Dear Students,

The academic year has officially started for all of you. We hope that you are all getting settled and in a good groove for the year. Make sure that you are doing periodic checks to see how you are doing. Are there resources available to you that you are not utilizing?

If you have ideas about helpful items to include in the newsletter or feedback on how to make it better, please email us.

Warmly,


Dr. Z and Dr. D
Kira Zwygart MD, FAAFP
Associate Dean, Student Affairs
Deborah DeWaay MD, FACP
Associate Dean, UME
White Coat Ceremony: Sept 8th 6pm
At the Straz Center for the Performing Arts

AAMC Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ) due Sept 15 40 students still need to complete this. We are currently at a 77% completion rate. Please finish the questionnaire as soon as possible so you can have 100% completion bragging rights!). If you are an eligible student you will receive a reminder from AAMC on August 15th. If you are missing your unique MSQ link, contact MSQ@aamc.org directly. More information is in the 2026 Canvas page.

Core StudentsSCP Round Robin: Aug 26th 1-3 PM in MDD 333-351
Reentry Survey Due Aug 14th 11:59pm
More info below in the All Class Years section
Daily Lockers: Available on the 2nd floor near the auditorium for use when you have testing. We have 35 lockers that will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Lockers are intended for daily use and must be cleaned out by the end of the day.

TGH Lockers and GME Spaces: Personal items (lunch bags, backpacks, tumblers, jackets) need to be stored in the on-site lockers designated for students and residents. Do not leave personal items at a computer station. 
Graduation May 11th (time TBD) - Straz Center for the Performing Arts

MSPEs: The meeting with your assigned dean must be completed between Aug 8th and Sept 6th. There will be no extensions beyond Sept 6th. For specialties with early matches please reach out sooner rather than later. There will be no same-day appointments. See Dr. Mayer's email with more details.

AMA Webinar on 2023 Match was held recently. Dr. Mayer shared via email slides from the presentation and some high yield notes from the live and recorded presentation. The full recorded presentation can be found on the AMA website.

TGH Lockers and GME Spaces: Personal items (lunch bags, backpacks, tumblers, jackets) need to be stored in the on-site lockers designated for students and residents. Do not leave personal items at a computer station.
All Class Years
MD Student Handbook Attestation Due Aug 15th
All students should have received an email notification from DocuSign requesting that they review, initial, and sign the 2022-23 MD student handbook. Please review, initial, and sign the handbook if you have not done so already. Attestations are due by August 15, 2022. 

Reentry Survey Due Aug 14th 11:59pm
MS1s requirements are different. Refer to your canvas course for assignments.
MS4s, information is in Canvas. MS2s and MS3s refer to email reminders sent by David Anderson. Failure to complete the survey will result in academic ineligibility from your current course.

Gallery of Specialties - Sept 14th 5:30pm-8pm at MDD
The Gallery of Specialties offers a chance to attend presentations and meet with the program directors and residents from various specialties. There will also be booths dedicated to student organizations and interest groups!    

Upcoming Exams
Class of 2026
8/29 – Course 1 Test 1

Class of 2025
8/15 – Course 5 Test 1

Class of 2024 Core
8/25 – Neurology NBME
8/26 – Psychiatry & Surgery NBME

Class of 2024 SELECT:
8/25 – Obstetrics & Psychiatry NBME
8/26 – Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, and Surgery, NBME
MS2s, MS3s and MS4s
Complete Mandatory End-of-year Surveys in eValue
This is a friendly reminder to complete the End of Year Surveys. The surveys were administered through eValue and can be found in the College of Medicine Program. Please note, these are mandatory surveys. You can only suspend it if you are returning from an annual leave of absence.

In order to better serve you, please email evalsupport@usf.edu with any inquiries/issues. The Evaluation Team will review your correspondence and will work to resolve your inquiries/issues in a timely manner.

Click here for more info. We appreciate you taking the time to do this, your input will greatly improve our ability to prioritize future programmatic improvements for the college!

*If you don't do your survey you will have to attend a mandatory session!
Complete the survey to avoid getting detention 😉
In this section we share changes made based on your feedback!
Weekly Schedules and Study Rooms
TV monitors on floor 2 display the weekly schedules and the rooms in MDD that are booked / available for study time.

Helpful Links Site & QR Code Cards
We created a new webpage that has links to important policies, guidelines and resources that you all have said you want to be able to easily find. Want to quickly access this page while on the go? Pick up your handy QR Code Card in the DME suite 5th floor.

Attendance Quizzes and Reminders
You will now get reminders in canvas to complete the attendance quiz for mandatory sessions. Attendance quizzes open 10mins before a mandatory session and close 20mins after class starts. 
Headspace Premium is now Live!

To sign-up for your free membership, visit bit.ly/mcomheadspace and enroll using your USF email. For questions, reach out to Amy Phillips
Serenity/Prayer Room Update
The serenity/prayer room will be available at the end of August. If students need access to a room in the meantime please go to the student affairs office on MDD 4th floor to get an alternate space.
*Want to talk to a PEER? Click HERE to connect with a member of the Peer Support Network!
**Mental health matters. Check out the My SSP program or talk with a USF Counselor, HELPS Provider, or Wellness Coach.
Enroll in the student organization canvas course
The student organization canvas course contains all the information, forms, etc., that your organizations need. Enroll to have access to all student organization information in one place! 
Collegia Rooms Updates
Utilize cork boards to post flyers and notes. Please refrain from taping flyers on the windows.

Due to safety reasons, collegia room doors are designed so that swipe badges are required for access. Please refrain from propping doors open or tampering with the door handles.
2022 P.I.T. SMArt Bowl Registration
Physicians-in-Training (PIT) Committee of the Southern Medical Association invites medical students and residents to participate in the 2022 P.I.T. SMArt Bowl taking place at the SMA's Annual Scientific Assembly Oct 28-30, 2022 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Deadline to register your team is August 25th.

It's Elemental! Spotlight on Element 11.2 - Career Advising


LCME Standard 11, Element 2 (a.k.a., 11.2) requires that “a medical school has an effective career advising system in place that integrates the efforts of faculty members, clerkship directors, and student affairs staff to assist medical students in choosing elective courses, evaluating career options, and applying to residency programs.”
Accreditation is an important exercise in both quality assurance and quality improvement. We receive feedback about student experiences in many ways; some are formal (e.g., ISA and GQ) and others less so (e.g., hallway conversations). Always striving to improve and provide the best possible experience, we incorporate student feedback in an ongoing fashion. A good example is feedback we have received regarding career advising.

Over the past few years, substantive changes have been made to MCOM’s career advising system aimed at providing earlier contact to specialty advisors/departments, enabling students to network, identify advisors/mentors, and explore research opportunities.
To that end, in addition to regularly scheduled workshops and class meetings, we will be hosting the MD Career Advising: Gallery of Specialties on September 14th from 5:30 to 8:00pm. This event will feature an array of department chairs, program directors, specialty advisors, and chief residents. All students are welcome. For more information on MD Career Advising please click here.
In future LCME updates, we will spotlight Element 8.5 Medical Student Feedback and Element 12.6 Student Health and Disability Insurance. 
Show Me DeWaay...

If you struggle with concentrating, you may be asking your brain to focus longer than it is able to. The Pomodoro technique may be helpful. Use an app or use a regular timer. Set the timer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes take a 5-minute break. Repeat twice, then take a 30-minute break.

If you are someone who sits for 45-60 minutes without a break, start paying attention to your focus. You probably are zoning out at 25 minutes, then getting dialed back in. It is better to take a deliberate break than it is to zone out.

Zoning out is neither restful nor allows for information absorption. 
Recipe - Easy Edamame
I love Edamame – it is healthy, tasty and takes care of a salt craving
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Servings: Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound frozen edamame in pods (in the shell)
  • ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil*
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt, plus more for the water
  • Spicy variation: add about 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce, to taste
  • Optional garnish: Toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the edamame and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Boil the edamame until bright green and tender, about 4 to 5 minutes, then drain. Place the edamame in a bowl. Add the toasted sesame oil and salt, then grate the garlic clove into the bowl (using a microplane). Toss gently until everything is evenly coated, breaking up any clumps of the garlic that stick together. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm, with a smaller bowl for the discarded pods.
Did you miss the July - Issue 1 newsletter?