Please help find a name for ATSU-SOMA’s Virtual Community Health Center
Posted: March 7, 2014
In Dec. 2013, A.T. Still University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) announced the Wall of Teaching Cases project, which supported ATSU-SOMA’s innovative Virtual Community Health Center (VCHC). The Wall of Teaching Cases was a wall of more than 200 patient case summaries of realistic teaching cases used for deliberate practice in working through patient encounters. From the original wall of cases, ATSU-SOMA has now chosen the first 50 cases that will present to the VCHC and has created a community of more than 100 individuals belonging to 10 families that live in the town the VCHC serves.
At this point, however, the VCHC is missing one critical element: it does not yet have a name! ATSU-SOMA is enlisting the ATSU community in the completion of this important task. From March 10-17 ATSU-SOMA will be running a contest to name the virtual clinic. The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 17, 2014. Submit your creative ideas today for entry to the contest at VCHCnames@atsu.edu. The winner has the choice of a $100.00 gift certificate to the Apple Store or Matthews Bookstore.
The VCHC, conceptualized by ATSU-SOMA’s Associate Dean Dr. Frederic Schwartz, and the Technology-Enhanced Active Learning Team for Medical Education, is an adaptive, engaging education and training platform that will be used to prepare students to enter the healthcare workforce of the future through context, continuity, and community-oriented primary care. The VCHC is currently in the design and initial development phase. This project, to be introduced to ATSU-SOMA OMS-l students in fall 2014, will be co-developed with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). ATSU-SOMA is also seeking collaborative partners on the VCHC initiative among ATSU member schools.
Other ATSU-SOMA members of the WTC and VCHC team include Tom Bennett, DO, professor and director of the VCHC, project Monica Fernandez, MMS, PA-C, education specialist, and Lise McCoy, MTESL, assistant director, faculty development.