(Michigan Medicine Department of Communications)
From pre-matriculation and account set up, to orientation and the first weeks of school, Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) and the Office of Medical Student Education (OMSE) work closely to identify ways in which technology can enhance medical student education.
Orientation preparations begin long before the White Coat Ceremony in July. Expert staff from both departments come together in the spring, and continue working through the summer to coordinate and plan for the most efficient medical student onboarding possible.
“Many activities take place to ensure new medical school students are prepared and supported those first few weeks of classes,” said Johmarx Patton, M.D., HITS director of education informatics and technologies. “We reach out to them before they even arrive on campus to ensure they know what they need for mobile computing, electronic note taking, and more.”
The HITS team also:
- Ensures students can access key resources, including Canvas, SchedulOn, and Mediasite.
- Shares the Canvas pre-matriculation site which includes a learning module on aspects of information technology at U-M.
- Develops how-to videos to help students and faculty navigate the audiovisual systems in the Taubman Health Sciences Library study rooms.
- Facilitates educational technology sessions during orientation week.
- Offers extended hours at the Help Me Now location inside Taubman Health Sciences Library.
- Delivers new assessment software (ExamSoft) for students to complete tests.
- Follows up with students to help resolve any outstanding issues.
“As a U-M Medical School alum, this is always one of my favorite times of year,” said Patton. “Getting everything ready can be a lot of work, but it’s also incredibly fulfilling that our team gets to play such a vital role in supporting the next generation of medicine.”
