Schools of medicine (SOMs) have always been the cornerstone of academic healthcare. But the world around them is evolving rapidly, and SOM leaders are finding that their ability to sustain their organizations’ success depends on their ability to adapt.
Consider the changes in academic healthcare over the past 15 years:
- Class sizes have grown.
- New SOMs have opened.
- Curricula have been revamped.
- New areas of scientific exploration and technology have emerged.
- SOMs are expected to help address the provider shortage.
But as SOMs and other healthcare organizations learned during the pandemic, change has a way of spurring innovation. Technologies adopted during the public health emergency are giving educators new ways to engage with learners. New education models and a growing emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration are helping SOMs prepare their students to care for complex and diverse patient populations. The nature of academic-clinical partnerships is changing.
In this article, Clay Tellers, Keith Graff, and Andrea Wetmore offer their perspectives on the challenges that SOMs will face over the next decade and recommend strategic responses to further their success.
