The Wayne State University School of Medicine has launched a new program designed to assist students in academic difficulty as well as those who want to excel during their medical education.

Because the school administration and faculty are strongly committed to ensuring that every medical student fulfills their dream of becoming a physician, the new School of Medicine Academic Success Program creates an environment designed to identify and assist students in academic difficulty the moment they begin to exhibit the need for help.

The program is designed to provide services and programs for students who need academic support to improve academic prowess, and for students to enhance academic achievements. Through services provided by the University Academic Success Center and specialized programming provided by the School of Medicine and Wayne State University, the program empowers students to develop the skills and abilities to demonstrate academic excellence.

"We make an investment in the students we enroll, and they obviously make a major investment to be educated as physicians," said Patrick Bridge, Ph.D., associate dean of Undergraduate Medical Education, who, with Matt Jackson, Ph.D., assistant dean of Basic Science Education,  helped design and oversees the program. "We need to ensure that both investments pay off, for the students, for the school and for future patients."

While the program seeks to assist students in need of academic support, it also offers tools for those motivated to enhance their academic skills and abilities. This includes tutoring and mentoring in a number of areas, such as improving note-taking skills, improving concentration during lectures and addressing test anxiety, to name just a few.

The program begins with the Early Alert Program. The administration monitors the progress of each and every medical student. When signs of difficulty appear, the student is contacted, counseled and offered assistance through the Academic Success Program. The additional services are offered when the student may be academically performing below expectations and at risk for unsatisfactory academic progress.

"Our goal is to create independent learners by offering study tools to assist them with their individual academic deficiencies and goals," Dr. Bridge said. "And we begin that process with early intercession when we see a student begin to struggle. That early intercession is key."

Maryjean Schenk, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., vice dean of Medical Education, said that while the program was developed for struggling medical students, it has attracted a wider audience. More than 200 students signed up for the first U.S. Medical Licensing Examination STEP 1 Preparation Program.

"Our goal is that every student passes the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination STEP 1 test on their first attempt," Dr. Schenk said. "Many students are finding this portion of the Academic Success Program is helpful preparation for the exams."

Just one of the overall programs offerings, the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination STEP 1 Preparation Program, provides a comprehensive curriculum that runs parallel with the content taught in the Pathophysiology course taken during Year 2. The structured classroom instruction is provided by WSU School of Medicine students who have successfully passed the Step 1 exam. Led by a learning specialist, the sessions review the nuts and bolts of the program, including curriculum design, time commitment and educational resources required to optimize studies for Step 1. Exam logistics such as Step 1 registration and the structure of the exam are also discussed. Students have the opportunity to take a series of practice exams, such as USMLEWorld. The practice exams help determine a student's level of readiness to take the Step 1 exam, as well as provide a detailed summary of areas that need strengthening. A detailed educational plan can be designed in preparation of a six-week study period following the completion of Year 2.

Courtney Moore, a fourth-year student who developed the Step 1 preparation curriculum and directs the program, said the program demonstrated early success, "exceeding our expectations and proving to be educationally beneficial for all involved."

Students enrolled in the program reported improved Step 1 preparation and reduced anxiety about the exam.

"This refreshing and organized approach to Step preparation has certainly transformed a traditionally stressful atmosphere to one of reduced anxiety populated with enthusiastic and prepared students," Moore said. "We underestimated the demand for our program. The high student attendance necessitated a move to the largest lecture hall at our institution."

More than 4,000 students each year apply to the medical education program at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Of those, only 290 are selected.

"Our students selected us, but we also selected them," Dr. Schenk said. "They deserve every opportunity to achieve success, and we are providing those opportunities through the Academic Success Program."

http://academicsuccess.med.wayne.edu/index.php.