A Clinically Immersive Medical Innovation Program for US MD Students: Curricular Description and Program Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Innovation
• Physician Training

Background:

• Growing need for physician-innovators to address US healthcare challenges.
• Gap in understanding the efficacy of innovation programs for MD candidates.
• Initial program outcomes of a novel, clinically immersive medical innovation program at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM).

Purpose of the Study:

• To present initial program outcomes of a novel, clinically immersive medical innovation program for MD candidates.
• To assess the efficacy of a tailored medical innovation curriculum for medical students.
• To evaluate student engagement and skill development in identifying unmet clinical needs.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel, clinically immersive medical innovation curriculum based on established frameworks.
• Tailoring curriculum topics for medical students, including clinical ethnography, needs formulation, and regulatory processes.
• Trialling the program with voluntary MD candidates and assessing outcomes using the four-level Kirkpatrick model.

Main Results:

• Positive program outcomes across all four Kirkpatrick levels.
• High student ratings for lectures (9.5/10) and clinical immersion (9.1/10).
• Significant increase in student-perceived confidence (43%) and faculty-perceived ethnographic skills (75%); students identified an average of 2.6 faculty-verified needs weekly.

Conclusions:

• A novel, clinically immersive medical innovation curriculum was successfully developed and trialed.
• The program demonstrated positive outcomes on all four Kirkpatrick levels, indicating efficacy.
• The findings led to the program's adoption into the DGSOM curriculum, with hopes to inspire similar initiatives at other institutions.