Ten years ago, the AAMC looked with alarm at the increasing and aging U.S. population and the aging physician workforce, and called for an increase in medical school enrollment of 30% by 2015.

At least partially in response to that call to action, approximately seven years ago Hofstra University and North Shore-LIJ Health System established the first ever allopathic medical school in Nassau County and the first new medical school in the NYC metro area in more than 35 years.

Since then Hofstra Northwell Medical has graduated two classes and received full accreditation. To tell us more about this young, innovative medical school, our guest today is Dr. Rona Woldenberg, Associate Dean for Admissions at Hofstra Medical. Dr. Woldenberg earned her MD at the University of Pennsylvania. She is board certified in diagnostic radiology and neuroradiology. In addition to her duties as Associate Dean for Admissions, she is also an Associate Professor at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. Welcome!

What is the first thing to know about Hofstra Northwell Medical? [1:55]

We’re one of the newer medical schools; we’re recruiting our seventh  class, and just graduated our second class. We were one of the schools created to address a projected physician shortage. But through our health system, we had been educating medical students in their third and fourth year of clinical studies since the 70s.

We’re educating physicians for 2020 and beyond.

What does “educating physicians for 2020“ mean in terms of your approach to physician training? [4:05]

First of all, medicine is really a team game now. When I went to med school, it was really doctor, nurse, and a few ancillary staff. Now medicine is all about a team approach to patient care, and is very patient-centered.

We’ve taken on that team approach right from the start: the first 9 weeks of med school is EMT training. Students learn to function in a team – it gives them a concept of teamwork and puts the focus on the patient right away, since they encounter patients in their homes, in the street, etc.

The curriculum is all case-based learning, so all systems-based knowledge is patient based. So for example the Krebs cycle is learned about in the patient who has diabetes – we bring the science into the patient.

To summarize: team approach; group learning; introducing that concept early on in the first 9 weeks; case-based learning focused on patients.

What does the case method mean in the med school context? [6:20]

Students get two cases each Monday. They learn the facts at home, and come together to work through and solve the cases as the week progresses (with a facilitator to guide the small group discussions). There are framing sessions as the week progresses, as well.

When you call Hofstra a “millennial medical school,” is this what you mean? [7:50]

This is exactly what we’re talking about: patient centered, working with team members to achieve best patient outcomes.

Can you describe the clinical exposure students receive in their first 100 weeks (i.e the first two years)? [8:45]

The student encounters five preceptors (family practitioner or internist; pediatrician; psychiatrist; ob-gyn; surgeon). The students work one-on-one with each of those preceptors. We have 21 (soon to be 22) hospitals in our health system, and we pull preceptors from our system.

Students get direct clinical experience at least four hours every week. (Not shadowing!!) They work hands-on, directly with physicians.

And what is the advanced clinical experience also known as the s...