At HMSOM, Complex Learning is an approach, a strategy and process for life-long learning. This is critical to set you up for success in the SOM curriculum and with the skills you will need to have a successful career as a physician.
Each component of the HMSOM curriculum is intentionally designed to guide you through the steps of the Complex Learning process.
By adapting your study approach to our complex learning environment will help expand your repertoire of learning tools to pivot from “remembering” to “learning” .
Recognize the importance of framing as a first step to the learning process.
Orient yourself to the big picture or overview of the topic area. Learning objectives are an excellent resource to get oriented.
Review content or topics from previous courses or sessions to help you get oriented.
Ensure you have a solid grasp of the foundational or organization knowledge for the topic area. Could you teach a friend that content? Ensure that you can before you do a deep dive
Convert the SLOs into open-ended questions, then ensure you can answer each of those questions!
Recall your existing knowledge on this topic and use that to teach your friend or write up a one pager for yourself.
Search for answers and explanations in the prework; do not passively read.
Look up unfamiliar terminologies and these use those terms to teach-back the topic.
Note critical and difficult concepts for further review
Engage in all curricular activities by asking and answering questions.
Use case presentations as examples to build on your current understanding.
Reinforce learning of critical and difficult concepts using spaced retrieval practice questions.
Organize information to support clinical reasoning.
Explain the pathophysiology of the patient presentation and map the relationships between concepts on Mindmup.
Make new connections using application cases during TBL.
Discuss concepts with peers.
Discuss how two topics impact each other or how they are different or similar.
Connect concepts from all sessions using cases in PPPC, Clinical Skills, HD, LCP, etc.
Engage with faculty during office hours to clarify connections.
Practice clinical reasoning using questions.
Discuss concepts with peers (e.g., tutoring sessions).
Work through the formative assessment quizzes.
Practice analytic approach to cases encountered during clinical skills, OSCE, etc.
Engage in discussions in PPPCs.
Apply knowledge to a simulated case.
Solve clinical vignettes using higher order questions.
Analyze example cases provided in textbooks and other resources.
Apply clinical reasoning during clerkships and OSCEs using real world patient encounters as examples.
