Office of Academic Affairs
Simon Williams, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor, Medical Curriculum
Bianca Cervantez, Administrative Assistant
Curriculum Division
Michaela Jansen, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Medical Education and Accreditation, Professor, Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics
Ebtesam Islam, MD, PhD, Associate Dean for Clinical Education, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
Samuel Campbell, MD, Assistant Dean for the Clinical Science Curriculum, Professor, Surgery
Bethany Nunez, MHS, MD, Director for Year 4 Curriculum, Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Jo Ann Armstrong, Associate Managing Director
Lauren Findley, Director of Instructional Design
Candace Brown, Unit Manager for Year 1 and Year 2 Curriculum
Joangel Sanchez, Coordinator for Year 1 and Year 2 Curriculum
Maureen Eregie, Coordinator for Year 1 and Year 2 Elective Curriculum and P3 Curriculum
Amanda Jeter, Coordinator for Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) Curriculum
Meredith Trevino, Section Manager for Year 3 Curriculum
Kelley Moss, Unit Manager for Year 4 Curriculum
Amarillo Campus
Kristin Stutz, MS, Assistant Regional Academic Dean
Dawn Cox, Unit Manager
Covenant Campus
Shaughn Nunez, MD, Assistant Vice Dean of Medical Education, Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Rachel Forbes, Assistant Vice Dean for Student Affairs
Christina Smith, Associate Managing Director
Erica Arriaga, Program Manager
Kristin Brake, Program Manager
Permian Basin Campus
Martin Ortega, MD, Assistant Dean for Medical Education, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine
JP Garcia, Assistant Academic Dean
Jasmine Knorr, Senior Director
Mina Machuca, Program Manager
Kristin Sumuel, Program Manager
Assessment and Program Evaluation Division
Michaela Jansen, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Medical Education and Accreditation, Professor, Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics
Sonya Sherrod, Ph.D., Director of Accreditation
Jo Ann Armstrong, Managing Director
Educational Technology
Jongyeol Kim, MD, Assistant Dean for Educational Technology, Professor, Neurology
Victor Gonzales, Managing Director
Gaurav Vinayaka, Assistant Director
Mark Escalera, Administrative Assistant
Location: 2B450
Mail Stop: 8326
Phone: 806-743-5668
Web: https://www.ttuhsc.edu/medicine/academic-affairs/
Doctor of Medicine Program
Institutional Educational Vision, Goals, and Objectives
Vision: Graduates of the TTUHSC-SOM will be compassionate, competent, and knowledgeable health professionals who work diligently to improve the health of the public.
Goal: The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine will graduate physicians who deliver patient-centered care as members of an interdisciplinary team, emphasizing evidence-based practice, quality improvement approaches, and informatics.
Objectives: To accomplish our goal, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine has identified key objectives for our program that address the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes needed for students to acquire the degree of Doctor of Medicine. These objectives are designed to ensure that students acquire the six core competencies described by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. Each block, clerkship and rotation sets forth specific learning objectives and their outcome measurements based on these key educational objectives. The School of Medicine will continue to review these objectives and revise as needed to ensure that the vision and goals are met.
Upon completion of all required courses and clinical educational experiences the student will be able to:
1. Patient Care: Provide patient-centered care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health
1.1 Perform all medical, diagnostic, and surgical procedures in each required educational activity
1.2 Gather essential and accurate information about patients and their conditions through history-taking, physical examination, and the use of laboratory data, imaging, and other tests
1.3 Organize and prioritize responsibilities to provide care that is safe, effective, and efficient
1.4 Interpret laboratory data, imaging studies, and other tests required for the area of practice
1.5 Make informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on patient information and preferences, up-to-date scientific evidence, and clinical judgment
1.6 Develop and carry out patient management plans
1.7 Counsel and educate patients and their families to empower them to participate in their care and enable shared decision making
1.8 Provide appropriate referral of patients including ensuring continuity of care throughout transitions between providers or settings, and following up on patient progress and outcomes
1.9 Provide health care services to patients, families, and communities aimed at preventing health problems or maintaining health
1.10 Provide appropriate role modeling
2. Medical Knowledge: Demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care
2.1 Demonstrate an investigatory and analytic approach to clinical situations
2.2 Apply established and emerging bio-physical scientific principles fundamental to health care for patients and populations
2.3 Apply established and emerging principles of clinical sciences to diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making, clinical problem-solving, and other aspects of evidence-based health care
2.4 Apply principles of epidemiological sciences to the identification of health problems, risk factors, treatment strategies, resources, and disease prevention/health promotion efforts for patients and populations
2.5 Apply principles of social-behavioral sciences to provision of patient care, including assessment of the impact of psychosocial and cultural influences on health, disease, care-seeking, care compliance, and barriers to and attitudes toward care
2.6 Contribute to the creation, dissemination, application, and translation of new health care knowledge and practices
3. Practice-Based Learning and Improvement: Demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate one’s care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning
3.1 Identify strengths, deficiencies, and limits in one's knowledge and expertise
3.2 Set learning and improvement goals
3.3 Identify and perform learning activities that address one's gaps in knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes
3.4 Systematically analyze practice using quality improvement methods, and implement changes with the goal of practice improvement
3.5 Incorporate feedback into daily practice
3.6 Locate, appraise, and assimilate evidence from scientific studies related to patients' health problems
3.7 Use information technology to optimize learning
3.8 Participate in the education of patients, families, students, trainees, peers and other health professionals
3.9 Obtain and utilize information about individual patients, populations of patients, or communities from which patients are drawn to improve care
3.10 Continually identify, analyze, and implement new knowledge, guidelines, standards, technologies, products, or services that have been demonstrated to improve outcomes
4. Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals
4.1 Communicate effectively with patients, families, and the public, as appropriate, across a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds
4.2 Communicate effectively with colleagues within one's profession or specialty, other health professionals, and health related agencies (see also 7.3)
4.3 Work effectively with others as a member or leader of a health care team or other professional group (see also 7.4)
4.4 (left blank, since PCRS objective was deleted, to remain consistent with PCRS numbering)
4.5 Maintain comprehensive, timely, and legible medical records
4.6 Demonstrate sensitivity, honesty, and compassion in difficult conversations, including those about death, end of life, adverse events, bad news, disclosure of errors, and other sensitive topics
4.7 Demonstrate insight and understanding about emotions and human responses to emotions that allow one to develop and manage interpersonal interactions
5. Professionalism: Demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles
5.1 Demonstrate compassion, integrity, and respect for others
5.2 Demonstrate responsiveness to patient needs
5.3 Demonstrate respect for patient privacy and autonomy
5.4 Demonstrate accountability to patients, society, and the profession
5.5 Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse patient population, including but not limited to diversity in gender, age, culture, race, religion, disabilities, and sexual orientation
5.6 Demonstrate a commitment to ethical principles pertaining to provision or withholding of care, confidentiality, informed consent, and business practices, including compliance with relevant laws, policies, and regulations
6. Systems-Based Practice: Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care
6.1 Work effectively in various health care delivery settings and systems relevant to one's clinical specialty
6.2 Coordinate patient care within the health care system relevant to one's clinical specialty
6.3 Incorporate considerations of cost awareness and risk-benefit analysis in patient and/or population-based care
6.4 Advocate for quality patient care and optimal patient care systems
6.5 Participate in identifying system errors and implementing potential systems solutions
6.6 Perform administrative and practice management responsibilities commensurate with one’s role, abilities, and qualifications
7. Interprofessional Collaboration: Demonstrate the ability to engage in an interprofessional team in a manner that optimizes safe, effective patient- and population-centered care
7.1 Work with other health professionals to establish and maintain a climate of mutual respect, dignity, diversity, ethical integrity, and trust
7.2 Use the knowledge of one’s own role and the roles of other health professionals to appropriately assess and address the health care needs of the patients and populations served
7.3 Communicate with other health professionals in a responsive and responsible manner that supports the maintenance of health and the treatment of disease in individual patients and populations
7.4 Participate in different team roles to establish, develop, and continuously enhance interprofessional teams to provide patient- and population-centered care that is safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable
8. Personal and Professional Development: Demonstrate the qualities required to sustain lifelong personal and professional growth
8.1 Develop the ability to use self-awareness of knowledge, skills, and emotional limitations to engage in appropriate help-seeking behaviors
8.2 Demonstrate healthy coping mechanisms to respond to stress
8.3 Manage conflict between personal and professional responsibilities
8.4 Practice flexibility and maturity in adjusting to change with the capacity to alter one's Behavior
8.5 Demonstrate trustworthiness that makes colleagues feel secure when one is responsible for the care of patients
8.6 Provide leadership skills that enhance team functioning, the learning environment, and/or the health care delivery system
8.7 Demonstrate self-confidence that puts patients, families, and members of the health care team at ease
8.8 Recognize that ambiguity is part of clinical health care and respond by utilizing appropriate resources in dealing with uncertainty
Undergraduate Medical Education
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine is committed to excellence in the medical education of generalist physicians in preparation for training in any clinical specialty. In the Fall of 2021, the School will launch a new curriculum beginning with the Class of 2025 that emphasizes:
- Continuous integration of basic science and clinical medicine in all four years, with early introduction of clinical experiences starting with the first month of medical school
- Self-directed student learning with varied teaching formats directed to achieving the important competencies of our Vision, Goals, and Objectives listed above, and
- Active management of curricular content both within and across all four years
The School of Medicine has responded to the Association of American Medical Colleges and medical education innovations nation-wide to realign curricula so graduating students meet the best practice standards of patient-centered scientific care. The new curriculum at the School of Medicine emphasizes competency-based education, focusing on the skills and compassion that distinguish excellence in patient care in our profession. Dedicated teaching faculty have responded fully to this unparalleled opportunity to reshape the curriculum so that students are the best-prepared doctors and the faculty members are the best educators. Our curriculum trains students to manage and use the constantly changing best evidence for practice, and to apply this evidence in humane and sensitive manner.
To ensure distinction in medical education, the administration fully supports the offices charged with the SOM educational mission: the Office of Academic Affairs, the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of Curriculum, and the Office of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development. These offices work closely on this common mission to ensure continual improvement of learning and teaching. In conjunction with the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee, the faculty, and student body that oversees adherence of the curriculum to national and school standards, the Offices have made student assessment and feedback the centerpiece of
curriculum redesign.
The curriculum is continually reviewed and modified to ensure the personal and professional growth of our future physicians. To promote balance between academics and lifestyle in Phase 1 (previously Years 1 and 2), the SOM has limited contact time to 20 or fewer hours per week. Opportunities for interactive learning through small group tutorials, labs, problem-based learning, team-learning, and web-based instruction have also been expanded.
The management of the curriculum has been formally endorsed by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education represents the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association as the national accreditation body for medical schools. The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine received a full accreditation in March 2017.
Educational Tracks and Dual Degrees at the School of Medicine
Beginning with the class that matriculated in Fall 2010, students have been able to choose between two educational tracks within the School of Medicine, a standard four-year program and a three-year accelerated program called the Family Medicine Accelerated Track (FMAT). The School of Medicine also offers several joint degrees in collaboration with other schools at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center or Texas Tech University and a MD with Research Honors degree.
