Summer Internship: Office of Statewide Clinical Education Programs (OSCEP)

By: Pallavi Yadav, MBBS

This summer, I have the privilege of working with the Office of Statewide Clinical Education Programs (OSCEP) at the University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, as a Senior Project Assistant.  OSCEP was founded in 1974 and has since served the state of Iowa by developing and managing various collegiate programs for the medical education system in Iowa. OSCEP is divided into three departments, Information Systems and Research Services, Community-Based Medical Education, and the Community Services division. My primary responsibilities lie within the Community Services department, led by my preceptor, Lynette Lancial. It has been great working with Lynette and my fellow intern, Scott Cook; who is an incoming MHA student.

Analyzing returned surveys- Pallavi Yadav and Scott Cook

I started my internship in the month of May and have already participated in a couple of projects here. Some of the projects are:

Iowa Directory of Medical Practice Opportunities                     

This is the main project that I am working on. The project involves a detailed survey preparation in which various Hospital CEOs, System Recruiters, administrators, and private practice physicians (in ten different specialties), are surveyed every year. After data collection, my job is to analyze and find “true “opportunities - which are then compiled and published in the Opportunities Directory.  Under the mentorship of my preceptor, I am learning the science of surveying, nuances of formal communication, data handling, and running statistical exercises. In the last two weeks, we have sent out over 2,500 surveys to hundreds of communities, and will publish information about these opportunities to assist primary care providers who are looking to practice in Iowa. The ethos of the organization commands respect from all the employers in the state. The fact that we receive confidential recruiting information from all parts of the state is a testimony to our credibility. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about the healthcare organizations, practice settings, opportunities in Iowa, and challenges of rural access to health care. I am looking forward to publishing the final directories.

Physician turnover analysis 

This is a unique project; as I collect recruitment information, for the entire state (again making use of our database), and see if the practice opportunities were filled in the past year or if they remained open. This year we are trying to analyze it by community size and setting (rural vs. non rural). I can already see the applications of this type of project in managing the primary care physician workforce in rural communities. Iowa has been proactive in tracking physician movement in the State and providing assistance to the physicians who want to practice here through our Office. This explains the fact that Physician Supply in the state has increased by 57%, since 1987, as compared to the general population growth of only 11%. Certainly Iowa is ahead of the game and part of the credit goes to OSCEP.

Survey of Iowa Graduates in Non-Iowa Programs (SIGNIP).

Survey of all University of Iowa medical School graduates who are currently training in out-of-state residencies in Primary care specialties to determine their interest in returning to Iowa after completion of their residency training. OSCEP then works with interested residents to identify practice opportunities that match their practice preference. 

Other responsibilities include:                                    

·        Participate in physician contract reviews (discussion sessions with physicians regarding their potential employment agreements and the intern can participate in this service as schedule permits. Analyzing their benefits and helping them work with their employer to understand and meet their needs.  I have absolutely enjoyed reviewing the contracts and picked up some legal terminology.

·        Create community profiles, practice opportunity description and preceptorship descriptions for healthcare organizations within the state of Iowa. I have been fortunate to work with potential employers looking for health care providers in the community.

·        Correspond with physicians and communities regarding physician placement and retention.   (e.g., practice preference information, physician licensure checks, resume/CV preparation, physician reference checks, etc.).

·        Participate in meetings and provide project support to the UI-Affiliated Medical Liability Insurance Group Plan, the Administrators Group of the UI-Affiliated Family Practice Residency Programs, and the Benefit Plan of UI-Affiliates

·        Participate in community/medical practice development, and marketing research meetings in Iowa communities. 

·        Coordinating the family medicine resident’s council, and Program directors meeting of the eight family medicine residency programs in the State of Iowa.

Summer in Iowa: 

 The opportunity to live in Iowa City for the summer provided me with other projects outside work. I am working on a Quality improvement project in the department of Surgery at UIHC, and am able to sit on the fortnightly meetings of the Students for Inter-professional Education board. 

 Iowa provides a ton of things to do in the summer. I spent last weekend hiking in the lake MacBride area and really enjoyed the cool clean air. The Arts Festival and “Shakespeare in the park” have also kept me quite busy. On an unrelated note:  I signed the lease to my new apartment. The view from my front door is just breathtaking; I can’t wait to move in!  

View from new Apartment