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I started my career in education when I was a high school student. My official title was “Craft Lady” and I spent my summer vacations teaching arts and crafts to kids aged 2-12. In college I worked as a chemistry tutor, and in medical school I served on the Admissions Committee and worked as an anatomy TA. I have always had an interest in education and the teaching process, and I have been lucky enough to find a career path that allows me to cultivate this interest. I completed my residency in 2009 from Northwestern/Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and started practice doing general inpatient rehabilitation as well as eletrodiagnostics. In 2012 I started working alongside Dr. Sliwa as an Assistant Residency Program director, and in 2015 I started as the Monika and Henry Betts Medical Student Education Chair. My favorite parts of the job are acting as an advisor to medical students who are interested in the field of PM&R, and functioning as a mentor to residents. I also enjoy implementing new programs and curriculum into the existing residency program structure. I have learned a ton about the academic infrastructure and ACGME/LCME regulations by sitting on several committees at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The learning curve has been steep, but I now have an extensive knowledge of medical education lingo.
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When thinking about our Northwestern PM&R residency program goals and aims, we strive to train excellent academic physiatrists. Our residents receive rigorous training in all areas of PM&R and get a solid base in research training. We expect our residents to teach Northwestern and visiting medical students during their time in residency; our graduates go on to become educators, researchers, program directors, medical directors, chairs, and deans. I want our residents to also receive exceptional training in medical education! Drs. Aaron Gilbert, Jackie Neal and I designed an optional Medical Education Track for the residents and fellows that began in January of 2018. The program includes monthly small group sessions and incorporates active learning models, such as giving and receiving teaching feedback, as well as participation in a medical education project. Faculty members are invited to lead small group sessions on specific topics. The goal of the program is to give the residents an in-depth medical education framework to encourage our residents to go into academic physiatry and to ease the transition into educational leadership roles. Our curriculum includes:
- program evaluation
- curriculum development
- competency based education
- how to write learning objectives
- how to write test questions
- different methods of assessment
- how to teach professionalism
- how to teach mentorship
Fourteen residents and fellows have chosen to participate in the program’s inaugural year, and it has been well received so far. Now I just have to figure out how to integrate arts and crafts into the curriculum!
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