Abstract
Background
Fundamental knowledge and skills in biomedical and health informatics (BMHI) are critical
for the next generation of healthcare professionals. Implementing new programs, especially
those targeted toward undergraduate students who are studying to become physicians,
must be flexible and fit in an already busy schedule. Here, we share our experience
and approach at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine as we created an
informatics experience for pre-medical and pre-healthcare students in the Medical
Sciences Baccalaureate Program (MSBP).
Methods
To create an informatics experience that supports development of students while allowing
them to achieve their personalized educational goals, three strategies were considered
to maximize benefit to students and ensure easy implementation of this program: (1)
Synergy with an already busy schedule, (2) modularity of course and experiential offerings,
and (3) measurable outcomes that are based on core competencies of medical informatics.
Results
By utilizing existing course offerings and experiential learning programs, our team
created new informatics-focused research experiences and further created an undergraduate
certificate that provides students with a structured yet personalized path to train
on medical informatics. Specifically, the informatics experience included two research
courses, three summer programs, 1 year-long program, and targeted three presentation
venues.
Conclusion
This article chronicles the 5-year effort of our team to create an informatics experience
for pre-medical students in the MSBP. We hope that other pre-medical programs can
learn from our achievement to create their own informatics experience and tailor it
to the needs of their students and resources of their institution.
Keywords
education - workforce - certification - pre-medical - undergraduate
