How do students feel about WISE-MD?

In a recent survey of WISE-MD users, at least 75% of respondents found that WISE-MD:

• Enhanced their ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of disease.
• Helped them to prepare for clinical activities during their surgery clerkship.
• Enhanced their understanding of surgical techniques and anatomy.
• Made them more eager to learn about the diseases presented in the modules.
• Enabled them to learn about signs, symptoms, and management of diseases they were not otherwise exposed to during their clerkship.

Across the surveys, students expressed their appreciation for the rich, comprehensive, and accessible content, availability for just-in-time learning, and the thorough explanations by faculty of their clinical reasoning.

WISE-MD Modules

WISE-MD, a series of web-based modules designed specifically for the surgical education of medical students, was initially developed at New York University (NYU) Medical Center. Although production continues to be at NYU, content development is now in the hands of an editorial board of nationally-renowned surgical educators in conjunction with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Association for Surgical Education (ASE).

In April of 2009, iInTIME and WISE-MD formed a partnership as a means to distribute these modules and advance medical education through collaboration with national leaders in computer-assisted instruction. To accommodate an increasing number of requests for access from teaching institutions, WISE-MD is moving from its pilot study phase to a subscription model beginning July, 2009. New features, such as self-assessment questions and case-based final assessments, will be added to enhance the modules. It is our belief that this unique partnership will help build a sustainable future for virtual patient cases and instruction for medical students across disciplines.