UWSOM values your feedback. Based on your input in the Independent Student Analysis (ISA) and other student surveys, we’ve made concrete changes across the curriculum and student services. This update shares ten key areas where your voice shaped our actions to improve your medical education experience.
| You Spoke (What students said in the ISA) | We Heard (What UWSOM has done in response) |
|---|---|
| Improve communication from the Offices of Curriculum and Student Affairs. Clarify who to contact during clerkships. (Element 2.4 Sufficiency of Administrative Staff) | • Monthly updates are sent by Dr. Allen via the student listserv with summaries of improvement efforts. • Centralized “Who to Contact” document for clerkship students is now available https://education.uwmedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Clinical-Curriculum-Who-to-Contact.pdf |
| Provide clear and simplified reporting procedures and improve the communications (Element 3.6 Student Mistreatment) | • UWSOM Weekly Student Newsletter includes reminders about mistreatment policies and reporting procedures. • A student-accessible report tracking tool has been developed. • Required clerkship orientation includes a reminder of the policy and reporting procedures. |
| Construction at the Seattle campus disrupted the classes (Element 5.4 Sufficiency of Building & Equipment) | • Construction has been completed. • A follow-up survey showed student agreement with adequacy of pre-clerkship teaching spaces increased from 45% to 94%. |
| Storage guidance during clerkships were unclear (Element 5.11 Study/Lounge/Storage Space/Call Rooms) | • Clerkships now provide information about available storage spaces during clerkship orientation. |
| Increase transparency in feedback process and establish closed-loop communication (Element 8.5 Medical Student Feedback) | • Curriculum leadership and governance committees review collected student feedback and ensure that courses/clerkships are improved based on student feedback. • End of block reports are shared with students. • Curriculum Committee report card presentation provides student performance and updates with ongoing CQI work. |
| Summative assessment and grading were inconsistent (Element 9.8 Fair and Timely Summative Feedback) | • UWSOM developed Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) based performance levels and launched Workplace Based Assessment (WBA) to support clear and consistent assessment based on skills observations. |
| Expand access to career advising (Element 11.2 Career Advising) | • UWSOM is hiring a fourth career advisor to increase advising capacity and provide timely, curriculum-aligned support tailored to students’ evolving needs. |
| Increase support for mental health counseling (Element 11.3 Personal Counseling/Well-Being Program) | • UWSOM has hired 4th counselor in early 2025. |
| Improve the access and availability of Financial Aid Services (Element 12.1 Financial Aid/Debt Management Counseling/Student Educational Debt) | • UWSOM hired 4th financial aid advisor in July 2025. |
| Explore health insurance options for clerkship phase students (Element 12.4 Student Access to Health Care Services) | • UWSOM is working on providing a health insurance option to students across WWAMI. |