of Hematology
series of interactive case studies structured in the form of clinical scenarios with questions,
answers, and explanations at each step. I think almost no one uses this resource.
Labs: “More time for venipuncture,” “less time for venipuncture”: Exactly: we do
venipuncture three times in the four lab sessions).
-
“Outdated methods”: True. Now smears are done by robotics, spun HCTs are obsolete except
where there are no CBCs, which is true in many parts of the world; ESRs are primitive, but
informative, and understanding the mechanisms is much enhanced when you see the column
of blood falling. Hematology has a history, and the diseases are more than just facts to
memorize (see above). So for this one moment in their education, I still think it’s worthwhile
for them to do these few simple procedures that, by the way, use their own blood.
“Organization”: A tough one. We use the time to do the venipunctures, review images of
normal and abnormal blood cells, and discuss mini-clinical scenarios. We do have the
important priority that we cover the subjects in lab immediately following the lecture content.
Teaching hematology so that it’s not rote memorization (see above) is easier when students do
the procedures.
-
Combine labs and conferences: We actually already do. We have a two mini-cases and an
anemia mix-and-match exercise in the second lab, corresponding to the RBC section of the
course which comes first; a mini-case on a patient with dysproteinemia in the third lab, which
corresponds to the WBC part of the course; and the fourth lab is a small-group session on
hemostasis and thrombosis in which we predict the diagnostic test abnormalities in a series of
diagnoses and clinical scenarios. But it is true that I continue to wonder if we might be able to
use our available time, and especially small-group time, more efficiently
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Introduction to Clinical Medicine – The Clinical
Examination
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Mimi McEvoy, M.A., R.N., Department of Family & Social
Medicine and Department of Pediatrics
Patrick D. Herron, M.B.E., Department of Family & Social
Medicine
Felise B. Milan, M.D. Department of Medicine
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Emergency Medicine
Department of Medicine
Department of Family & Social Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
Department of OB/GYN
Department of Surgery
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
28
86
3
13
2
12
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
10
42
37
68
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives – PART !:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Utilize basic science knowledge, i.e., anatomy, to inform proper performance of PE techniques
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
2. Demonstrate proper use of instruments commonly employed in the medical examination of patients
including: stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, ophthalmoscope, otoscope, reflex hammer, and tuning
fork.
3. Demonstrate all the components of the physical examination including: head and neck, eyes, ears,
nose, throat, pulmonary, cardiovascular, abdomen, musculoskeletal, and neurological.
4. Apply basic science knowledge to formulate differential diagnoses.
5. Utilize appropriate teaching techniques to teach peers in small group settings
6. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
7. Recognize normal physical examination findings.
8. Utilize the review of systems in the context of the medical history.
9. Perform a sensitive and complete female breast and pelvic examination and a male genitourinary
examination.
Course Objectives – PART II:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Apply basic science knowledge, i.e., anatomy, to inform proper performance of PE techniques
2. Demonstrate proper use of instruments commonly employed in the medical examination of patients
including: stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, ophthalmoscope, otoscope, reflex hammer, and tuning
fork.
3. Demonstrate all the components of the physical examination of the various body parts and systems
including: head and neck, eyes, ears, nose, throat, pulmonary, cardiovascular, abdomen,
musculoskeletal, and neurological.
4. Conduct a medical interview to obtain a detailed history of present and past illnesses and a complete
review of systems.
5. Demonstrate sensitivity to the patient’s level of comfort during the physical examination.
6. Demonstrate ability to gather data in the process of observation of the patient as a clinical skill.
7. Utilize data gathered by observation, patient history and physical examination to inform
development of differential diagnoses.
8. Demonstrate physical examination maneuvers on a patient in a logical and focused manner.
9. Recognize the range of normal physical examination findings.
10. Recognize and interpret abnormal physical examination findings.
11. Use effective listening skills that recognize patients’ verbal, non-verbal and contextual cues while
eliciting the history and during the performance of the physical examination.
12. Formulate a basic patient problem list.
13. Organize historical and physical findings in a logical, standardized manner for delivery of a clear,
concise and relevant oral presentation and written case history.
14. Reflect on individual learning goals for professional development.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
Part 1 of the Clinical Examination course consists of 10 sessions involving physical examination
practices, history of present illness and review of systems (HPI/ROS) practice and clinical
reasoning workshops. Below is the list of curricular topics:







Examination of the Chest and Abdomen (Refresher session from year 1)
Examination of the Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat
Examination of the Nervous System and Musculoskeletal System
Examination of the Head to Toe Physical Examination
Integrative Medicine Workshop
History of Present Illness/Review of systems Communication and clinical reasoning Session
Hypothesis-driven Physical Examination Session
Students also participate in special sessions to practice the physical examination techniques of the
Female Breast and Pelvic examination and the Male Genitourinary examination.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Part 2 of the Clinical Examination course consists of 10 sessions at a clinical site, eight lectures and
eight subspecialty workshops and. The clinical site sessions provide the opportunity to practice
history taking and physical examinations on actual patients, as well as oral and written case
presentation skills, all under the supervision of faculty preceptors.
Below is the list of lectures and workshops:
Lectures:
1. Orientation to the Course and Lecture on Clinical Reasoning
2. The Geriatric Patient
3. The Patient with Cardiovascular Disorders
4. The Patient with Pulmonary Disorders
5. General Appearance and the Patient with HEENT Disorders
6. The Patient with Abdominal and Musculoskeletal Disorders
7. The Patient with Neurological Disorders
8. The Patient with Disorders of the Skin
Workshops:
The two-hour workshops provide hands-on and interactive instruction in:
1. Cardiology
2. Pulmonology
3. Radiology
4. Differential Diagnosis
5. IV Access and Phlebotomy
6. Evidence-based Physical Examination of the Abdomen - Liver
7. Functional Assessment of the Geriatric Patient
8. Examination of the Infant/Child
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Introduction to Clinical Medicine – The Clinical Examination
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Yes
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
No
X
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system.
At each of the clinical sites, we designate a clinical site leader who is responsible for recruiting the
preceptors at a particular site. Once these site leaders are recruited, the ICM administrative office
staff collects the preceptors’ contact information so that we can communicate directly with them
about course-related matters. Before the course begins, we email all preceptors a faculty guide that
includes dates, course objectives, and a teaching plan by session, and criteria for evaluation.
Specifically, we have devised a teaching model of observation and direct feedback at the bedside
specific to the course, which is thoroughly described in the faculty guide.
Additionally, CME faculty development sessions are offered annually on campus and at selected
clinical affiliates to provide instruction on course objectives, expectations for faculty and skills
practice on clinical teaching, supervision, feedback and summative evaluation.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
x
x
x
Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
x
x
x
x
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
Formative feedback is ongoing in both parts of the course. In Part 1, preceptors in the small groups
circulate among the pairs of students observing and give feedback to them on their skills. As
students demonstrate competency in specific skill areas, they are checked off for each skill on a
checklist. At the mid-point of the course, the students complete a physical examination skills
competency assessment, as described in the section below, which includes mid-course feedback
from their small group preceptor.
In Part 2 of the course, the preceptors, following our bedside teaching methodology, observe the
students in real time while they are examining actual patients and give direct feedback based on
these observations on an ongoing basis.
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.
At the end of Part 1, students need to demonstrate competency in physical examination (PE)
performance. They are asked to perform a PE on their practice partner. Students receive
immediate formative feedback on their skills from the evaluator.
At the end of Part 2 of the course, students receive formative feedback on two separate occasions:
1) Preceptors complete an evaluation of students’ performance after their experience at the
clinical sites. All preceptors are asked to sit with the students at the 10th and final clinical site
visit and spend 15 minutes with each individual student (there are four students per preceptor
group) to review this evaluation with the student.
2) In addition, all students are required to complete an end-of-second-year two-station OSCE.
After each of these two cases, students receive 10 minutes of immediate feedback from the
standardized patient.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Introduction to Clinical Medicine – The Clinical Examination
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
X No
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
All of our faculty in The Clinical Examination course are physicians, and we recruit preceptors
from within our institutional and hospital affiliates and from a variety of disciplines, including
internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, and emergency medicine. Faculty are
recommended by other faculty already teaching in our course, and others are recommended by site
leaders who work to recruit faculty at that clinical site.
We rely on students’ feedback from our course evaluations to monitor the quality of the teaching in
our course. In some instances, when preceptors receive less than stellar evaluations, particularly
when the preceptors are new to teaching in the course, the course directors meet individually with
the preceptors, review their student evaluations with them, and discuss ways to improve their
teaching skills. In most cases, the opportunity to process the student feedback with a course
director has been effective in improving students’ perceptions of learning from the preceptor in
subsequent years. If after two years, a preceptor’s evaluations are still considered sub-standard, the
preceptor is not asked to return.
In 2009, Einstein opened a 22,000 sq. ft. Clinical Skills Center with 23 4-station examination rooms
in a renovated hospital now an education and research building on campus. The facility includes a
digital audiovisual recording system, which allows our students to receive both formative and
summative testing with SP encounters. The center has ongoing access to campus-based IT support
personnel and remote access to tech support for the online software (B-Line).
Part 1 of the course takes place at the Clinical Skills Center, which can accommodate the entire
second-year class. Each room is equipped with four examination tables and wall-mounted physical
examination instruments (oto-ophthalmoscope and sphygmomanometer); students receive their
individual stethoscopes as a gift from the Einstein Alumni Association. The one-way mirrors in
rooms, cameras for remote observation (in 10 rooms), as well as AV equipment for video recording
are used during skills assessment sessions. More detail about the functionality and equipment of
this center is provided in the ER section of the database.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Course evaluation data from 2012-2013:
Part 1:
The evaluation of Part 1 of the ICM Clinical Examination course was completed by 178 students
from the second-year class, using the eMED online evaluation system. This number represents
97.8% of the students enrolled in the course this year. The evaluation employs a 5-point scale where
1=very poorly/unsatisfactory and 5=very well/excellent. In interpreting these data, means > 3.5
can be viewed as very positive assessments, those between 2.6 and 3.4 as reflecting “adequate”
ratings, and means < 2.5 as indicating substantial dissatisfaction with that component of the course.
The major findings of this evaluation are as follows:
Peer Practice Preceptors (groups with single preceptor only, n=23):
Preparation for sessions:
Demonstration of exam skills:
Paced sessions well:
Had good rapport with group:
Integrated information from the text:
Encouraged self-directed learning:
Helped students feel comfortable:
Overall Ratings for Preceptors:
4.71
4.66
4.60
4.79
4.57
4.62
4.75
4.74
(4.56 last year)
(4.44 last year)
(4.42 last year)
(4.70 last year)
(4.38 last year)
(4.60 last year)
(4.67 last year)
(4.49 last year)
Peer Practice Sessions developed some competence in:
 examining actual patients:
 using instruments:
 learning proper sequence of the exam:
 learning physical exam maneuvers:
 clinical reasoning skills:
 conducting a focused physical exam
4.32
4.31
4.45
4.38
3.99
4.13
(4.45 last year)
(4.44 last year)
(4.42 last year)
(4.04 last year)
Overall Rating for Part 1:
4.18 (4.35 last year)
As course directors, we were generally pleased with the positive student evaluations of Part 1 of the
course. The only area of concern for us was with regard to the clinical reasoning skills, which
received a rating of 3.99. Clinical reasoning is a major component in the Hypothesis-driven PE
sessions; thus, in response to this feedback, we revamped one of the cases to be more complex in
line with the other three cases. It is also possible that students do not associate learning the skills of
clinical reasoning explicitly with these sessions, a possible explanation for the less positive rating in
comparison to other parts of the course.
Part 2:
At its meeting on May 21, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the student
evaluation of the ICM Clinical Examination course, Part 2. This evaluation was completed by 182
students from the second-year class, using our online evaluation system. This number represents
100% of the students enrolled in the course this year.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Lectures:
Subspecialty Workshops:
Clinical Skills Assessment Exercises:
Overall Ratings for Preceptors:
Course Overall:
3.85-4.33 (3.92-4.42 last year)
3.41-3.60 (3.76-3.93 last year)
3.49-4.34 (3.74-4.49 last year)
2.13-3.64 (2.65-3.83 last year)
4.52, 4.33 (4.58, 4.62, 4.00 last year)
3.97 (4.12 last year)
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:



Hospital visits/clinical exposure) (57 comments);
Clinical preceptors (excellent role models, mentors, etc.) (16 comments);
Learning from real patients (10 comments);
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:
Despite the major areas of strength noted above, student comments contained mention of a few
areas of weakness and suggestions for improvements:


Issues with final exam: length, scope of material, not representative of course, poor timing
near 2 major exams
Decrease lectures/workshops; replace lectures with workshop or more clinic time
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome (see instruction page)
Areas of Strength:



Hospital visits/clinical exposure)
Clinical preceptors (excellent role models, mentors, etc.)
Learning from real patients
Response: The above-cited course strengths reflect students’ satisfaction at the clinical sites. A
number of years ago, we created a bedside teaching model as part of a deliberate strategy to have
preceptors observe students while they are eliciting histories and practicing PE on patients and to
give them feedback in real time.
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:

Decrease lectures/workshops; replace lectures with workshop or more clinic time
Response: Students consistently ask for more clinical time or opportunities to work with real
patients. However, we know that asking preceptors to teach more than 10 afternoons isn’t feasible.
However, in 2013/14, we addressed this concern by shortening two lectures and followed these
lectures with longer skills practice workshops for both the ENT and Musculoskeletal systems.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Joshua Nosanchuk, M.D., Department of Medicine (Infectious
Diseases) and Department of Microbiology & Immunology;
Theresa Madaline, M.D., Department of Medicine (Infectious
Diseases)
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Medicine
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Department of Pathology (Clin Micro Lab)
Department of Pediatrics
Department of Biochemistry
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
40 (3 post-doc)
3
9
6
1
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
23
27
29
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
By the end of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Define the basic term used to describe microbial pathogenesis
2. Describe the main outcomes of microbial infection in a host
3. Describe the main virulence characteristics of bacteria; viruses; and fungi
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
4. Identify the host and microbial factors that influence the outcome of an infection in a
host
5. Identify the main host characteristics that enhance susceptibility and promote
resistance to infectious diseases
6. Use clinical and basic scientific information about microbial pathogenesis to decide on
the most likely microbe(s) causing an infectious disease
7. Select the best type of antibiotic therapy for an infectious disease
8. Describe the basic mechanisms of action and indications for commonly used
antimicrobial agents
9. Successfully complete all questions on USMLE Step 1 pertaining to the content of the
course.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
The overall goal of this course is to introduce students to basic concepts in Microbiology, Microbial
Pathogenesis and Infectious Diseases. The course covers bacteriology, mycology and virology and
antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral therapy. The main focus is on medically important bacteria,
fungi and viruses and the infectious diseases they cause. The conceptual underpinnings of the
course are based on the tenets that both the host and the microbe contribute to microbial virulence
and pathogenicity and that infectious diseases only occur in susceptible hosts. As such, the lectures,
laboratory sessions and case-based learning sessions will discuss both host and microbial features
that influence the outcome of microbial infection.
The main objective of the course is that students learn to use clinical and basic scientific
information to evaluate and predict the most likely outcomes of different kinds of microbial
infections in normal and immune-compromised hosts and to diagnose and treat common infectious
diseases syndromes.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
Yes
X
No
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system. N/A
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
X Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
Mid-term examination provides test score for competency.
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Practice questions are made available for all topics/lectures. Online tutorial for antibiotics is
available for self-assessment. Review sessions with audience response assessments (which allow for
anonymous self-assessment) are presented prior to each examination to help students assess their
knowledge several days prior to testing. Material in laboratories and cases is included in the
examinations, and feedback is provided as part of overall grade. One-on-one meetings are available
to all students with course directors, both before and after the examinations.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
The course faculty includes infectious diseases physicians, senior infectious diseases fellows and
microbiologists/pathologists. This rich collection of teachers facilitates close interactions with the
students. Lectures are presented by infectious diseases physicians, except for two by a PhD
biochemist on genetics and toxins. The laboratories are co-run with at least a microbiologist and
infectious diseases expert in each room. The cases are facilitated by infectious diseases physicians or
senior infectious diseases fellows.
The lectures are presented in an appropriate auditorium. Laboratories are appropriately supplied
with all the required microbiological equipment and microscopes. Case conferences are held in
appropriate classrooms.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
At its meeting on May 21, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the student
evaluation of the Microbiology & Infectious Disease course. This evaluation was completed by 186
students from the second-year class, using our online evaluation system. This number represents
100% of the students enrolled in the unit this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Course eMED Page as a Learning Resource:
Course Web Resources:
Use of Appropriate Clinical Correlations:
Lectures Overall:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Laboratories Overall:
Case Conferences:
Availability and Responsiveness of Course Director:
Exams:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
3.84 (3.94 last year)
3.51 (3.73 last year)
3.71 (3.68 last year)
3.60 (3.59 last year)
4.01 (3.96 last year)
3.70 (3.75 last year)
2.92-4.16 (3.56-4.40 last year)
3.35 (3.47 last year)
3.54 (3.61 last year)
4.23 (4.00 last year)
3.82 (3.64 last year)
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Course Overall:
Academic Year 2012-2013
3.90 (3.79 last year)
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome (see instruction page)
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:








Quality of lectures
Laboratories
Case conferences
Clinical relevance
Interesting material
Instructors
Relevance to the Boards
Organization of the course
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:
Despite the major areas of strength noted above, student comments contained mention of a few
areas of weakness and suggestions for improvements:










Have fewer/shorter labs
Teaching of virology
More quizzes, practice questions, review
Case conferences
Organization of the course
Quality of lectures/lecturer
Unrecorded lecture
First half compressed/second half spread out
Need charts for classification
Second exam
Successes: The students overwhelmingly rate the course positively. The students achieve excellent
scores on the internal assessments and perform above the national average on STEP 1 microbiology
questions. Moreover, feedback from students during their clinical experiences is that the course
solidly prepared them for dealing with microbiological and infectious diseases in their diverse
patients throughout their third and fourth years.
Concerns: The major complaint is the length of the course and the fact that material covered on the
examinations is cumulative. One lecturer in 2013 who refused to have her lecture recorded will not
be lecturing in the future. The virology lectures are not in an ideal order, but this is because the
virology faculty are clinicians who must adhere to their clinical schedules and patient obligations,
making the scheduling more difficult. Nevertheless, the material is covered well, and the students
succeed on the exams in this and other sections, with means on the exams averaging ~83.
The length of the course is dictated by the amount of material covered. Additionally, there are
holidays that prolong the duration of the course. For 2014, we are adding additional optional selfassessments (electronic unfolding cases), reducing the number of wet labs to increase opportunities
to improve antibiotic use understanding with a TBL session, and re-introducing a case session on
HIV in addition to a session on HIV now run by the EPHEM 2 course. The students have requested
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
more “charts” for microbes and antimicrobials (despite having this information in the
recommended text and detailed in lectures); students from prior classes have provided examples
that will be available on the course webpage.
A recent change is the addition of Dr. Theresa Madaline as assistant course director. Dr. Madaline
will focus on updating the laboratory and small-group cases, adding electronic self-assessments,
and overseeing exam assessment.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Irene Blanco, M.D., Department of Medicine (Rheumatology)
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Division of Rheumatology
Department of Orthopedics-Jacobi
Division of Pediatric Rheumatology
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
10
1
1
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
14
10
0
0
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Properly utilize details of history, physical examination, imaging, and laboratory tests in the diagnosis of
rheumatic diseases.
2. Formulate a differential diagnosis of diseases causing mono-arthritis and polyarthritis, and know their clinical
manifestations, treatment and prognosis.
3. Distinguish between various types of rheumatic diseases with multi-system involvement
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
4. Recognize important clinical features of non-inflammatory and/or regional conditions affecting bones and
joints
5. Identify the clinical manifestations, radiological presentation, and pathological features of benign and
malignant bone tumors
6.
Outline the current medical treatment of major inflammatory and non-inflammatory musculoskeletal
conditions
7.
Recognize basic radiographic, histologic and pathologic findings of rheumatic diseases.
8.
Identify parameters important for conduct of effective team and small group learning.
9.
Apply musculoskeletal knowledge to clerkships and the practice of medicine
10. Utilize Evidence Based Practices to further enhance your understanding of the treatment and assessment of
rheumatic diseases
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
As described in course title.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Yes
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
No
X
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
X Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
There is no mechanism for mid-course feedback, as the course is very short and only runs over the
course of four weeks. Often the first case conference is in the middle of the course, and students will
approach us with questions. We also make frequent use of the message board on eMED, and if a
student has a question that we think is relevant to the whole class, we will publish it anonymously
with the answer so that everyone can have access to the information.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.
Students have access to a practice exam, and there is also a review session before the exam. Also in
the small-group sessions, misinformation is corrected and material is clarified, if deemed necessary
by the group leader.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
All technical resources provided to us are more than adequate.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
At its meeting on June 25, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the student
evaluation of the Musculoskeletal Disorders course. The evaluation was completed by 186 students
from the second-year class, using our online evaluation system. This number represents 100% of
the students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Course eMED page as a Learning Resource:
Course Web Resources:
Use of Appropriate Clinical Correlations:
Lectures Overall:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Review Lectures:
Case Conferences:
Conferences Overall:
Availability and Responsiveness of
Course Directors:
Exam:
Course Overall:
3.84 (4.10 last year)
3.75 (4.12 last year)
3.80 (4.05 last year)
3.74 (3.99 last year)
4.07 (4.23 last year)
3.82 (4.03 last year)
3.28-4.24 (3.82-4.45 last year)
3.99, 4.00 (4.11 last year)
3.88-3.93 (4.00-4.10 last year)
3.85 (4.03 last year)
4.12 (4.37 last year)
3.45 (3.45 last year)
3.78 (3.96 last year)
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome (see instruction page)
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:








Lectures and lecturers
Case conferences
Clinical relevance/use of patients
Interesting material
Organization of the course
Practice questions/reviews/good prep for the boards
Syllabus
Course directors
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:
Despite the major areas of strength noted above, student comments contained mention of a few
areas of weakness and suggestions for improvements:




The exam (overly detailed considering what was covered in the course, long, some confusing
questions, timing, etc.)
Osteoarthritis lecture: quality, earlier placement
Case conferences
Organization
Course director’s response:
Over the past two years our course has actually scored quite well. In the 2011-12 academic year the
course overall scored a 3.96 and in the 2012-13 year scored a 3.78. Where we have had difficulty in
both of these years has been mostly with the exam. In the written comments for both years, the
students had a negative impression of the exam. They did not feel that it was an adequate reflection
of what they had been taught. I have since spoken with a colleague who is also a course director at
Einstein, and I think that the biggest problem with the exam is that it is very long – much too long
for the length for the course. My former co-course director and I had kept the exam nearly the
same as the one given during previous years; but it is clear that the exam will have to be shortened
next year and the questions written in a more straightforward manner.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Nervous System & Human Behavior
Joseph Arezzo, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience and
Department of Neurology
Herbert Schaumburg, M.D., Department of Neurology and
Department of Pathology
List the organizational units (e.g., departments) with teaching staff (faculty/others) who participate in the
course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Neuroscience
Department of Neurology
Department of Pathology
Department of Molecular Pharmacology
Department of Neurosurgery
Department of Psychiatry
Department of Neuroradiology
Department of Epidemiology
Outline invited lectures
Number of teaching staff
involved
8
29
3
1
6
10
5
1
4
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of Teaching Staff
Involved
40
31
9
Instructional Format
Lectures
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate scientific knowledge of the normal structure and function of the Central and
Peripheral Nervous System.
2. Recognize and differentiate the principal diseases of the nervous system and their relationship to
underlying structural and functional pathology.
3. Identify the key psychiatric diseases and their current treatment options.
4. Identify the key neurotransmitter systems in the brain, their sites of origin and the factors that
control their up and down regulation.
5. Recognize how various diseases of the nervous system initially present and progress, and which
represent possible CNS emergencies.
6. Recognize the unique features of neurons with respect to mitosis, integration, communication
and pathology.
7. Identify the stages of neural development, the factors that influence this process and the impact of
developmental deficits on CNS function.
8. To identify the subdivisions of cortex and the role of specific areas in the complexities of memory,
volition, language, emotion and sensory processing.
9. Develop the skills and knowledge required for the efficient use of new medical information,
resources and evolving technologies.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
This course examines the basic science and clinical assessment of brain and behavior. Our tools
include: neuroanatomy, neuropathology, neuroradiology, clinical neurology, and psychiatry. We
build from an understanding of the structure of the neuron to an integrated view of how multiple
areas of the brain work in concert to accomplish specific tasks. The initial phase of the course
focuses on an introduction to neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, with ties to sensory systems. The
central portion of the course focuses on neurodevelopment and neurologic disorders (e.g.,
movement disorders, CNS neoplasms, multiple sclerosis, infectious disease and vascular
disease/stroke). The final third of the course deals with psychiatric and neurobehavioral issues, as
well as higher cognitive functions (e.g., substance abuse, Alzheimer’s disease, aphasia,
schizophrenia).
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Nervous System & Human Behavior
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
Yes
X (2)
No
X
X (1)
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
X Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
X Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
X Laboratory practical items
X Problem-solving written exercises
X Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
There are three exams in the course. Students are therefore provided feedback after the first third
and second third of the course are complete. In addition, students are provided verbal feedback
beginning at the start of the final third of the course within the small-group sessions, and by the
course director after reviewing the written self-organized responses to the small-group questions.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.
Three practical examinations.
Review of performance during small-group sessions.
Review of self-organized written questions following each small-group session.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Nervous System & Human Behavior
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
The course involves 46 individual lecturers. Most are highly experienced full professors; more than
70% are active clinicians with considerable experience in teaching and expertise in their respective
specialties.
In addition, the course involves approximately 25 small-group facilitators who include faculty
ranging from course directors with 30+ years of medical education to clinical residents. Finally, the
dissection laboratory in the course involves an additional 10+ senior faculty with extensive
experience in neuroanatomy and/or neurosurgery.
The resources for the course include a support staff in the Office of Medical Education, the Office
of Instructional Support Services, and the Office of Educational Informatics. In addition, the
College provides secretarial support for the two directors of this course, as well as audio-visual and
IT support.
The physical location for the lectures is outstanding. Lectures are presented in one of two
auditoriums; each is equipped with AV equipment for the display and recording of visual and
auditory information (e.g., wireless computer links, Panopto recording system, central projector
and lateral high-definition flat screen monitors). Small groups are held in dedicated rooms with
fully implemented computer facilities.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
At its meeting on January 22, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the
student evaluation of the Nervous System & Human Behavior course. This evaluation was
completed by 185 students from the second-year class, using the eMED learning management
system. This number represents 100% of the students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
3.76 (3.87 last year)
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Organization of the Course:
Course Syllabus:
Course Web Resources:
Use of Clinical Correlations:
Lecture/Clinical Conferences Overall:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Small Group Conferences:
Availability/Responsiveness of Course Director(s)
Final Exam:
Course Overall:
Academic Year 2012-2013
3.35 (3.42 last year)
3.37 (3.59 last year)
3.35 (3.67 last year)
4.06 (4.17 last year)
3.89 (3.92 last year)
3.38-4.28 (3.60-4.50 last year)
3.53 (3.34 last year)
4.10 (4.35 last year)
3.73 (3.68 last year)
3.85 (3.95 last year)
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome.
Areas of Strength Identified by Students
 Course faculty (caring, passionate, clear presentation)
 Interesting material
 Course directors (available, flexible, present at lectures, engaged, energetic)
 Clinical conferences, patient videos
 Clinical correlations
 Course syllabi
 Coverage of psychiatric disorders
 Organization of the course
 Fair, straightforward exam
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:
 Organizational issues (too long, too much material, not well integrated, too focused on
research, etc.)
 Specific lectures/lecturers (e.g., limbic system)
 More focus on specific topics: psychiatry (including videos of patients) brain tumors,
narcotics, nicotine addiction, pharmacology, etc.
 Poor organization of course eMED page
 Exam issues
Course director’s response:
The recent improvements in the NS&HB course focused on four issues:
1. We reviewed the students’ evaluations of the individual lectures and made several
replacements in an attempt to improve the overall quality of the presentations.
2. We introduced substantially greater numbers of teaching videos as a tool for demonstrating
a variety of neurologic conditions. This was especially valuable for seizure disorders,
movement disorders, and aphasia.
3. We worked closely with the facilitators to improve the value of the small-group sessions.
We held three separate training sessions for the facilitators to outline procedures, goals and
methods for the small-group sessions, as well as to clarify the key learning points of each
case.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
4. We emphasized how an understanding of the basic science findings emerging in
neuroscience could aid in the diagnosis and treatment of clinical diseases. This was a key
focus for the lectures on Alzheimer disease, multiple sclerosis and new drug developments
for mood disorders.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Parasitology and Global Medicine
Christina M. Coyle, M.D., M.S., Department of Medicine
(Infectious Diseases)
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff
(faculty/others) who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Medicine
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
5
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course.
A given individual may be listed more than once:
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
5
12 Faculty
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1.
Describe the life cycle and epidemiology of common parasites (including nematodes, trematodes, cestodes
and protozoa)
2.
Compare and contrast the clinical presentations and complications of common parasitic diseases.
3.
Summarize general principles of diagnosis and appropriate management and treatment of common parasitic
diseases.
4.
Interpret diagnostic workups and select appropriate treatments for common parasitic diseases.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
5.
Explain the importance of different behaviors that lead to acquisition of parasitic infections and host
responses.
6.
Appreciate the role of cultural beliefs and customs in disease transmission and identify key information from
patient histories required for accurate diagnosis of parasitic diseases.
7.
Apply appropriate interpersonal and communication skills, including an appreciation for diverse
perspectives, during small group learning sessions.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
The overall goal of this course is to introduce students to the field of parasitology and global health.
The intent is to facilitate an understanding of clinical manifestations, complications, and work-ups
of parasitic diseases. The course covers the following in separate sections: nematodes, cestodes,
trematodes, and protozoa. Students are responsible for knowing the epidemiology, reservoirs,
modes of transmission, clinical manifestations/complications, diagnosis, and treatment of each of
these parasitic diseases.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Parasitology and Global Medicine
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or
laboratory instructors?
Yes
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
No
X
X
4
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system. Course is taught at one site.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean
scores for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must
complete:
X Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided. N/A
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.


Online quizzes
Use of audience response system (ARS) in class
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Parasitology and Global Medicine
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
Faculty and resources are more than adequate to teach this course.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
At its meeting on May 21, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the student
evaluation of the Parasitology & Global Medicine course. This evaluation was completed by 188
students from the second-year class, using our online evaluation system. This number represents
100% of the students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course
Course eMED Page as a Learning Resource:
Course Web Resources
Use of Appropriate Clinical Correlations:
Lectures Overall:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Review Lectures:
Case Conference as a Learning Experience
Availability/Responsiveness of Faculty
Exam:
Course Overall:
4.27 (4.37 last year)
4.23 (4.29 last year)
4.14 (4.27 last year)
4.11 (4.29 last year)
4.40 (4.52 last year)
4.31 (4.38 last year)
3.71-4.64 (3.90-4.52 last year)
4.66, 3.88 (4.51, 3.95 last year)
3.84
4.47 (4.58 last year)
4.38 (4.46 last year)
4.42 (4.40 last year)
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome.
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:


Course leader: entertaining, enthusiastic, dynamic, passionate, excellent lecturer, etc.
Excellent lectures/lecturers
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)










Clinical correlations/cases/stories
Organization/integration of basic science, clinical and pharmacology
Interesting material, enjoyable, useful
Additional learning resources: in-class exercises/online quizzes, review questions
Focus on what we need to know as MDs
Positive learning environment
Chart of parasites
Case conference
Succinct syllabus
Should remain a separate course
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:










Shorten lectures to 1 hour
No concerns
Course director should give all lectures
More quizzes and make available online longer
Specific lectures need improvement
Fewer slides per lecture/less repetition
Too much review in lectures
Make slides available for note-taking
Have fewer lectures/compress the course
Condense the course and add to Micro/ID
Course director’s response:
The major success of the course is that it is well organized, has a good balance of basic science,
clinical and pharmacology, and engages the students. It is well received and gets outstanding
reviews. It is a unique course that provides students exposure to tropical medicine in this global
world they will be working in as MDs. An overwhelming majority of students enjoy the lectures and
course materials.
A problem we need to overcome is that much of the course is lecture-based. We are addressing this
lack of active learning in the course by implementing new teaching methods. Currently, we are
giving online quizzes, adding more team-based learning sessions and interactive videos online. The
hope is that students will do the "pre-work" before class, and class will be used for problem solving.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Pulmonary Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine
David J. Prezant, M.D., Department of Medicine (Pulmonary)
Michelle Ewart, M.D., Department of Pathology
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Pulmonary Division – Dept Medicine
Critical Care Medicine Division – Dept Medicine
Pathology Dept
Radiology Dept.
Oncology Dept.
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
4 faculty (lectures) and 10 fellows and
faculty (case conferences)
1 faculty (lecture)
6 faculty (lectures) + 10 pathology
residents (case conferences)
2 faculty (lectures)
1 faculty (lecture)
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions – case conferences
Laboratory sessions – Gross Specimen Pathology
Other (please specify) – workshops
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
14
20
1
2
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Identify the anatomy of the lung responsible for the aspect of physiology or pathophysiology under discussion
2. Apply the proper equations to solve and identify the physiologic principle or process in question.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
3. Interpret blood gases, pulmonary function tests, exercise tests, pathology slides/specimens, and hemodynamic
data to identify the physiologic or pathophysiologic process and to grade the severity of the physiologic
abnormality.
4. Identify the genetic, environmental and occupational mechanisms responsible for the pathophysiologic process
in question.
5. Identify the treatment options available for a given pathophysiologic process.
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
Physiology comprises the Part 1 of the course, and following the physiology lectures and
workshops, the mid-term exam tests students’ knowledge of the basic principles of pulmonary and
critical care physiology, including important concepts and equations mentioned in the syllabus,
arterial blood gases, pulmonary function tests, and exercise testing.
Part 2 of the course covers pathophysiology and the application of physiology to disease states.
Integrated in this part of the course are pathology, epidemiology, radiology, pharmacology,
infectious disease, occupational/environmental effects, oncology, tobacco cessation/prevention, and
disaster medicine as it pertains to pulmonary and critical care. The final course exam tests both
physiology and pathophysiology, but is more heavily weighted toward the latter.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Pulmonary Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors? - Lectures and workshops are given only by physician faculty. Small case conferences are
facilitated by pathology residents and pulmonary fellows (post-residency) and faculty
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
Yes
X
No
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system. Course is taught at one site.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:
x
Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided.
Mid-term exam. If a student fails the midterm or does poorly, an opportunity to discuss with the
course director is available. This has consistently produced improved performance on the final
exam with no student failures by the end of the course.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.
Workshops, question/answer participation during lectures and workshops; eMED postings on-line
of questions from students with answers from fellow students and course director; feedback from
facilitators (residents, fellows and faculty) during small-group case conference discussions; and
mid-term exam.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Pulmonary Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
Faculty are superb and routinely receive excellent reviews from the students. Einstein
administration should be commended for providing faculty with numerous new ways of teaching
students via active learning modalities, but does not provide faculty with adequate assistance
needed to integrate these new modalities into everyday teaching, evaluation and reporting.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
At its meeting on April 9, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the student
evaluation of the Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine course. This evaluation was completed by
187 students from the second-year class, using the eMED learning management system. This
number represents 100% of the students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Course eMED Page as a Learning Resource:
Course Web Resources:
Use of Appropriate Clinical Correlations:
Lectures Overall:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Review Lecture:
Gross Demo:
Case Conferences:
Conferences Overall:
Availability and Responsiveness of Course Director:
Exam:
Course Overall:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
3.76 (4.16 last year)
3.66 (3.87 last year)
3.73 (3.59 last year)
3.60 (3.84 last year)
4.12 (4.23 last year)
3.85 (4.08 last year)
3.01-4.17 (3.12-4.53 last year)
4.07 (4.38 last year)
3.45 (3.73 last year)
3.40-3.51 (3.78-3.88 last year)
3.38 (3.79 last year)
4.10 (4.42 last year)
3.51 (3.87 last year)
3.85 (4.17 last year)
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Course Director Response: While the evaluation grades are all slightly lower than last year, they
are still very good and the comments are rarely different.
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome.
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:






Lecturers (enthusiastic, accessible)
Clinical correlations
Review lectures (excellent, comprehensive)
Good preparation for Step
Case conferences (enhanced learning, etc.)
Well organized
Course Director Response – Course Director presents 100% of the physiology lectures and both
review lectures so that learning objectives and techniques can be consistent throughout the course.
The remaining lectures are monitored closely. A script and teaching instruction are provided to the
residents and fellows who facilitate the small case-based group discussions.
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:





Exam too long
o Course Director Response - For the most part over the years, the students have felt
the exam is too long and some feel its content is different from what is stressed in the
lectures. However, the grades on the exam and the shape of the curve would argue
the opposite. Further, the students do very well on the boards.
Patterns of lung injury lecture (difficult, taught at high level, needs more clinical
correlation, etc.)
o Course Director Response - This is being corrected in the upcoming year.
Sleep apnea lecture too dense
o Course Director Response - This is being monitored to see if next year’s students
agree.
No separate TB lecture, improve pneumonia lecture
o Course Director Response - The Einstein teaching philosophy is to have an
integrated teaching process across different courses. Some information is covered in
the infectious disease lectures and then complimentary information is covered in the
pulmonary case conferences and workshops. The students are aware of this but
occasionally still prefer a more traditional approach. Only after obtaining clinical
experience in years 3 and 4 of medical school do they appreciate the more integrated
approach.
More practice questions
o Course Director Response - Questions and student answers (participation) are being
integrated into this year’s course to expand upon the number of practice questions
available in the lectures.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
PART B. REQUIRED COURSE FORM
Course title:
Name (departmental
affiliation) of course director:
Reproductive Systems
Staci E Pollack, M.D., Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
and Women’s Health
Tiffany Hebert, M.D., Department of Pathology
List the organizational units (e.g., Department of Physiology, library) with teaching staff (faculty/others)
who participate in the course and the number of teaching staff from each unit.
Organizational Units Participating
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and
Women’s Health
Department of Pathology
Department of Urology
Department of Family and Social Medicine
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
17
22
1
2
List the number of teaching staff involved in each type of educational session offered in the course. A
given individual may be listed more than once:
Instructional Format
Lecture
Small group sessions = Discussion, large group
>12
Laboratory sessions
Other (please specify)
Game = Sexuality Survey
Demonstration = Gross Demo
Optional Pre-exam Review
Optional Post-exam Review
Number of
Teaching Staff Involved
21
31
1
1
3
Course Objectives
Are there written objectives for the course? (check)
Yes
X No
Provide a sample of about 10 learning objectives, including a selection of those related to knowledge,
skills (including cognitive skills), and professional behaviors (as relevant).
1. Describe the normal function of the male and female human reproductive systems
(including sexual function and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis)
2. Determine the causes of common disorders of the human reproductive systems
(including sexual dysfunction, menstrual cycle abnormalities, infertility)
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
3. Describe components contributing to sexual development and recognize altered
development
4. Describe changes in pregnancy that lead to maternal adaptations, fetal oxygenation, and
uterine contractility, and be able to apply them to pregnancy/prenatal care (some material
expanded upon during large group sessions only)
5. Identify unique problems experienced by extremes of age (pediatric and menopausal) as
they pertain to gynecology and reproductive hormone changes, and determine appropriate
management strategies
6. Determine indications for treatments that utilize hormones or manipulate
normal/abnormal hormonal and reproductive function (including hormonal contraception,
non-hormonal contraception, sexual dysfunction, hormone replacement therapy)
7. Interpret diagnostic workups and select appropriate treatments for common
reproductive system disorders (including sexually transmitted infections, infertility,
menstrual cycle disorders, preterm labor)
8. Identify limitations on access to reproductive care (including management of unintended
pregnancy, ability to obtain contraceptive care, ability to obtain sexually transmitted
infection care, care in the LGBT population)
9. Apply reproductive medicine knowledge, ability to access medical knowledge and critical
evaluation of medical resources to each other
10. Recognize histology and pathology of relevant organ systems and correlate with
hormonal influences
11. Describe pathologic diagnostic criteria for disease states, correlate histologic/pathologic
findings with disease and prognosis, and select appropriate treatment options based on
these findings
Briefly summarize the content areas covered in the course, if not evident from the course title.
The overall objective of the course is to present the student with a general overview of the normal
function and common disorders of the human reproductive systems. There are three interrelated
topics addressed by the course: physiology/pathophysiology, human sexuality and pathology. It is
our expectation that students will be able to attain the course objectives by studying the online
materials, attending lectures, doing the readings and preparing thoroughly for the conferences.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Reproductive Systems
Preparation for Teaching
Are any of the following involved in the course as lecturers, small group facilitators, and/or laboratory
instructors?
Residents
Graduate
Students
Postdoctoral
Fellows
Medical
Students
Yes
X
No
X
X
X
If the entire course is taught at more than one site (e.g., at geographically separated instructional sites),
describe how instructional staff at all sites are oriented to the course objectives, the methods of
assessment, and the grading system.
Student Assessment
If NBME subject (shelf) examinations or customized NBME examinations are used, give the mean scores
for the last three classes:
2011-12
Year:
N/A
Score:
N/A
Percentile*
* National percentile, if relevant
2012-13
N/A
N/A
2013-14
N/A
N/A
Check all the formats that are used in assessments or other evaluations that students must complete:

Multiple-choice, true/false, matching questions
Fill-in, short answer questions
Essay questions or papers
Oral exams
OSCE or standardized patient examination
Laboratory practical items
Problem-solving written exercises
Presentations
Preceptor ratings
Other (describe)
Describe the mechanisms to ensure that mid-course feedback is provided. N/A; single final exam.
List the types of formative assessments that are available during the course (practice examinations,
quizzes, observed clinical skills with feedback). In courses with small-group teaching or 1:1 sessions
with a preceptor, describe how mid-course feedback is provided to students.
There are informal assessments during the small groups (considered discussion, large group >12)
during which facilitators re-direct, correct and ensure students are discussing the correct medical
information.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
REQUIRED COURSE FORM (Continued)
Course title:
Reproductive Systems
Is there a narrative assessment of student performance that is used for formative (feedback) or summative
(a component of the course grade) purposes? (check)
Yes
No
X
Course Outcomes/Evaluation
Comment on the adequacy of faculty and other resources to teach the course (e.g., educational space,
computer hardware and software, IT and other support personnel).
Faculty are selected as topic experts for the subjects on which they lecture and/or facilitate. The
course faculty are academic faculty and are board certified in their respective fields. The only
exception is that some of the small-group (considered discussions, large group >12) facilitators are
pathology residents or Ob/Gyn fellows (having completed Ob/Gyn residency, being board certified
or board eligible, and in subspecialty fellowship training). The medical school supplies educational
space and IT support.
Provide a summary of student feedback on the course (and any other available evaluation data) for the
past two academic years; include the percent of students providing evaluation data. If the course is new
or has been significantly revised, provide evaluation data for the new version of the course only. If
problems have been identified by student evaluations or other data, describe how they are being
addressed.
At its meeting on January 22, 2013, the Evaluation Sub-committee reviewed the results of the
student evaluation of the Reproductive Systems & Human Sexuality course. This evaluation was
completed by 185 students from the second-year class, using the eMED learning management
system. This number represents 100% of the students enrolled in the course this year.
Numerical Data:
Learning Objectives:
Organization of the Course:
Course Syllabus:
Course Web Resources:
Use of Clinical Correlations:
Lectures Overall:
Range of Scores for Lectures:
Gross Demo:
Case Conferences:
Availability/Responsiveness of Course Directors
Exam:
Course Overall:
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
3.61 (3.81 last year)
3.38 (2.92 last year)
2.40 (3.25 last year)
3.21 (3.58 last year)
3.87 (3.74 last year)
3.53 (3.36 last year)
2.97-4.13 (2.72-4.16 last year)
4.04 (3.83 last year)
3.61 (3.50 last year)
4.13 (3.73 last year)
3.23 (3.42 last year)
3.56 (3.49 last year)
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Academic Year 2012-2013
Identify major successes in the course and problems to be overcome (see instruction page)
Areas of Strength:
Major strengths of this course expressed in student comments include:







Quality of lectures
Organization of the course
Case conferences
Interesting material
Enthusiasm of course directors/instructors
Clinical correlations
Sex Day
Areas of Concern Identified by Students:








Exams (not aligned with course content, some poorly written questions, etc.)
Lack of syllabi for each lecture
Organizational issues
Pathology section
Lack of timely posting of slides
Case conferences
Difficulty understanding some lecturers (accents)
Have quizzes and/or mid-term exam
Course directors’ response:
In summary, major successes in the course include: quality of lectures; re-organization of the
course; case conferences, interesting material; enthusiasm of course directors/instructors; clinical
correlations; Sex Day/Human Sexuality module. Problems that were noted and addressed include:

Syllabus: During the introduction to the course, the class was oriented on how to access the
syllabus; with the conversion to a completely electronic syllabus, the syllabus was revamped
with clear learning objectives/goals and readings for each lecture, as well as overall course
objectives.

Exam: The exam was again revamped for the 2013 year with ambiguous questions from
2012 removed/rewritten. Fair representation from all lecturers was ensured, and the exam
was shortened, at student request, to 75 questions (33 pathology and 42
physiology/pathophysiology); at student request, both an optional USMLE-style questionbased pre-exam review and an optional post-exam review were held.
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Required Course Form
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
LCME Medical Education Database 2014-2015
Academic Year 2012-2013
Required Course Form