After nearly a year of Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) students having hands-on experiences side-by-side with physicians at Carle BroMenn Medical Center (CBMC), a newly-renovated student space at the hospital in Normal recently served as a backdrop to thank clinicians for their involvement with the student clinical experience and encourage more to connect with CI MED students.
Formerly used by two private practices, the renovated area includes an open study/group room, two sleep rooms, a break room, two private study spaces, lockers and a lounge space with a TV and tabletop games for students to use during their down time. The space is conveniently near the library, the human resource area and the graduate medical education space inside Carle BroMenn.
CI MED students will use the space while participating in a five-week or 10-week clerkship, offering focuses in internal medicine, surgery, neurology, psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology. In the first year, nine students participated.
“It’s not just about the rotation in medical school. You get one-on-one attention from a practicing physician, have someone you can study with and there is space inside the hospital to use when you may find yourself waiting between surgeries. There is a medical community you are now part of and we need to ensure students feel they are part of the community,” Carle BroMenn Chief Medical Officer and Clinical Site Director John Wieland, MD, said.
Carle Illinois College of Medicine curriculum emphasizes early hands-on clinical experience. CI MED students spend their main clinical year immersed in rotations under the supervision of Carle Health clinicians, currently held at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. The clinical site at Carle BroMenn allows students to complete a five- or 10-week clinical clerkship at Carle BroMenn in one of five clinical areas: obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, internal medicine, surgery or psychiatry. All clerkships, except pediatrics, are offered to CI MED students at Carle BroMenn. The pediatrics clerkship is offered at Carle Foundation Hospital.
Crystal B. Northern, clerkship coordinator at Carle BroMenn, said she appreciates working with the clerkship rotations. “I never feel like a cog in the wheel. With the help and support of Dr. Wieland and his special projects coordinator Annette, our students have truly enjoyed their experiences here as told by the excellent feedback we’ve received,” she said.
Two CI MED students participating in the clinical experience at Carle BroMenn said the space is so useful and they shared their views on what drives them to the field of medicine.
Rachel Tessem said her focus is on neurology and ophthalmology. “I love the mindset of thinking through the pathway of how disease manifests itself in the human body.”
Having been a doctor for more than three decades, Dr. Weiland said he still clearly remembers how the clear choice of a medical focus just came to him one day while he was in school. So too did it for CI MED student Noah Nigh who originally wanted to be an engineer and completed his undergraduate degree at Purdue University.
He said his specialty focus crystallized as he participated in a flight procurement carrying human organs, ready for transplant to someone in need.
“When I held that heart in my hand, I knew what I wanted to do. It had to be heart surgery,” Nigh said.
Carle Health’s commitment to supporting the education of students started as a joint effort in 2015 between the University of Illinois and Carle Health. Carle Illinois College of Medicine is the first engineering-based medical school. Unlike traditional medical education, Carle Illinois’ curriculum immerses students early in clinical, case-driven, problem-based, active learning intended to instill passion and creativity for discovering innovative solutions to the world’s most difficult healthcare challenges.
Formerly used by two private practices, the renovated area includes an open study/group room, two sleep rooms, a break room, two private study spaces, lockers and a lounge space with a TV and tabletop games for students to use during their down time. The space is conveniently near the library, the human resource area and the graduate medical education space inside Carle BroMenn.
CI MED students will use the space while participating in a five-week or 10-week clerkship, offering focuses in internal medicine, surgery, neurology, psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology. In the first year, nine students participated.
“It’s not just about the rotation in medical school. You get one-on-one attention from a practicing physician, have someone you can study with and there is space inside the hospital to use when you may find yourself waiting between surgeries. There is a medical community you are now part of and we need to ensure students feel they are part of the community,” Carle BroMenn Chief Medical Officer and Clinical Site Director John Wieland, MD, said.
Carle Illinois College of Medicine curriculum emphasizes early hands-on clinical experience. CI MED students spend their main clinical year immersed in rotations under the supervision of Carle Health clinicians, currently held at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. The clinical site at Carle BroMenn allows students to complete a five- or 10-week clinical clerkship at Carle BroMenn in one of five clinical areas: obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, internal medicine, surgery or psychiatry. All clerkships, except pediatrics, are offered to CI MED students at Carle BroMenn. The pediatrics clerkship is offered at Carle Foundation Hospital.
Crystal B. Northern, clerkship coordinator at Carle BroMenn, said she appreciates working with the clerkship rotations. “I never feel like a cog in the wheel. With the help and support of Dr. Wieland and his special projects coordinator Annette, our students have truly enjoyed their experiences here as told by the excellent feedback we’ve received,” she said.
Two CI MED students participating in the clinical experience at Carle BroMenn said the space is so useful and they shared their views on what drives them to the field of medicine.
Rachel Tessem said her focus is on neurology and ophthalmology. “I love the mindset of thinking through the pathway of how disease manifests itself in the human body.”
Having been a doctor for more than three decades, Dr. Weiland said he still clearly remembers how the clear choice of a medical focus just came to him one day while he was in school. So too did it for CI MED student Noah Nigh who originally wanted to be an engineer and completed his undergraduate degree at Purdue University.
He said his specialty focus crystallized as he participated in a flight procurement carrying human organs, ready for transplant to someone in need.
“When I held that heart in my hand, I knew what I wanted to do. It had to be heart surgery,” Nigh said.
Carle Health’s commitment to supporting the education of students started as a joint effort in 2015 between the University of Illinois and Carle Health. Carle Illinois College of Medicine is the first engineering-based medical school. Unlike traditional medical education, Carle Illinois’ curriculum immerses students early in clinical, case-driven, problem-based, active learning intended to instill passion and creativity for discovering innovative solutions to the world’s most difficult healthcare challenges.
Categories: Redefining Healthcare, Community
Tags: “Bloomington-Normal”, Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Carle Illinois College of Medicine