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Always Improving – Overview from the M1 Medical Education Representative

Brian D., M1

WUSM takes improving the Gateway Curriculum and student feedback very seriously. As medical education representative (MER), I am in and out of many meetings with administration and faculty leaders discussing ways that we can improve. Some of these meetings are solely focused on student feedback. This feedback comes from the whole class, and is presented by myself as well as the various module and thread liaisons. Each module is changed every year based on prior feedback, so you can be sure that the Gateway Curriculum is always improving.

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End-of-Module Feedback

Michelle L., M1

At the end of each module, a select number of students are randomly sent a survey. In this survey, students give confidential feedback about the entire module. We rate classes, professors, required preparation, learning formats, and much more. We also have the opportunity to write out what we liked about the module and what we think should be improved.

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Lecture Feedback

Blake K., M1

The lecture feedback surveys are a testament to how much WashU values student opinions. This is reflected by improvements to the curriculum year after year, which ultimately sets students up for success. The opportunity for feedback represents the broader theme of collaboration between faculty and students fostered at WashU!

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Module Liaisons

Dani W., M1

Being a module liaison in the Gateway Curriculum was one the best ways to get involved in leadership early on and make connections with peers, faculty, and the education team. I loved getting the chance to represent our class, hear feedback from students, and have the ability to make actionable changes to our curriculum in real time. The most surprising thing to me was how approachable professors were and how willing they were to adapt their curriculum to make sure that students had a deep understanding of the material and more intentional learning experiences. The commitment for this role was relatively low and short term, but the impact you can have is very high — so I highly recommend keeping it in mind!

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Real Time Feedback on Exam Questions

Ameer H., M1

I really appreciate the ability to submit real-time feedback on exam questions. Being able to elaborate your thoughts on a question or report a possible mistake saves me a ton of stress when taking exams. I definitely feel like WashU takes us medical students seriously, values our feedback and opinions, and uses them to constantly improve their curriculum. This is just one example (of many) of what that feedback looks like!

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Thread Liaisons

Ben A., M1

The Gateway Curriculum is composed of 18 different threads, from pharmacology to health systems science, that are “woven” together to form our full preclinical experience. Each thread comes up as it is relevant and ties into the module we are in. Three of the threads — anatomy, clinical skills, and health, equity, and justice (HEJ) — have specific student liaisons. These liaisons work closely with their respective faculty to collect student feedback and continue to improve the curriculum. WashU takes this feedback very seriously and we have already seen changes from thread liaison feedback used for improvements during our first year here.