“Before coming to medical school I worked for several different large corporations. One thing I've learned is when a significant number of employees (in this case the clinical faculty) all walk out there must be a serious underlying problem. Whether the clinical faculty are re-hired or replaced, unless the underlying problem is dealt with the whole scenario will repeat itself. How are the problems that brought this to the surface in the first place being dealt with?”
“Travis,
If not brought up by anyone else at the meeting, I would like to know a couple of things from the Board:
1-How the acting President of the Board of trustees at an educational institution justifies saying, "I don't care what the students want?"
2-How they can justify letting 33 of the best clinical teachers out there just leave?
3-Why the students are basically being kept out of the meeting?
4-Why hasn't this been taken care of sooner?
5-Why not just go with "the obvious solution" and dismiss the Dean?”
“Travis,
While I don't have any specific situation to point out and you have probably thought of this but just in case: You might want to point out that as of today "Judy" at the Registrar's office at the Kansas City school has received over 30 inquires for transfer (34) which is almost 25% (23.1%) of the class of 2002. This could amount to a loss of over 1.5 million dollars ($1.7 million) to KCOM over the next 2 years. Besides the loss of money (which always gets attention) those students that are accepted for transfer will be some of the best and brightest in our class. †This numbers of course do not demonstrate the domino effect which will more than likely occur with the class of 2003 and 2004 when the realize how poor the quality of education at KCOM will become as long as thing continue as they are.
Another interesting point that might at least get the attention of the physician's on the board. A problem, real or otherwise, is perceived by the physicians who teach in the classroom and the students who sit in the classroom training to become physicians, while the administration, many of whom are not physicians claim everything is fine.
Last point in regards to the education we are currently receiving. If everything is fine, why do we have people like Dan Martin and Lori Haxton running discussion groups on how to deal with dying patients and their families [rather than physicians]? Or why are the administrative assistants throughout the college leading discussions on geriatric home visits and why do we have PhD's evaluating our clinical skills during the Complete D.O. videotapings? This last one is of course a complaint of the 4 students who were remediated for their mock clinicals and all four happened to have Renee McGovern as their evaluator.”
“Travis:
My concerns would be to find out why the Student Statement was not presented to the Board by the President and why Dr. McGovern intentionally presented another letter (written by "several students from the Class of 2003") written by a handful of students to the Board and Misled (LIED) them to believe that it was the Student body statement. He has admitted submitting that letter and never could admit or deny whether he submitted the majority Statement.
Additionally, Dr. McGovern stated that he would bring outside AOA people in to help solve this problem and that never happened. I would be interested in knowing why many of Kuchera's Reply to our 8-Point Statement were not addressed and followed through to completion as he stated.
I also want to know why Dr. McGovern accused the Clinical Faculty of arousing the students when I personally saw him on 3 evenings in the Commons and in the Dungeon during the week of our meetings (Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday). What has he done differently to allow himself to accuse the clinical faculty of underhandedness ?
Also, what will it take to get our academic concerns addressed ? I am no longer trusting of WORDS and DEMAND ACTION. Administration has been full of verbage and very short on action during this critical point and we need to determine whether these committees, etc. that Kuchera mentioned have been formed ..... WE can guess that they have not so my question is WHY.....”
