Number
239
Name
From Clinical Skills to System Skills: Preparing Medical Students for Healthcare's Complex Reality
Date & Time
Monday, June 8, 2026, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location Name
Oglethorpe Ballroom
Speakers
Authors
Nicole Winston, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Lynne Coule, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Presentation Topic(s)
Curriculum
Description
PURPOSE: We created and implemented a Health Systems Science (HSS)
curriculum designed to enhance medical students' understanding of complex
healthcare systems, quality improvement, and social justice principles.
Modern healthcare delivery requires physicians to understand systems-based
practice, quality improvement, and patient safety. Traditional medical
education often concentrates on biomedical knowledge while underemphasizing
these critical domains. Our curriculum addresses this gap by providing structured
learning in healthcare systems, which are essential competencies for future
physicians working in complex healthcare environments
METHODS: We developed an eight-session HSS curriculum through collaboration
with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and associate CMOs at Wellstar MCG
Health. The curriculum comprises of interactive sessions that cover
systems-based practice, organizational culture, quality improvement, patient
safety, error reduction, and healthcare policy. To enhance professional
identity formation, we assigned projects that center on problems/issues at
the academic health center. The curriculum was designed to help students
develop their identity as systems thinkers and change agents within
healthcare organizations.
RESULTS: The curriculum successfully integrated key HSS domains including
systems thinking, quality improvement science, patient safety principles, and
social justice concepts. Learning objectives were aligned with current
healthcare challenges and the USMLE Content Outline for concepts covered in
Step 2. Students continue to demonstrate increased understanding of complex
healthcare systems, quality measurement tools, error reduction strategies,
and healthcare disparities. The curriculum's emphasis on professional
identity formation continues to help students envision themselves as systems
improvers beyond their clinical roles.
CONCLUSIONS: The curriculum's design, grounded in partnership with health
system executives and focused on authentic institutional challenges, provides
a replicable model for integrating HSS competencies into medical education.
Future research should evaluate long-term outcomes, including graduates'
actual performance in quality improvement initiatives and their impact on
healthcare delivery in diverse practice settings.
curriculum designed to enhance medical students' understanding of complex
healthcare systems, quality improvement, and social justice principles.
Modern healthcare delivery requires physicians to understand systems-based
practice, quality improvement, and patient safety. Traditional medical
education often concentrates on biomedical knowledge while underemphasizing
these critical domains. Our curriculum addresses this gap by providing structured
learning in healthcare systems, which are essential competencies for future
physicians working in complex healthcare environments
METHODS: We developed an eight-session HSS curriculum through collaboration
with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and associate CMOs at Wellstar MCG
Health. The curriculum comprises of interactive sessions that cover
systems-based practice, organizational culture, quality improvement, patient
safety, error reduction, and healthcare policy. To enhance professional
identity formation, we assigned projects that center on problems/issues at
the academic health center. The curriculum was designed to help students
develop their identity as systems thinkers and change agents within
healthcare organizations.
RESULTS: The curriculum successfully integrated key HSS domains including
systems thinking, quality improvement science, patient safety principles, and
social justice concepts. Learning objectives were aligned with current
healthcare challenges and the USMLE Content Outline for concepts covered in
Step 2. Students continue to demonstrate increased understanding of complex
healthcare systems, quality measurement tools, error reduction strategies,
and healthcare disparities. The curriculum's emphasis on professional
identity formation continues to help students envision themselves as systems
improvers beyond their clinical roles.
CONCLUSIONS: The curriculum's design, grounded in partnership with health
system executives and focused on authentic institutional challenges, provides
a replicable model for integrating HSS competencies into medical education.
Future research should evaluate long-term outcomes, including graduates'
actual performance in quality improvement initiatives and their impact on
healthcare delivery in diverse practice settings.