Enhancing the Professional Culture of Schools in Medicine:

Indiana University School of Medicine

Relationship-Centered Care Initiative Immersion Conference III

Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is currently in its sixth year of a Relationship-Centered Care Initiative (RCCI) to change the culture of the school and the content of the ‘hidden curriculum. Purposeful approaches to organizational culture change, including use of appreciative inquiry techniques, personal formation retreats, the practice of relationship-centered administration and a working understanding of complex response processes, are underway to foster the expression of professional values in daily work. We will host our third international conference to allow other schools to immerse themselves in our culture and use IUSM as a “living laboratory” to explore approaches they might take to change their own cultures.

When:            

  • April 29 - May 1, 2008; Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where:          

  • Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
  • Sheraton City Centre Hotel, Indianapolis, IN

Who: 

Teams of educational administrators and leaders (4-5 persons per school) from the following eight medical schools have been selected to participate:     

  • Aurora U of Wisconsin Medical Group
  • Indiana University Northwest
  • Institute for Professionalism & Ethical Practice, Harvard
  • Kentucky
  • Ohio State
  • Ross (Dominica)
  • UC-Davis
  • UCLA
  • Virginia

Medical Schools from previous immersion conferences who will send representatives:

  • Arkansas
  • Dartmouth
  • East Carolina - Brody
  • Louisville
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri-Columbia
  • Nebraska
  • Wisconsin

Teams consist of SOM Deans, Program Directors, Clerkship and/or Course Directors, Vice Chairs for Education, curriculum leaders, student leaders, and other medical educators.

Purpose:        

  • Explore the phenomenon of organizational culture as the informal curriculum of medical education: how values are expressed and taught in the course of everyday interaction.
  • Explore approaches to organizational culture change (including methods such as appreciative inquiry and reflective debriefing) to foster the enhanced expression of professional values in daily work.
  • Explore as a case study the experience at IUSM, where an initiative is underway to change the culture of the school and the content of the ‘hidden curriculum.’
  • Become part of an action-learning network: with the support of conference faculty and colleagues from your own and others schools, develop a ‘roadmap’ for enhancing the professional culture of your own school.

Support:                    

Conference will be supported by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.