Earning a degree on a clinician’s schedule

Role: Associate Program Director, General Surgery Residency Program Chief and Education Officer for the Department of Surgery, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Co-Clerkship Director at Perelman School of Medicine, Surgery

People were surprised when I told them I was getting another degree, especially at 56. But age is just a number. I’ve been involved in the education of both medical students and residents for my entire career, and I knew I’d benefit from formal instruction on the fundamentals of educational theory, process, and technique. I wanted to make myself the best teacher and clinician I could be.

I was in medicine for 23 years before I began the Med Ed program at Penn GSE, and it has been hugely beneficial professionally. My completion of the program added an additional dimension to my professional self, which now allows me to be involved in several educational roles in our department. It was also beneficial to my personal development as a doctor, a teacher, and a person.

One of the hugely attractive things about the Med Ed program is that it’s geared toward a clinician’s schedule. My fellow students in the program were almost all working clinicians with busy schedules, on call duties, and shift work. The program is set up with learning blocks where you do two intensive four-day, on-site seminars, small-group Skype meetings, and a semester-long project. It’s tailored to be very accommodating and doable.

Having taken graduate level education courses at other institutions, Penn GSE blew away all my expectations. Not only did I get an excellent grounding in educational theory and fundamentals, but there was a humanistic component to the educational instruction that medical education doesn’t often include. You cover things like leadership, self-development and emotional intelligence – things that really set apart a quality educator from a mere instructor.