School of Medicine

Co-Curricular Opportunities:		Need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader?
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Georgia Wilder,

Program Director
1339 Scott Hall
Office: (313) 993-4111
Fax: (313) 577-1457
gwilder@med.wayne.edu

The co-curricular credit program, coordinated by Program Director , Georgia Wilder, was initiated in the Fall of 1998 as a way of recognizing WSU School of Medicine students' extraordinary investment in the Detroit Metropolitan area who participate in programs reaching beyond the academic requirements of the SOM curriculum. It is a way of recognizing those students who have dedicated themselves to building partnerships with surrounding communities through a variety of sponsored outreach and volunteer activities. Students acquire a greater understanding of human needs, concerns, interest, and values through their participation in these programs, learning to interact with area residents by providing services in their communities. Through these programs, students develop an appreciation of the lifelong commitment to community that is true measure of a physician.

Co-curricular credit is earned through participation in 75 extra hours of activities during both Year I and Year II (150 hours total). Currently, there are four programs in which students may become involved. Students may join different organizations during the second year as interests may change. Joining an outreach or volunteer organization does not imply or demand participation in the co-curricular credit program. Students must be in academic good standing in order to participate in this program.

Requirements must be completed by Monday, May 19 of the same academic year and all hours MUST BE RECONCILED with Georgia Wilder, in person, by Friday, June 20. Requirements for credit include an end of each year “Reflections” evaluation. Students fulfilling the requirements will be granted a Year IV one month elective credit.

• FABRIC OF SOCIETY: Students attend monthly seminars designed to personalize their experience of caring for vulnerable populations. The requirements are a total of 6 seminars, with at least three of the 6 being on Saturday morning. Students gain insight by relating to people they may consider different from themselves and people who are often stigmatized as patients, including the elderly, homeless, addicted, multiply handicapped, pregnant teens and many others. This forum also provides members of stigmatized populations an opportunity to participate in the education of medical students.
  
  “Fabric” also includes a service-based component where students joint with community agencies to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of the residents in the community. Students work in areas such as preventing sexually transmitted diseases, senior-citizen outreach, mentoring to Highland Park elementary school children and working with chronically ill patients at area medical facilities. Additionally,, students are involved with volunteer programs such as Clean Sweep Detroit, Habitat for Humanity and the School of Medicine 's annual bone marrow and blood drives.
  
  
• HuMED: The latest addition to the school's co-curricular offerings is designed to allow students to explore medicine and the human condition. Students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of psychological, spiritual and physical health. This will be achieved through activities that relate to culture, complementary and alternative medicine, morality and ethics, and psychosocial issues in illness.
  
  
• Medical Education/Evaluation Committee: ME2 gives students the opportunity to become involved in medical education beyond their traditional role as simple consumer. By evaluating course content, lecturers, notes, labs and exams, student interact with faculty and fellow students to provide feedback and aid in future course development. Students are encouraged to become knowledgeable about issues affecting medical education and to participate in activities such as Journal Club, which spotlights educational articles that focus on current and future trends.
  
  
• Medicine and Political Action in the Community (MPAC): This program offers students the opportunity to observe and become involved in the political aspects in medicine. From a myriad of political issues facing today's physicians (including tobacco education and prevention, the political aspects of abortion, the universal health care debate), students are asked to develop one topic for further education and action. These students are also asked to create politically oriented learning opportunities for their colleagues.