utsw2019

New month, new blog! There is a lot going on this semester, and feedback is wanted on many fronts.

Six Year Plan

The second meeting regarding the Six-Year Plan is coming up on October 12th and the main goal of this meeting is to introduce NEW priorities to the plan. An example of how to think about it is: What can UTSW do to be a national leader in X? 

The Current Priorities for the Six Year Plan are as follows:

1. Equip Medical students to excel on National Boards – which likely means money for Step 1 & 2 resources. We hear you!
2. Medical School research/scholarly activity – we would like to see an easily accessible database of all the projects going on at the university
3. Global Health – we would like to see this program grow and create more opportunities for students

If you have suggestions on what else needs to be added to this list, please let us know via email by 5 pm Wednesday.

Student Health – last day to get Flu Shot is October 31

Make your Halloween less scary, and get it before then. They will only be offering them through the Student Health Center on Aston 8th floor, no appointment necessary (see email on 9/22). If you get your flu shot somewhere else, you will still have to go to Aston 8th to get your Flu Shot Sticker. Either way, you will eventually end up in Aston. But hopefully not with the Flu.

Other things we learned from Terin:

1. Student Health and Student Wellness are totally different and totally confidential. Your records are not shared between them.
2. If you need an outside referral for an appointment, labs, X-ray, etc. the Student Health Center has compiled a database from their resources and student feedback regarding location/pricing/services. If you need an outside referral, Student Health is still a great place to start.

Campus Security

We met with Marcus Lewis, Campus Chief of Police, are here are the highlights.

1. Wear your ID badge visibly. Especially important when we are heading into winter with bulkier clothing. This helps police quickly determine who should and should not be on campus.
2. UTSW will be offering more Crime Prevention Programs including: Active Shooter, Theft Reduction, Sexual Assault Prevention, and Identity Theft Prevention. Look for emails from Suzi to sign up for these programs.
3. If you don’t feel safe walking around campus, call for a ride!
4. Reminders on who to call: Non-Emergency Line 214.648.8311; Emergency Line 214.648.8911. Save these numbers if you haven’t already!

Student Satisfaction Survey

Dr. Mihalic sent an email reminder about this yesterday. It is especially important that you take some time to fill it out this week as it is informative for the Six Year Plan and the LCME visit (we like to stay accredited as a medical school!).

Plus, Amazon Dollars. If our class has the highest number of participants, we will be eligible for Amazon gift cards (1 for $100, and twenty for $20).

UT System Representatives

We will be sending out the applications for two different year-long positions with the UT System. As 3rd year medical students, we are really the ideal candidates for these positions since 4th year affords a lot of flexibility for travel. The positions are UT System Student Regent and Student Representative to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. If you have a broader interest in education, policy, student advocacy, or the UT system in general, you should look into this more!

Follow this link for more information on the positions: https://www.utsystem.edu/offices/academic-affairs/student-representation

The official email will go out Monday morning, but we wanted to send out this teaser on the blog to point some extra attention to this.

Tuition Discussions

We have been meeting with Mr. Cameron Slocum to discuss the tuition proposal this year. We don’t have any updates as of this moment, but we will keep you in the loop as discussions progress.

Fall is in the … leaves?

Katherine and Reed

… and this hurricane season.

This blog is just some straightforward President Meeting updates. Hope clinical rotations are going well!

Office of Enrollment Services

As some of you may know, Wes Norred is retiring this year. They have hired a new woman to run the Office of Enrollment Services, Shannon Williams, and the main focus of the conversation was on Student Health Plans. Here are the main points:

• This year they went from an Opt-In System to an Opt-Out System. Basically this means that everyone is automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance unless they go to PeopleSoft an Opt Out. This Opt Out method is here to stay, but …
• They know they messed up on the roll out of the Opt Out System. They didn’t give us enough time, didn’t sent out enough emails, didn’t take into account that a large group was studying for Step 1 at the time, and generally caught everyone off guard. They have listened to feedback and will do it better in the future.
• There will be 2 qualifying periods to sign up each year. November 1 will be the start of the next Enrollment Period for January. May 1 will be the start of the Enrollment Period for July.
• If you are turning 26 in med school (i.e. getting kicked off your parents insurance) then they HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you sign up for Student Insurance during that open enrollment period before your birthday. For example, you have a May birthday, go ahead and get on the Student Health plan in January. That way you will avoid any gaps in your insurance coverage.
• However, if you are not on the Student Plan when you turn 26, then that does count as a “qualifying event” and you can sign up for coverage at that time. Unfortunately, you may have a small gap in coverage between the time you get kicked off and when the Student insurance kicks in.

Education Strategic Plan

Dr. Charles Ginsberg gave us a run down of 3 Major Initiatives that UTSW is putting some real muscle behind right now.

1. Student Health & Wellness: Main focus right now is to create continuity for UTSW students who stay at UTSW programs for Intern year and Residency. Previously, this group had a gap in coverage. Now they want to move toward opening more late afternoon and early evening appointments to accommodate this need.
2. Campus Diversity Program: Previously there were different diversity programs at the med school, grad school, health professions school. Now they want to essentially give them “headquarters” on South campus on the 2nd floor of the S building, and let the program develop from there.
3. Simulation Program: There will be 2 floors of the under-construction West Campus building dedicated to simulation space for med students, PAs, and beyond. Currently a work in progress, but there is great vision for how to utilize that space.

Six Year Plan

Discussions for the Six Year Plan are beginning this week! The Six Year Plan essentially provides an itemized and ordered list of what UTSW should focus on and spend money on in the next two, four, and six year time periods. If you have suggestions on what ideas should be included on this list, then please let us know ASAP! All of the initiatives discussed above were on the Six Year Plan at some point, and that is why they are getting the spotlight now. No idea is too small to suggest.

Keep crushing that QBank,

Katherine and Reed

Quick post to kick off the summer, as marked by Memorial day and not by getting days off, unfortunately.

1. Tuition – Credit Card time
2. Carrels – Clear out and throw away the key (jk, return it)
3. Careers in Medicine
4. Technology Tips & Tricks

Tuition

Its that time of the year again! If you are thinking about getting a credit card to help pay your tuition this year, NOW is the time to apply. Lesson learned last year, they do NOT accept Discover cards (not sure why?), but everything else should be fair game. You can always call the Financial Aid office with questions.

Disbursements come at the end of June rather than August, so make sure to pay on time (around the middle of the month) with your new and shiny card.

If you have questions about this, start with our blog on this topic last summer and see if that helps:

• Adulting
• Adulting FAQ

Clear the Carrels

Hopefully you had time to move out your things by last Sunday. There is still a little time to turn in your key … or pay the $35. Make sure to get it in by the 12th!

Careers in Medicine

Remember that quiz you took before med school that promised to find your perfect career match in medicine? Maybe its time to check that out again now that we are actually exploring different rotations and electives. This blurb is inspired by the new AAMC Careers in Medicine resource that Anisha emailed about earlier today. Link 1 is a tool that uses past applicant data to predict the number of programs to apply to based on specialty choice and Step 1 scores (limited to emergency medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, OB/GYN, ENT, and pediatrics). The second is the link to the Career in Medicine website.

1. https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-residency/article/apply-smart-data-consider/
2. https://www.aamc.org/cim/

Technology Tips & Tricks

We have asked our Edu IT crew (Whitney and Alvand) to put together a few pointers in the blog on how to navigate the tech-side of our clinicals. Whether you are a pro at rotations or have yet to begin, we hope we can put together some useful info. Also, if you have any pointers that you want added to the blog or questions you want answered, then send an email our way!

Here is step by step how to sign up for haiku!

… but really, I’m not sure what to call myself these days. I’m sticking with MS2 until July 1 for historic reasons I guess?

Apologies for the lag in blogging in 2017. It has been hectic to say the least, but there are some important updates worth sharing this week!

The Scope – clinical updates in your inbox, for free

Checking Items Of the To-Do List

We are all doing really different things right now with Step, research, electives and clerkships actively running. Some people have no free time right now, and if that is where you are … I feel you. But if you happen to be on a more flexible elective or scholarly activity, consider getting Global Entry and getting that checked off your To-Do List now!

Global Entry:

1. What
   1. TSA Pre-Check – $85 – program to get you through the Pre-Check lines at the airport, decreasing your time in security lines. When you purchase a ticket, you provide your Trusted Flyer Number, and then your ticket will have “Pre-Check” on it which will allow you to enter the shorter, faster line (won’t have to take off shoes or take out electronics/liquids). Not all airports will have Pre-Check lines, but in most cases it will save you lots of time.
   2. Global Entry – $100 – program that allows you to skip customs lines when returning from international flights and just go through Global Entry kiosks. It automatically enrolls you (at no additional cost) into TSA Pre-Check. 
2. Why
   1. This is essentially necessary for 4th year interviews
   2. I would encourage anyone with spare time to do this sooner rather than later because it stays valid for 5 years
   3. I would recommend Global Entry over TSA-PreCheck if you plan on traveling abroad at least once over the next 5 years
3. How
   1. Both involve filling out an online form, paying the fee, and then going in for a 5 min interview at DFW (check airports, I did mine at IAH)
   2. Sign up for this ASAP so you can get an interview, they fill up weeks in advance. Check regularly for earlier interviews, because spots open up frequently throughout the week. 
   3. Takes about 1 week after the interview to get fully approved. 

But do I still need ExamSoft?

In short, nope. Kick it to the curb. Feel free to uninstall that software, or to keep it as a precious memory of PreClerkship days. Totally up to you.

President Updates

The last couple of meetings can be summed up as:

• No bikes on the campus connector, even after hours
• The Campus Master Plan is underway and everything will be AWESOME … in 2035. So stick around as faculty in 20 years to see how it all develops.

Just keep swimming,

Katherine & Reed

It makes me sad to say that this just may be the last blog of 2016, and it will probably be the last blog for a while. If there is anything that y’all want us to throw up on the blog so that it is centralized and accessible, please let us know! Otherwise, let’s dive into this last week of Pre-Clerkship!

1. By the Numbers
2. UWorld Step 2: Buy it this Monday or Tuesday for the class discount
3. Yule Ball!
4. Even more Modules
5. So Many Great Resources

By the Numbers

If you were at the Faculty Excellence Reception, you probably heard the teaser for the By the Numbers from our Pre-Clerkship Period. Here is the excel chart that I put together, but let me state the disclaimer now, it is not perfect. There were, of course, a few profs who didn’t get their individual syllabi in on time, so if you demand a recount … give Jill Stein a call.

The picture didn’t come out as clear as I was hoping. You can email Katherine if you want an excel version. The bottom line — 6,900 pages of text completed in less than 18 months of curriculum. We should definitely be proud of ourselves!

UWorld for Step 2

This deal is good through Tuesday. If you want in, bring $390 to the Student Center front desk in cash, check, or money order.

Yule Ball

You can still get your tickets for $15 for a magical night at the W on Friday, December 16th.

Modules/Deadline

The theme of modules is … the more the merrier!

• Gown and Glove training
  • print out proof of completion for Monday morning!
• Kognito Training
• ACLS Videos and Test – due Wednesday the 14th (by 8 am)
  • also print out certificate of completion AND your schedule (done by letter) so they can sign off on it as you go through training
• Mask Fitting – do this no later than Monday!
• Submit Step Schedule by the 12th if you have Test Prep in January
• That additional Parkland Module they emailed out on Friday

Resources!!!

Our new Education IT rep, Alvand Sehat, has put together an exhaustive list of resources. Whether you are starting with Step or with Rotations, there is probably a little something here for everyone. Feel free to email him with additional questions!

Disclaimer: We do not endorse any of these products and am in no way related to any of these resources and their parent companies. We have no financial benefits to disclose.

STEP 1 related:

1. First aid
   1. First aid is the STEP 1 bible. Period. Make sure to read through this. The recommended number of passes is 3 times. If you aren’t a big fan of reading and need more active engagement, USMLERx has FA in flashcard form called FlashFacts.
2. Pathoma
   1. Sattar is a goldmine of distilled high-yield facts. The recommendation is to start early with going through Pathoma. Do not put off Pathoma until the end.
3. UWorld
   1. The KING of Qbanks. The recommendation is to go through this Qbank two times. Also a good general rule of thumb is don’t just look at all the answers you got wrong but look at the ones you got right too. Make sure to go over every answer choice and understand why those answers are wrong, why the correct answer is right, and what would the question have had to have been for the other answer choices to be right.
   2. Also another recommendation is to replicate your exam. So block off an hour and put it on Timed mode with random questions from everything and select 40qs and go. Go back and review your answers afterwards.
4. Goljan audio – https://onedrive.live.com/?id=E9DF89812802EC5C%21251&cid=E9DF89812802EC5C
   1. Another goldmine of distilled high yield pathology facts. Listen to his lectures while working out or driving or at the end of the day when you are winding down. I have the audio let me know and I can provide it to you. Also it is all online and you can download it too.

*Disclaimer: everything past this point is not required or the high yield resources. These are other tools that will help you if you have the time/money/if you like them.

 Osmosis – https://www.osmosis.org/

1. 1. This tool is helpful for STEP 1 studying because they have a STEP 1 study planner that will automatically generate a study schedule for you. The study schedule consists of these resources: First Aid, Pathoma, Uworld, and their own Osmosis Qbank and Flashcards.
   2. The Osmosis Flashcards are the famous Brosencephalon flashcard deck.
   3. The study schedule can be customized for a 30 day, 45 day, 60 day, and 90 day plan.
2. Sketchy Medical (Sketchy Micro/SketchyPharm) – https://www.sketchymedical.com/
   1. Pretty popular for Bugs and Drugs (or Organism and Host). For all of the visual learners this is your goldmine. Easy to remember and fun cartoons for all of the high yield micro and pharm facts.
   2. The SketchyPharm are considerably longer videos than the SketchyMicro and they don’t go over everything in FA pharm. To make sure to go over everything I would advise to get FlashFacts and select all the pharm sections. The good thing about SketchyPharm is they teach you physiology first and then go over the drugs and how they affect the physiology.
   3. I have made an excel sheet that has randomized all of these videos and shows you how to get through them all in 3 passes. Please email me and I will give that to anyone who wants it.
3. Picmonic – https://www.picmonic.com/
   1. This is another visual learning tool just like Sketchy. So Sketchy only goes over micro and pharm while Picmonic goes over EVERYTHING in First Aid. The videos tend to be no longer than 3 minutes and there is a quiz at the end of each video.
   2. They just added a new spaced repetition function so you can go over all of the Picmonics you have watched.
   3. Also, they have a First Aid 2016 playlist so while you are reading FA you can look up and see if there are any corresponding Picmonics to that page.
4. USMLERx Qbank –usmle-rx.com
   1. Another Qbank that is created by the authors of FA. Not as daunting as UWorld and they show you the corresponding FA page that the question was generated from so you can take notes on it.
5. Flashcard resources
   1. FlashFacts USMLERx – usmle-rx.com
   2. Firecracker – http://www.firecracker.me/
   3. Osmosis – https://www.osmosis.org/
   4. Brosencephalon (Anki deck) – https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/2140532937
      1. I have the Anki deck for anyone who wants to use Anki. Please email and I can send it over.
   5. Memorang – https://www.memorangapp.com/
6. Video resources
   1. Osmosis pathophysiology videos (Youtube) – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNI0qOojpkhsUtaQ4_2NUhQ
   2. Khan academy medicine videos (Youtube) – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJayvjGvKEblkA3KYK1BQQw
   3. Doctors in Training (subscription) – http://www.doctorsintraining.com/

Clerkship Resources

I will now go over the resources for each specific clerkship rotation. Note: UWorld Step 2 Qbank should be used for every single rotation in conjunction with other resources pertaining to that rotation. Also there are NBME practice exams for every rotation. Recommendation is to do a practice one at the end of your rotation before your shelf.

1. Psychiatry
   1. UWorld Qbank
   2. First Aid for Psychiatry
   3. Case Files for Psychiatry
2. OB/GYN
   1. UWorld Qbank
   2. ApGo UWISE Qbank (they will give you this Qbank when you start the rotation)
   3. Case Files for OB/GYN
   4. BluePrints for OB/GYN
3. Internal Medicine
   1. UWorld Qbank
   2. Step up to Medicine
   3. MKSAP Qbank
4. Pediatrics
   1. UWorld Qbank
   2. BRS Pediatrics
5. Surgery
   1. UWorld Qbank
   2. Pestana Surgery Notes
   3. NMS Surgery
   4. DeVirgilio Surgery
   5. Surgical Recal (only good for pimp questions that the attendings/residents will ask on the wards NOT good for the shelf)
6. Neurology
   1. UWorld Qbank
   2. Blueprints for Neurology
   3. Pretest Neurology
7. Family Medicine
   1. UWorld Qbank
   2. Case Files for Family Med
   3. AAFP Qbank
8. Ambulatory
   1. Unavailable at this time. (This was not a rotation with a shelf in the past like we have now)

STEP 2 Resources

For the sake of completeness, the resources you will need are:

1. UWorld Step 2 Qbank (which you already had going through every rotation)
2. FA for Step 2
3. Master the Boards
   1. This is another version of First Aid. Do not choose FA and Master the boards because it will take too long. Look at both books, see which you like better, choose, and read that.

Hopefully this is helpful to everyone! Best of luck finishing up your modules and getting ready for this crazy week ahead.

Sincerely,

Katherine and Reed

MS2019 Student Government Cabinet Meeting

Secretary: Hannah Justice

1:15pm Roll Call

1. Cheers and Jeers!
   1. Cheers:
      • Evan Barrios: Remember to sign up for Student Government
      • Katherine Pouns: Cheers that Neuro is Over!!!
      • Kristi Murphy: Cheers that the iRAT actually matched the prereading! Thanks to Dr. Wagner
      • Caroline Flowers: Cheers to the help desk assistance with trainings.
   2. Jeers:
      • Caroline Flowers: Jeers to an answer choice that wasn’t actually a sentence.
      • Jeers to all the CIA and CBT training!!!!
      • Shivani Gaitonde: Jeers to the Children’s website not working.

Announcements

1. UWorld – New Discount for STEP 2 CK – Reed Macy
   • An email was just sent regarding UWorld.
   • Please take the survey if you are interested in purchasing this!
   • We need to know what plan you want!
   • This will work in the same way as the last round of UWorld.
   • Keep in mind: if more people want the 720-day package, you may have to buy the 360-day package on your own.
2. Colleges Cup [Senators] – Alejandro Rocha
   • PC3s go from TBL to pick up Chili in the 10 minutes before the Faculty Roast at 12:10/15 and then go to the TBL room after the Faculty Roast for Trivia.
   • Trivia: There will be MS1 and MS2 teams! There’s a Harry Potter, US History, and How Well Do You Know Your Classmates categories.
   • We will make an announcement at the end of the Faculty Roast as well.
   • All senators will be able to go to the Roast.
3. UTSW Website – Katherine Pouns & Reed Macy
   • We had a meeting discussing the website and they are doing awesome and cool things!
   • If you look at the Campus Update email sent out every Tuesday, there is a link to a survey to complete regarding the website.
   • The survey will give them idea of what as a class we want on our webpage. They are trying to work on personalized webpages.
   • If you have feedback about what is most helpful to go on your page as a 1^st and 2^nd year student, please answer the survey. They want the website to be a good resource.

Agenda Items

1. Yule Ball – Shivani Gaitonde, Stephanie Barrata
   • The contract should hopefully be signed and completed today.
   • We’ll be selling tickets tonight or tomorrow through an email that will go out.
   • This has been a VERY stressful project, so thanks to the social chairs!
   • We settled for 2 for $25 for the presale and then $15 on the sale closer to the date.
   • We have a cool website thanks to Arjun!
   • Outsiders are very much invited! Bring all your friends!
   • Goal: 250 people!
   • Third years are on board to help out and attend as well!
2. Faculty Excellence Reception / Roast – Katherine Pouns & Reed Macy
   • Volunteer roles
     • Are there any questions about what you’re doing and when?
     • Katherine Pouns: We are providing pizza for the Faculty Excellence reception for those who RSVPed. You can eat chili for the Faculty Roast the next day. Unfortunately MS1s can’t pick up the pizza, so you’ll have to sneak out of TBL if you’re picking it up.
     • We have boxed lunches for the faculty and a guardian for the boxes to ensure students don’t take them.
     • If you see the professors, usher them to their seats.
     • The Excellence Reception will likely be 20-25 minutes, the Roast will take a bit longer.
   •  Get people to come!
3. Other
   1. Elections:
      • Turn your application in today.
      • An email goes out tomorrow to applicants
      • Next Friday at lunch will be the speeches for the election.
      • To clarify – there are some senior specific positions. You can run for Student Government and a senior position and win both. So keep that in mind if you’re interested.
   2. Colleges in Clerkship
      • We will be meeting once/month during clerkships.
      • They are working on the curriculum right now and are considering making it more reflective – opening up about experiences and writing essays about experiences.
      • They are working on coordinating across all rotations about when it happens.
      • It’s a way to keep people connected – to combat depression and disconnectedness.
      • Consider this important and make it a priority to attend!
      • They are considering giving mentors a budget to feed us during this event.
   3. DIA
      • We are working on scheduling focus groups with clerkship students to talk about culture on the wards.
      • We would like to collect data to give to Dr. Nesbit.
      • We’ll have to work out a scheduling time. Date TBD.

Mikey K: Are we closing the cabinet? Adjourn

MS2019 Student Government Cabinet Meeting

Secretary: Hannah Justice

1:15pm Roll Call

Agenda

1. Cheers and Jeers!
   • Alejandro Rocha: Cheers that election is OVER!
   • Jeers or Cheers?: Reelection of our positions!
2. Announcements
   1. UWorld – New Discount for STEP 2 CK – Reed Macy
      • There will be two options:
        1. 360 day: $390
        2. 720 day: $570
      • This process and selecting a plan is more complicated given our pathways. The 360-day option only satisfies 45-50% of pathways. U-World is giving us a discount subject to a bulk purchase of at least 50 of either group.
      • A lot of people start the STEP 2 CK subscription when they start clerkships to study for the SHELFs. Then they use it a second time to study for STEP 2.
      • We will see how many sign up for each one. If numbers prevail, we should be able to break the 50 person hurdle for each.
      • We’ll have a how-to for using this resource.
      • STEP 2 has a lot of overlap over what is tested on SHELF and it’s broken up into the clerkship subjects, so people cover all the surgery questions during the surgery rotation.
      • LOOK into the options, because you can buy the 360-day plan and then add a month or 6 months to that as well and it could be cheaper than the 2 year subscription.
      • Same activation deal as the STEP 1 UWorld question bank.
      • The dates will be going out sometime soon.
   2. AAMC Survey Updates – Katherine Pouns
      • We were 7 people shy of hitting the deadline for rewards, but they extended the deadline to December 1^st. 10 people were in the process of finishing the survey.
      • Encourage a few people to finish the survey!
      • There are better odds of winning something this time around compared to the last survey that was open to the whole school.
   3. Change of Date – Colleges Cup – Evan Barrios & Alejandro Rocha
      • MS1s have the O&H 2^nd quiz the day after our originally planned college cup.
      • Because of this, Senators are trying to move the College Cup to the Friday of that week and are working on reserving the space for that day.
      • We would like a lot of PC3 participation!
      • Side Note: This is the same day as our Faculty Roast (Dec 2 at 12pm), but the events shouldn’t overlap time-wise.
   4. Reelection of Positions:
      • As we enter clerkships, a few positions will no longer be needed and a few new positions will open up. However, all positions are open to reelection.
      • Be on the lookout for more information! The current class of 2020 co-presidents will send out a form for letter of intent.
      • There will be a lunch to give speeches. But this will be a lot tamer than the first year election if last year’s MS3 re-election was any indication.
3. Agenda Items
   1. Formal Event Venues & Cost – Simi Gotewal & Stephanie Barata
      • Socials have done a ton of work in the last two weeks and checked a ton of venues for the Yule Ball!
      • We are looking at the W hotel. It’s a very nice venue although it’s a little pricy.
      • Other venues that we saw were either not suitable (didn’t have a bar, etc) or were too expensive, so we really like the venue. It’s very classy and they did push down the price a lot for us.
      • Price Thoughts:
        1. We would need to sell 350-400 tickets to cover the cost. Approximately 250 attended last year.
        2. We are working with the social for the MS3 class, who thinks there is interest in the MS3 class for attendance. We are hoping for some attendance from their class to boost our numbers as well as possible budget assistance form the MS3 class budget.
        3. We’ve thought about doing fundraisers as well.
        4. We plan to invite the Health Professions classes as well and hope for Plus 1s to add numbers.
        5. We’re thinking about preselling tickets all next week and then also do slightly increased price ticket sales the week of the event.
        6. This is a big decision, if we don’t make enough sales then we could eat up the rest of our budget for the year and some of next years.
      • Evan Barrios: Note that attendance has been significantly down this year at events. This could be a concern.
      • Note: The MS1 class has been very involved. So, what we need is to hype this event in OUR class to make sure we get good MS2 attendance!
      • We need a hash tag! Snap Chat filters too! Promotional Videos?
   2. Faculty Excellence Reception / Roast Volunteer Roles – Katherine Pouns & Reed Macy
      • We sent out an excel spreadsheet with information regarding volunteers.
      • If you are a Senator, you are slotted to be Faculty Reception liaisons. If that interferes with anything, please let us know.
      • If you volunteered, take a look at the schedule and let us know any issues.
      • If you are on lunch pick-up, we’re planning on y’all ordering the pizza and picking up. If needed, we can ask Suzi for her card to place the order.
      • We’ll talk details next cabinet.
   3. Wellness Events Next Week – Kristi Murphy
      • We’re trying to encourage MS1/MS2s to come together!
      • There’s a Happy Hour at Chuy’s on Monday and Roller Skating on Wednesday.
      • Overall: The Colleges wellness event this year went better than last year.
   4. DIA – Evan Wright
      • We have a forum on Wednesday on North Campus. An email has gone out and a FB announcement will go out.
      • This is our campus wide forum.
      • It would be great if y’all showed up!

Adjourn

MS2019 Student Government Cabinet Meeting

Secretary: Hannah Justice

5:00pm Roll Call

Agenda

1. Cheers and Jeers
   1. Cheers:
      • Anisha Ganguly: End of Endo!!!!
      • Katherine Pouns: Last block of Endo! Cheers for MS1s getting their White Coats!
      • Reed Macy: Cheers for Oktoberfest!
      • Reed Macy: Gene and Mikey were instrumental to make our first quiz an “assessment” in Endocrinology.
   2. Jeers:
      • Anisha Ganguly: Jeers for Golden Afternoon!
2. Announcements
   1. UWorld – Please Tell People to Register by October 22 – Reed Macy
      • If you signed up you should have received the invitation via email at this point.
      • You have until October 22^nd to register. If you don’t register, you lose $300! This doesn’t mean that your time starts – just that you form an account.
      • You will take your discount from the email and apply it to one of the packages.
      • You have up to a year to activate your package.
      • Please encourage and tell other people to sign up. 30% of people haven’t accessed it!!!
      • UWorld for STEP 2 and for rotations: stay tuned. This has been offered in the past, so we will do the same. Hopefully this will happen by January. It’s the UWorld for STEP 2, but people go through each section with their rotation and then go through again at the end before doing STEP 2.
   2. LCME / AAMC Survey Updates – Katherine Pouns
      • In general, good news!
      • LCME survey is what we need for accreditation for the school. Monday we were at 70%. Our goal was 75%!!!! Please do this by Sunday when we close it. We will raffle off prizes!
      • AAMC survey is for MS2s only. Those rewards are for our class alone.
      • You have a good chance of winning an award!
      • There is a confirmation sheet at the end of AAMC – you must email this to Kelly Black.
   3. DIT – November 1^st Information Session at Campisi’s – Reed Macy
      • Disclaimer: If you have not already, please watch the M&M!
      • DIT wants to give a seminar over who they are during a free lunch. We can’t officially support any resources, only point you to advice from others and making your own decisions.
      • Please view the M&M before making any decisions.
   4. Thursday at 6:00pm is [SPAM] Comedy Show!
      • Please come out and support all the hard work that went into it!
   5. Scheduling Thoughts – Reed Macy
      1. Clerkships:
         • There was a meeting with Dr. Mihalic recently regarding further information about Family Medicine and Scholarly Activity Tracks!
         • Emails should be going out and are starting with more information regarding these things.
      2. After Thanksgiving:
         • It is a four-step process to submit your calendar to Moodle. Dr. Wagner is through the first step, three more to go with the classes for after Thanskgiving.
         • It’s mostly TBLs and group learning. There will be lots of required activity on campus. Probably expect lots of reading of papers as well.
         • The first 2 weeks is Dr. Wagner’s class with a final on Decembre 9^th.
         • The last week is Dr. Mihalic’s orientation to clerkships with 8am-5pm class most days.
3. Agenda Items
   1. Daily Digest – How Is It Working – Katherine Pouns
      • We are still looking for ideas for making this process work.
      • Please give feedback.
      • Question: Who are the salsa people and why do they send emails?
      • Note: A lot of MS4s have been sending out emails.
   2. Other
      1. Printers
         • The computers in the library have been hit or miss on printing.
         • Some are connected to printers, some aren’t. It’s difficult.
         • One printer has 165 backed up print jobs.
      2. TBL
         • Should we have a talk about professionalism in TBLs? The last time this was addressed was January/February and there was a good response for a time.
         • Let’s send out an email regarding professionalism close to the TBL for Brain & Behavior.
         • The TBL committee is currently just faculty. They are considering bringing on a student member to the committee to give feedback. If anyone is really passionate about this, check with Gene and Mikey.
         • They will likely look for an MS1 and MedEd student.
      3. CLICKERS ARE DUE – October 17^th at 8am!!!!
      4. Senators met with MS1 Senators for the first time recently. MS1s had a really hard time with Tissues class. They just got new anatomy groups and are about to START dissection. So make an effort to try to encourage your MS1s.

Adjourn

MS2019 Student Government Cabinet Meeting

Secretary: Hannah Justice

1:00pm Roll Call

Agenda

1. Cheers and Jeers!
   • Cheers:
     1. Thankful that Endocrinology has been light so far!
   • Jeers:
2. Announcements
   • UWorld – Reed Macy
     1. The emails have been sent out, but a few people may not have received the email.
     2. If you bought UWorld, but haven’t received an email about forming your account, contact Reed and Katherine ASAP.
   • Water Bottles – Katherine Pouns
     1. This project is finished!
     2. We raised between $400 and $500 – the final will be totaled up this week.
     3. This event replaced selling of medical instruments as a class fundraiser and was able to fundraise a fairly equivalent amount of money.
     4. There are 3 water bottles remaining that will be sold sometime next month if you’re still looking for one.
   • Grad Student Panel – Reed Macy
     1. Wayne Doyle is looking for a medical student representative for a “How I Got Here” discussion 11am-12pm and then panel 3-4pm on October 28^th.
     2. This event will be attended by at-risk high schoolers from the area and will include representatives from graduate schools and professional programs.
     3. If you know anyone who took an unusual route to medical school (maybe community college?), they are particularly looking for a representative with this background. However, it is open to any medical student.
   • Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Alex’s Million Miles – Reed Macy
     1. Amatruda is helping support Alex’s Million Miles.
     2. This awareness program is coming to an end. Thanks to everyone who has participated. Please don’t forget to log your miles!
     3. https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1222063
   • Foundation 45 – Reed Mac
     1. http://www.foundation45.com
     2. This foundation raises awareness for musicians who struggle with depression, suicide, and other mental health issues.
     3. There will be an auction fundraiser coming up with original vinyl and instruments. Perhaps even strings from Jimmy Hendrix’s guitar?
     4. Spread the word about this upcoming event in the Deep Ellum neighborhoods and check out the website for more information.
   • LCME/AAMC Survey Updates – Anisha Ganguly
     1. LCME Survey:
        • There is a LCME survey going out regarding student perspectives on how the program is going.
        • This is very important that everyone fill it out. So to incentivize it, there is one $500 amazon gift card that will be given out. There are also 150 $10 gift cards. So the total chance of winning something is 1 in 7.
        • We will have one month to fill this out!
     2. AAMC Survey:
        • This is specifically a questionnaire for MS2 students around the country.
        • Please take the time to fill this out. Anisha will be discussing information from it at the upcoming AAMC conference this fall.
        • There have been some incentives approved for this survey – more information to come.
3. Agenda Items
   • Daily Digest Update – Katherine Pouns & Hannah Justice
     1. The digest is now biweekly – with an email going out on Mondays and Wednesdays.
     2. What feedback do you have? Is this serving a purpose and meeting a need? Where is this on the scale of importance?
        • Caroline Flowers: We were worried a little about lower attendance at the Women’s Health Elective, but we didn’t see that issue this past week.
        • Shivani Gaitonde: Some after hours or separate events we may still need to use discretion. Overall, events have been well attended. The biweekly email is a nice reminder versus an email on Monday that people may forget.
        • Anisha Ganguly: It’s been great to consolidate information in one place, but it is a lot of work for Hannah Justice. This also places pressure on next year regarding continuing this. Is there a way to individually place our events on another site – like a class or school-wide Google Calendar where rights are shared to everyone?
        • Mikey Kutschke: A google calendar does sound like a good idea. It will also help student orgs to plan their lunch meetings to not overlap with particular lunch meetings that might be similar.
     3. We should also be encouraging student orgs to form e-mailing lists to send out reminders individually, and then announce their event to the whole school solely through the blog.
   • College Points Proposal – Caroline Flowers
     1. Goal: To have an accurate and objective scoring system for College Points that is transparent and encourages fairness.
     2. Previously: The three sections were activities, academic, and altruism. The process was very vague and 33% of points were from a one-day event of the academic cup.
     3. Proposal:
        • The three sections will be mind, body, and soul to mimic our wellness weeks.
        • Mind will promote learning and self improvement activities outside of the traditional curriculum – including things like the multicultural show, awareness events (bone marrow drive), electives, etc.
        • Body will promote physical wellness and school related fun activities – including things like Pre-OP, philanthropic events from the school, intramural sports, etc.
        • Soul will promote altruism by charting service hours.
     4. People will propose events and college senators will assess them based on the following criteria:
        • Does the event promote wellness or personal growth?
        • Can it be accurately scored and awarded points?
        • Is it reasonable that students spend time and money on the event?
        • Can the people promoting the event be responsible for scoring the event?
     5. Senators will assign point values to the event. The people supporting the event will track how each college does and turn in the results and resultant points to the Senators.
     6. Feel free to send input!
        • Shivani Gaitonde: The transparency is great! Can we have a Harry-Potter style hour glass showing points, or something to that effect?
        • Technically, there is a spreadsheet showing points right now. But the Senators are not in charge of points assignments, and the sheet is usually updated right before the results need to be in (very belatedly).
        • With the new scoring system, we can look into getting updates or having a visible tracking method.

Adjourn

MS2019 Student Government Cabinet Meeting

Secretary: Hannah Justice

5:00pm Roll Call

Agenda

1. Cheers and Jeers!
   • Cheers:
     1. Reed Macy: New PC1 Student Government!!! Introductions!!!!
     2. Reed Macy: Thanks to all the helpers who helped pass out medical instruments!!!
   • Jeers:
     1. Alejandro Rocha: There have been less than professional responses in TBL. Let’s change this!
2. Announcements
   1. UWorld – Reed Macy
      • Checks are getting cut about now!
      • If you are on the distribution list, we’re shooting for Friday. Fingers crossed!
      • Bethany Werner: There’s a different subscription for Clinical Rotations study – can we look into subscriptions for this? There hasn’t been a discount in the past, but we can look into it! (Katherine and Reed!)
   2. Water Bottles – Reed Macy
      • The 20^th is the date that we’ve been told for water bottle arrival.
      • We apologize for the time it’s taken – thanks for your patience!
      • The vendor has been delayed.
   3. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Alex’s Million Miles (https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1222063) – Reed Macy
      • Amatruda is helping support Alex’s Million Miles.
      • Alex set up a lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer. She has since passed away but her parents set up a Foundation in her memory to continue her goal.
      • If you want to join and track your walking through FitBit, that’s cool! If you want to fundraise, that’s also cool. It’s really about raising awareness!
3. Agenda Items
   1. Daily Digest – Katherine Pouns and Hannah Justice
      • The amount of emails continues to be enormous and many people are tired of receiving last minute notifications regarding meetings and events.
      • With that in mind, the Presidents and Secretary plan to move forward to continue to centralize information and now begin to cut down on excess emails.
      • The plan is to move towards all Student Orgs sending Hannah an email regarding their event to have it included on the blog.
      • One email will go out at the start of the week and the blog will contain all the information regarding the events and deadlines.
      • Evan Barrios: What about last minute changes?
        1. Last minute changes can be updated on the blog although they obviously can’t be updated on the beginning of the week email.
      • Anisha Ganguly: What about electives? Please articulate which things to include and which aren’t included in this change!
   2. Constitution Amendment Approval – Evan Barrios
      • Everyone should have read the amendment by now!
      • 2 Sec Synopsis by Evan Barrios: 1^st year class presidents are in charge of running the transition to clerkships elections! Also, if people drop out of a position over the summer and a summer position is needed, the presidents can appoint an interim!
      • The vote is for the PC3 student government only!
      • Any questions?
      • All in favor except Vivek. Joking, not joking??? But the majority rules.
   3. Transition [All]
      • Now is the official transition time. Find your respective PC1s and PC3s and pass along knowledge about your student government position.
      • Each position has a handbook, please have it ready or email it to the PC1s for their benefit.
      • Please Discuss: Near Term Events and Critical Contacts

Adjourn