21
COM Outlook . Winter 2015
materials. If a student needs to be
force-fed these things, an admissions
error was made.
“I would also take a look at put-
ting international programs back
in the students’ hands,” she added.
“In the last few years, the college’s
student-run International Medical
Outreach Club has been phased
out of planning many aspects of
the trips we do abroad. The goal
of these trips should not just be to
serve the underserved—although
that’s a huge part of it—but to
engage students in the process and
empower them to give this care and
plan the trips logistically.”
Others offered more whimsical
enhancements, such as Boudreau’s
suggestion that the college imple-
ment puppy-therapy Fridays. “On
Fridays, both the first- and second-
year classes have the mandatory
Foundations and Applications in
Clinical Reasoning course,” she
stated. “I think Fridays should be
celebrated with breakfast and pup-
pies. I think this experience would
be guaranteed to bring a smile to
our students’ faces, which is often
much needed during the rigors of
medical school.”
On a more pragmatic note, Albert
discussed the importance of provid-
ing struggling students with ad-
ditional resources to ensure their
ultimate success. “Excelling through
the rigors of medical education has
often been compared to ‘drinking
water from a fire hydrant.’ As both
a medical student and student-body
representative, I have a responsibility
to advocate for my peers to be best
prepared to excel, bridge dialogue
between faculty members and stu-
dents, and instill measures to pro-
tect our students during their most
vulnerable times,” he explained. “At
the same time, I have seen firsthand
the rare occasions when students
find it difficult to sustain a successful
level of productivity, often spiraling
down an isolated road marred with
academic difficulties. If given the op-
portunity to implement specific, stu-
dent-centric changes, I would focus
on building preventative measures to
catch these students before they fall
through the proverbial cracks.”
Dean for a Day Daydream
Continuing in a similar vein, we
also offered our interviewees the
opportunity to answer the follow-
ing query: I
magine you are dean of
NSU-COM and have the unadulterated
power to make one specific change you
feel would benefit students the most.
What would it be?
For Albert, the
current SGA president, his response
was tailor-made to complement his
aforementioned statement.
“As dean of NSU-COM, I would
address the changes I just mentioned
by creating an evening program
for students who find themselves
struggling with their academics and
empower them to get back on track,”
he said. “The curriculum would use
a problem-based learning approach
to explain concepts currently being
taught in class as clinical cases, pro-
viding added context to their studies.
Additionally, it would pair students
with faculty mentors who can unique-
ly tailor learning agendas to the
strengths of each student while also
improving upon their weaknesses.”
For Boudreau, her proposed
change is actually a lament heard
from medical students across the
globe—reducing class sizes. “I would
like to see smaller class sizes because
I feel it can often be an overwhelming
environment when all 240 students
are in one classroom,” she admitted.
“With smaller class sizes, the students
develop more intimate relationships
with our lecturers and may even feel
more open to asking questions. Un-
fortunately, with our type of educa-
tion, this is not a reasonable request
as many of our lecturers, particularly
in second year, are practicing physi-
cians who do not have the time to
allocate to multiple class sessions.”
Not surprisingly, because of the
depth and breadth of her student
leadership experiences, Champion-
Lippman had a difficult time limiting
her deanship priorities to just one
issue, choosing instead to focus on
several areas such as curriculum,
student progress, and a student-run
clinic. “I would take a hard look at
our curriculum and redo it as well as
create more transparency in our Stu-
“I have seen firsthand the rare occasions when students find it difficult to sustain a successful level
of productivity, often spiraling down an isolated road marred with academic difficulties. If given the
opportunity to implement specific, student-centric changes, I would focus on building preventative
measures to catch these students before they fall through the proverbial cracks.” - Trevine Albert
