Results of the Independent Student Analysis (ISA) are in, and students have shared their expert opinions about their medical school, the many areas viewed as strengths, and areas that are opportunities for improvement.
Nearly 92% of medical students responded to the survey administered between October and December—smashing response goals set by the student-led ISA Committee. The survey, part of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation process, contained 69 questions and the ISA Committee of 54 students examined the final data to evaluate their classmates’ opinions about student-faculty-administration relationships, student services, the medical education program, and the school’s learning environment and facilities.
ISA Committee leaders, including five students from each class, recently presented the preliminary results to school administrators and faculty and highlighted areas of strength where 85% or more of students said they were satisfied/highly satisfied with their experience, including:
- 94% Quality of required clerkships
- 95% Access to patients during the required clerkships
- 92% Utility of the medical education program to support learning
- 93% Quality of library support and services
- 89% Availability of academic advising
- 90% and 89% Adequacy of education to prevent exposures, and procedures to follow after a potential exposure to infections and environmental hazards, respectively
- 94% Clarity of the medical school’s student mistreatment policy
“Our students had a remarkable survey completion rate to provide us feedback on their training program based on the survey prepared by their peers,” said Bradley L. Allen, MD, PhD, senior associate dean for Medical Student Education. “We are thankful to see that the changes we continue to make, based on the feedback of past School of Medicine students, are improving the satisfaction with the curriculum content and student support services delivered at each of our nine campuses.”
There were, however, some challenges identified by the students’ results. Some questions revealed that more than 25% of students were dissatisfied with a particular area or service, and these were marked by the ISA committee as areas to prioritize, such as:
- 31% Dissatisfied with the adequacy of study space at hospitals/clinic sites
- 30% Dissatisfied with the adequacy of secure storage space for personal belongings at hospitals/clinic sites
- 25% Dissatisfied with the adequacy of relaxation space at hospitals/clinic sites
The ISA Committee’s final report will be issued in March and will include its recommendations for strategies that might best address any student concerns. Committee leaders say some recommendations may be actionable prior to next year’s LCME campus visit.
Stay tuned for more updates as we take additional steps toward Accreditation 2025!
