Medicine

Science of health systems class prepares next generation of doctors

Students in a Penn State College of Medicine class called Science of Health Systems are studying ramifications of an emerging system model and how it will impact the way they will practice medicine. Credit: Penn State College of Medicine / Penn StateCreative Commons

HERSHEY, Pa. — When Dennis Madden decided to become a doctor, he didn’t realize that practicing medicine in the 21st century would entail negotiating a health system that includes much more than treating patients.

“This generation of medical student is expected to do a lot more,” said the first-year Penn State College of Medicine student. “We’re expected to think socially, medically and globally, to be drivers of research and to think about the finances behind the health system, too.”

The challenge, Madden said, is overwhelming and exciting — a sentiment shared by many of the students who are in a College of Medicine class called Science of Health Systems, where they are studying ramifications of an emerging model of health system and how it will impact the way they will practice medicine.

The class is meant to prepare them to become something that their professor, Dr. Jed Gonzalo, associate dean of health systems education at the College of Medicine, calls a “system citizen.”

“Medical school really is focused on biomedical science, which is critically important, but we are also trying to develop learners who have a professional identity as being bigger than that,” he said. “It’s not just about the patient in front of you; it’s also about being an ambassador and advocate for the larger health system, which is a bit of a switch.”

The class stresses interactive learning, providing students with small-group discussion time, community projects that put them in touch with specific patient populations, and dialogue with guest speakers.

The past five to seven years have seen a big shift in the health care dynamic in central Pennsylvania, Dr. Craig Hillemeier, dean of the College of Medicine and CEO of Penn State Health, told the students. He, like other senior leadership of Penn State Health, contributes to the design and delivery of the class.

“We are transitioning from a stand-alone academic medical center to a regional health system that is bringing care closer to where patients live,” Hillemeier said.

For the past 50 years, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center was central Pennsylvania’s destination for specialized care, but in a shifting health care landscape, competition from academic medical centers in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Baltimore that are now merging or partnering with local community hospitals is forcing Penn State Health to change its model, he said.

Hillemeier also talked to the students about today’s definition of a health system and why it must change to meet the goals of improving the health of the individual and the community’s population at a reduced cost.

Learn more about health systems education in this Penn State Medicine article.

Last Updated October 17, 2018

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