March 24, 2020

VUSM seeks applications for clinical informatics course directors; deadline is March 27

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) is requesting applications for Course Directors to develop and direct a new Integrated Science Course (ISC) in Clinical Informatics during the Immersion Phase of the MD curriculum. ISCs are designed to strengthen students’ conceptual understanding of the foundational sciences that underpin clinical medicine through active learning modalities and meaningful clinical experiences. ISCs are 4-weeks in length and offered a minimum of 2 times per academic year to a minimum of 16 students total per academic year. Typically, each ISC has at least 2 course directors; applicants may apply in teams. All ISCs go through a mentored process of initial development and subsequent annual quality improvement. Salary support is provided.

The Clinical Informatics ISC is expected to address the following competencies:

  • Effectively use the electronic health record for patient care and other clinical activities
  • Use and guide implementation of clinical decision support tools
  • Protect patient privacy and security
  • Engage patients to improve their heath and care delivery through personal health records and patient portals
  • Demonstrate the use of existing and emerging health data to support life-long learning

It is expected that course directors:

  • Have a Vanderbilt faculty appointment
  • Develop a high-quality course (i.e., clear learning objectives linked to multimodal instructional strategies and assessments) that addresses the clinical informatics competencies detailed above
  • Pilot the course in the spring of the 2020-2021 academic year
  • After the 2020-2021 academic year, offer the course a minimum of 2 times per academic year to a minimum of 16 students total per academic year
  • Complete course administration tasks (e.g., grade submission) by the specified deadlines 
  • Participate in monthly faculty development sessions and course quality improvement efforts

To apply, email the following materials to immersion.phase@vanderbilt.edu by March 27, 2020:

  1. Statement of Interest: describe why you are interested in developing and directing an integrated science course in clinical informatics, including your unique qualifications and an idea you have for the course.
  2. Curriculum Vitae

Additional information about the Immersion Phase and current ISCs can be found at:

Questions: immersion.phase@vanderbilt.edu