August 23, 2024

School of Medicine launches new Wayne Trained education program for Warrior M.D.s

Dr. Margit Chadwell, at left, with Wayne Trained Supervisor Dr. Scott Yaekle, at the first Wayne Trained session in July.

A new coaching-based medical education initiative at the Wayne State University School of Medicine one year in the making launched last month with the Warrior M.D. Class of 2028.

Wayne Trained is based on the Master Adaptive Learner framework, designed by the American Medical Association to assist physicians in becoming master adaptive learners—expert, self-directed, self-regulated and lifelong workplace learners. This novel program will transform the school’s current M.D. student support model into a comprehensive and uniform experience for optimal learning, personal growth and professional development.

Wayne Trained is led by Senior Associate Dean of Students and UME Initiatives Margit Chadwell, M.D, FAAFP and was developed in close collaboration with the Office of Learning and Teaching’s Clinical Faculty Learning Skills Specialist Anthony Gaynier, Ed.D., Associate Dean of Clinical Medical Education Christopher Steffes, M.D. and in partnership with the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences.

Anthony Gaynier leads a session on being a Master Adaptive Learner.

The initiative will be delivered in coordination with the School of Medicine’s eight color-coded Warrior M.D. Houses with support from Eric Ayers, M.D., director of Student Engagement. The houses support and encourage networking, coaching, professional identity formation and empowerment. Through active and engaged experiences, students encounter more meaningful learning, allowing for earlier clinical reasoning and exposure to common problems faced by physicians, especially in primary care scenarios.

“After many months of preparation, the successful launch of the Wayne Trained and Coaching Program July 25 was a significant mile marker on the School of Medicine’s Highways to Excellence M.D. curriculum and achieving the school’s strategic plan,” Dr. Chadwell said. “Our faculty’s individual and collective involvement was essential in making the event a resounding success, with a 95% approval rating from the M1 Class of 2028.”

Following introductory training with Assistant Dean of Professional Development and Coaching Teena Chopra, M.D., M.P.H., of the core Wayne Trained clinical coaches alongside the established faculty coaches, the facilitated student sessions in the Warrior M.D. houses “solidly anchored this novel dual clinical/coaching program for our M1s.,” Dr. Chadwell added. “We anticipate continued momentum working in these dedicated groups over Segments 1 and 2 with our next event on September 5.”

First-year medical students attend a Wayne Trained session as part of their Warrior M.D. Houses.

Creating Master Adaptive Learners is a goal through the school’s undergraduate medical education curriculum, and a part of School of Medicine Dean Wael Sakr, M.D.’s, strategic plan.

To serve as Wayne Trained coaches, Wayne Trained Supervisor and Family Medicine physician Scott Yaekle, M.D., Class of 1992, recruited clinicians, all of them School of Medicine alumni who work in the field of Family Medicine and direct patient care. Dr. Yaekle developed the clinical scenarios with input from fourth-year medical student Logan Thayer and in tandem with the Clinical Skills course content under the direction of Erin Miller, M.D.

Coaches are tasked with creating Master Adaptive Learners able to recognize when a routine approach will not work, instead assessing and adjusting to find new solutions.

“Instead of identifying the problem and giving a solution, the faculty coaches are training our students to use this framework to solve the issues they face, while also gleaning key clinical pearls from expert alumni clinicians that embody what it means to be Wayne Trained,” Dr. Chadwell said.

Future coaching sessions will cover topics such as professionalism, professional/personal identity formation, the Medical Student Performance Evaluation Letter, academics and career planning. Students may also elect to participate in one-on-one faculty coaching sessions.

Wayne Trained coaches were trained by certified Master Adaptive Learner coaches Dr. Gaynier and Dr. Chopra. Wayne Trained coaches include Blake Arthurs, M.D. (Blue House); Carol Baker, M.D. (Gray House); Jira Coumarbatch, M.D. (Blue House); Joe Friedli, M.D. (Yellow House); Jesse Haddad, M.D. (Purple House); Melissa Jennings, M.D. (Brown House); Jim Meza, M.D., Ph.D. (Green House); Jenese Reynolds-Gibbs, M.D. (Orange House); and Ali Rida, M.D. (Red House).

The second phase of the medical education initiative, One Warrior Experience, is expected to launch in July 2025.