Director's Corner

Being "Caught" in a Professional Lapse can (Should) be Transformative

By Adina Kalet, MD, MPH

Dr. Kalet tells the story of a professionalism remediation which was transformative for her, the resident, and the patient. The case has been instructive for hundreds of clinical educators ever since …

Imagine you are Chuck, the attending orthopedic surgeon.

You stride through the crowded waiting room toward the doctor’s work room where six of the ten resident physicians you are supervising this morning are sitting, facing individual computer screens with coffee cups and breakfast pastries. They study X-rays and lab reports while typing furiously into the electronic medical record. The other four residents are in rooms caring for patients.

Perspective/Opinion

In Thanks & Praise of the Kern Institute

By Kurt Pfeifer, MD

Dr. Pfeifer shares some of the unexpected benefits he has discovered working with the Kern Institute as it transforms, not only medical education, but the people working on the projects, as well …

Earlier this summer, we were able to celebrate a very exciting and important event—the renewal of the Kern Family Foundation’s commitment to fostering character, caring, and competence in medical education at MCW. Such an historic event invites looking back on the great work of students and faculty within the Kern Institute.

Perspective/Opinion

The Art of Asking "Why"

By Amelia Schurke

Ms. Schurke, a medical student at MCW-Green Bay, writes about how coming to terms with ambiguity helped her navigate the process of applying to residency and settle on her future specialty of Family Medicine …

The last year has been one of great anticipation and challenge, to state it simply. Through many conversations with myself and others, I have learned so much as I have discerned what I hope to find in my residency training and future career. It has been a humbling journey chock-full of both joy and growing pains. 

Perspective/Opinion

Thinking About Campus Climate: survey Results from 2019 and 2021

By Maureen Pylman, PhD; Leon J. Gilman, MS, and British Fields, MLS(ASCP) 

The MCW Climate Survey looks at students’ perceptions of the educational environment and, between 2019 and 2021, there was some erosion on some important topics. Understanding and measuring these perceptions is vital. The questions asked students about their relationship to faculty, the overall educational environment and, finally, their perception of the diversity of the institution. We discuss the changes in student perceptions between the spring of 2019 and 2021… 

In both 2019 and 2021, the response rate to the MCW Campus Climate Survey was around 25% of the official academic year enrollment. In 2019, the response rate was 24.9% while in 2021 26.0% responded, a small increase over the prior administration. In general, the survey respondents are representative of MCW students by gender, race/ethnicity, and degree type. However, male, Hispanic or Latino, MMP, and MPH students were slightly underrepresented.  

Perspective/Opinion

Helping Special Needs Children Deal with Loss

By Sue Berg and Heidi Miranda

There is nothing more important than being honest with children about how their loved one is doing; whether they are hospitalized or facing an End of Life situation. In this essay, Sue Berg and Heidi Miranda, Certified Child Life specialists, share some practical wisdom and resources that will improve our abilities to help special needs children through times of crisis …

Children do not need every detail of the illness or hospitalization, but they do need to know how sick someone is. Sharing on an age-appropriate level is important, along with being truthful. For example, if someone has died, do not say they are asleep. A child may take this literally and think that if they go to sleep, they may never wake up again.