fmCASES Project Development Group

fmCASES, Family Medicine Clerkship Curriculum Resources, Project Development Group (fmPDG) convened in Lebanon in August of 2008 along with the iInTIME leaders and staff. The meeting was the first official gathering of the group, who used this time to determine the goals and learning objectives of the case as well as the overall project timeline. It was decided that fmCASES will include cases from CLIPP and SIMPLE to minimize redundancy and complete the comprehensive coverage of the family medicine curricula.

Following a successful authoring workshop at the STFM meeting in Savannah, the fmPDG is now actively working with authors to finalize drafts, edit content, and implement the iInTIME Learning System (ILS) across all of the cases.  The work completed so far is very exciting!  Once the drafts are complete, we plan to make the cases available for free through pilot testing beginning July 1st, 2009.  The cases will remain available for use, free of charge, until subscriptions begin in July of 2010.  Simultaneous to the pilot testing process will be an extensive peer review of each of the cases, involving both medical content and pedagogical experts from the field.  During this time, the cases will continue to be refined.

If you are interested in becoming involved in the pilot testing or peer review processes, please contact us at info@i-intime.org. We welcome you to become part of this important initiative!

SIMPLE pilot testing

SIMPLE was released for pilot testing on July 1, 2008.  Initially, 10 internal medicine cases were offered, but this number continues to grow as case development is finalized. To date 43 institutions have requested access to SIMPLE and have reported consistently positive feedback from students. Concomitant to pilot testing, the SIMPLE cases are also being peer reviewed by both a content and pedagogical expert, verifying the medical content is up-to-date and accurate and the case is designed to teach third-year medical students effectively.

At the AAIM meeting in Orlando in October, 2008, the SPDG hosted a very successful integration workshop, guiding medical educators on the most effective methods to integrate the cases into their clerkships. iInTIME continues to work closely with each project development group to enhance the tools available to clerkship directors and instructors.

The SPDG is also actively seeking out research opportunities, so stay tuned for future news!

CLIPP Editorial Board

The Editorial Board held its 2008 fall meeting September 8-10 in Lebanon, New Hampshire. The board said goodbye to long-term members, Dr. William Wilson and Dr. Roger Berkow, and welcomed Dr. Lisa Leggio and Dr. Gary Freed as their newest members. The board discussed the completion of case revisions by the end of 2008 and the impending move of the CLIPP cases to the new version of CASUS in December. For next year, the board has begun implementing a more consistent approach to common case features, such as key teaching points and pre- and post-networks, which will enhance the functionality, effectiveness, and interactivity of the cases in the new CASUS software.