Enhancing Entrepreneurship and Professionalism in Medical Informatics Instruction: A Collaborative Training Model
- Affiliations of the authors: Division of Pharmacy Practice & Department of Economics, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO (CAC); Department of Business and Computer Science, William Jewell College, Liberty, MO (WR); Cerner Corporation, North Kansas City, MO (MT, DC)
- Correspondence and reprints: Cathryn A. Carroll, PhD, BSPharm, Director, Patient Care Services Research, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64108; e-mail: <ccarroll{at}cmh.edu>
- Received 23 September 2003
- Accepted 15 March 2004
Abstract
This report describes an innovative training program designed to foster entrepreneurship and professionalism in students interested in the field of medical informatics. The course was developed through a private–public interinstitutional collaboration involving four academic institutions, one private firm specializing in health care information management systems, and a philanthropic organization. The program challenged students to serve in multiple roles on multidisciplinary teams and develop an innovative hand-held solution for drug information retrieval. Although the course was technically and behaviorally rigorous and required extensive hands-on experience in a nontraditional learning environment, both students and faculty responded positively.
Footnotes
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The authors recognize the generous financial support provided for the development and implementation of the course by the Kauffman Foundation. In addition, the contribution of other faculty members as well as academic administration to the success of the project is also recognized. Faculty recognitions extend to Nathan Beyer (Cerner), David Edwards (Cerner), Gerry Williams (Rockhurst University), Thomas Connolly (Baker University), Eddy Burris (University of Missouri-Kansas City), Susan Santos (University of Alabama-Huntsville), and Judy Mullins (University of Missouri-Kansas City). Lastly, the authors thank the students who participated in this nontraditional educational model. Hopefully, they are better prepared for their first employment experience because of their efforts.
