Use of a Mock Week as a Novel Tool for Evaluating and Implementing Reformed Medical Curriculum at a Nascent Branch Campus

Abstract

The University of Colorado School of Medicine is implementing comprehensive curricular reform designed to produce physicians with a life-long dedication to leadership, curiosity, and commitment. The new longitudinally integrated and case-based curriculum interweaves content on basic/medical sciences, clinical skills, and health systems content such as bioethics, interprofessional skills, and social determinants of health. Simultaneously, the school is forming a branch campus in partnership with nearby Colorado State University. The newly formed branch campus faculty team wanted to test delivery of the novel curriculum, practice working together as a team, and examine the practical logistics of human and physical resources at the branch campus. Herein, we describe our approach for running a Mock Week of first year of the new curriculum. This innovative methodology involved teaching a week’s worth of the new content and garnering feedback from clinician educators, medical science faculty, and students. Our observations highlight practical insights for implementing an integrated curriculum at an inaugural branch campus. Finally, we provide recommendations for using a Mock Week as a feasible and robust tool for improving and enhancing various facets of medical education. Conflict of Interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Keywords: Curriculum reform, New branch campus, Mock Week

Keywords

• Curriculum reform
• New Branch Campus
• Mock Week