The Med School
An excerpt from episode two of the Clinical Partner podcast series STATIM, Drs. Cindy Firkins Smith and Jill Amsberry discuss Clinical Partner implications and opportunities with the new Med School.
We Asked Clinical Partners, Are You Interested in This:
“We had a tremendous response to the survey, and the vast majority of our Clinical Partners are very interested.
A lot of different clinicians within our organization are very interested in being part of it…We also have some who aren’t interested. And that’s just fine. If it’s not your thing, we want you to do your thing.
Cindy Firkins Smith, MD
And it’s not just physicians. It’s nurse practitioners and physician assistants, podiatrists, psychologists and physical therapists. A lot of different clinicians within our organization are very interested in being part of it.”
“We also have some who aren’t interested, and that’s just fine. The one thing that Jill (Amsberry, DO) and I have been very clear about is we don’t require people to teach. If that’s not your thing, we want you to do your thing. But we want to create opportunities for those who want to teach and support students to have the opportunity to do that.”
What Fills Their Cup:
“…We all find purpose in caring for the patients that we serve. That’s why we went into medicine. And for many people within the organization, that is what fills their cup. And teaching students doesn’t do that for them. So adding students to their work may feel burdensome. And so for them, they will support the academic mission by helping to continue to see the patients. The patients are going to be there and they need to be seen.
We all find purpose in caring for the patients that we serve. That’s why we went into medicine. And for many people within the organization, that is what fills their cup.
Jill Amsberry, DO
But then there are other people within our organization, like Cindy and myself for example, who really find passion and life in teaching and in medical education. And for them, they actually will leave their day better off by having a student with them. They’ll feel energized.
“So for those people, in addition to caring for the patient, teaching will really give them life. And again, this is just 24 students per year. So I really believe, particularly based on the survey results and the amount of feedback that we’re getting from our Clinical Partners, we’ll have plenty of people who find medical education purposeful and something that will hopefully give them a little bit of life back into their daily work — which sometimes can feel like you’re sort of on a gerbil wheel of medicine.
I really believe, particularly based on the survey results and the amount of feedback we’re getting from Clinical Partners, we’ll have plenty of people who find medical education purposeful and something that will give them a little bit of life back into their daily work.