ISSN: 2577-4360
Authors: Mayrath MC*, Abdelbaset F, Fontanez D, Lenihan B and Lenihan D
The U.S. healthcare system faces a crisis, especially in low-income and rural areas, due to a projected shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2034, a lack of demographic representation among physicians, and a gap in health sciences students graduating to meet the demand for services. To address these issues, the authors propose a pathway program coupled with a predictive analytics platform, piloted at Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) with the MD program & the Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS) program. The 10-year R&D project aims to increase diversity in the physician workforce. This Case Study highlights PHSU’s teaching method, the Dynamic Classroom, which is a modified version of the flipped classroom model that uses synchronous class time for low-stakes assessments and real-time evaluations. Students debate quiz questions, identify knowledge gaps, and engage in an active learning environment. Evidence shows comparable USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 performance between pathway and non-pathway students. Despite challenges and costs, the Dynamic Classroom teaching method demonstrates potential for improving medical education and potentially other domains. Future steps include expanding the data set to include new cohorts and developing a network of pathway programs to address physician workforce diversity nationwide.
Keywords: Medical Education; Flipped Classroom; Teaching Method
