Supporting medical students through time and space – creation of a longitudinal academic support system

Abstract

Introduction: Academic support for medical students is rapidly evolving due to expanding medical student needs and a shifting medical education environment. This article describes a holistic longitudinal academic support program created to meet these challenges in a large multi-campus medical school. Program Organization and Implementation: Academic support through the Office of Academic Excellence (OAE) is primarily provided by 11 physician academic coaches, three Foundation Phase Academic Coaches (FPACs) and eight Clinical Phase Academic Coaches (CPACs) to provide education and guidance via class meetings, intensive one-on-one coaching, specialized programs and asynchronous resources. This is aimed at supporting resilience and study skill development, preparation for United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and 2, and clinical and NBME subject exam success. Robust team communication internally, across other student resources, and across multiple regional campuses provides tailored, seamless support for medical students and ensures comparable experiences across campuses. Results: Since the founding, the group has grown in size and scope of interactions with students. The OAE has 3 FPACs plus at least one CPAC at each campus, conducting approximately 1,250 annual student meetings. Since the OAE’s inception, fewer students fail Step 1, and a trend towards improved Step 1 scores was noted. The OAE advocated for and created programs providing question banks and practice tests to students throughout medical school, and uses the scores to provide evidence-based proactive academic support. Discussion: Program success is attributable to continuous communication and coordination processes, robust support from Medical School administration, and agile, evidencebased, individualized student support.