Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) leaders publish article in magazine of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
Co-authors are Michelle Schmude, EdD and V. Scott Koerwer, EdD
Scranton, PA (02/07/2019) — Two members of the leadership team at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) published an article in the November edition of the magazine of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The co-authors are Michelle Schmude, EdD and V. Scott Koerwer, EdD.
Dr. Schmude is associate dean for admissions, enrollment management & financial aid and assistant professor in the Medical Education Department. Dr. Koerwer is GCSOM's vice president for strategy, planning & communication and vice dean for GCSOM's School of Graduate Studies, as well as professor of organizational systems and innovation.
The article, entitled "Incorporating Appreciative Advising and Positive Psychology for Student Success" examines GCSOM's experience in building positive psychology and appreciative advising into a course dedicated to professional development for the school's master of biomedical sciences students. Appreciative advising is an approach to academic advising that encourages students to examine their own strengths, skills and abilities and to visualize how they translate to a professional future. The approach ensures that students understand what their own individual pathway to success looks like and helps advisor and student develop a plan to get there.
GCSOM incorporated appreciative advising into its course, Professionalism and Professional Identity Formation for Healthcare Careers. The course is designed to help MBS students develop career goals that build upon not only the students' skills and abilities, but also their personal vision of success. Since introducing the revamped course, the authors report that the school boosted its success rate from 72.4 percent to 77 percent. "Success" was defined as graduates who pursued additional professional education. In the future, the authors conclude, the MBS program will "include additional experiences that advance a student's professional and organizational skill development."
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) is a member of the Geisinger family. Geisinger Commonwealth offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Danville, Doylestown, Scranton, Sayre and Wilkes-Barre. Geisinger Commonwealth offers Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) degrees. The college's innovative curriculum, focused on caring for people in the context of their lives and their community, attracts the next generation of physicians and scientists from within its 17-county region in northeastern and north central Pennsylvania, as well as from across the state and the nation. Geisinger Commonwealth is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities. Visit www.geisinger.edu/gcsom.
Media Attachments
Michelle Schmude, EdD, associate dean for admissions, enrollment management & financial aid and assistant professor in the Medical Education Department at GCSOM.
V. Scott Koerwer, EdD, GCSOM’s vice president for strategy, planning & communication and vice dean for GCSOM’s School of Graduate Studies, as well as professor of organizational systems and innovation.
