"Advising Oliver Mann" - A case-based, small-group orientation to medical school

In 1998, the authors implemented a new academic orientation built around a problem-based clinical exercise for entering medical students, to prepare t hem for a curriculum emphasizing active learning in small groups. The exerc ise enables students to begin their professional studies with a "hands on" understanding of two major emphases of the curriculum: (1) the process of s mall-group learning that will guide their medical education and (2) the pri nciples of patient care that will guide their future practice of medicine. Called "Advising Oliver Mann," this orientation presents students with a cl inical problem that they must work in small groups to solve. By collaborati ng in teams of ten, they become acquainted with the small-group learning me thods at the heart of the school's curriculum. Through solving a clinical p roblem, they dis-cover vital principles of patient care, such as the need i n clinical decision making to integrate the scientific perspective with the perspective of patient anal family. In developing "Oliver Mann," the autho rs came to realize that orientations can be much more than introductions. T hey can be reflective moments in a busy curriculum, a time for students and faculty to step back and take stack of important issues in education and d octoring. The authors are currently experimenting with exercises linking th eir freshman orientation with orientations in the second and third years so participants can reflect on the challenges of each new year and carry forw ard the small-group methods and practice of medicine themes of the new curr iculum.