A Unified Approach to Clinical Informatics Education for Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has adopted a unified approach to undergraduate and graduate clinical informatics education. Twenty-three learners have completed the course which is designed around four key activities: 1) didactic sessions 2) informatics history and physical where learners observe clinical areas, document workflows, identify a problem to solve and propose an informatics-informed solution 3) informatics clinic where learners are side-by-side with practicing clinical informaticians and 4) interactive learning activities where student groups work through case-based informatics problems with an informatics preceptor. These experiences are coupled with opportunities for asynchronous projects, reflections, and weekly assessments. The curriculum learning objectives are modeled after the clinical informatics fellowship curriculum. Feedback suggests the course is achieving the planned goals. It is a feasible model for other institutions and addresses knowledge gaps in clinical informatics for undergraduate and graduate medical education learners.