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Teaching for MCW-Central Wisconsin

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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What teaching opportunities are available at MCW-Central Wisconsin?

At MCW-Central Wisconsin we have a number of different types of opportunities to connect with our medical students to help them learn about the profession of medicine.

Students learn clinical skills such as physical exam, interviewing techniques and procedures in small groups during Foundations of Clinical Medicine (FCM), Bench to Bedside (B2B) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses under the guidance of local faculty instructors.
Many basic science and clinical courses include small group discussion in which local faculty facilitators facilitate discussions and add expertise.
In the M2 year, basic scientists are paired with clinicians to explore how the science students are learning relates to clinical conditions.
Throughout the curriculum clinical reasoning sessions utilize local faculty instructors to guide students to develop progressive critical thinking and reasoning skills
Preceptor faculty host students in their practice for Clinical Apprenticeship (1/2 day/week ), allowing students to practice the clinical skills they are learning in during the M1 year
Specialty Longitudinal Integrated Clinical Experience (SPLICE) provides students with a 2-3 month clinical experience in various specialties. Faculty help students with clinical skill development and specialty choice decision-making
Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships occur in the M1-M2 summer and the M3 year. Students are paired with clinical faculty preceptors in multiple disciplines and immersed in regional health systems
Didactic lecture opportunities occur throughout the clinical (M3) year.
We have regular opportunities to share your specific expertise and guidance in student interest group activities, specialty choice events, and panel discussions.
The Physician in the Community Pathway course connects MCW-CW students to community organizations and physicians to conduct a research project addressing health outcomes. Mentors in this program provide guidance to students on the planning, execution and evaluation of their chosen project.
Other opportunities may be available depending on your interests and students’ schedules.

How do I obtain a faculty appointment at MCW?

Please contact our Sentry Dean and Founding Dean, Dr. Lisa Dodson (ldodson@mcw.edu, or one of our Assistant Deans (Dr. Roy Long, rlong@mcw.edu for Basic Sciences or Dr. Jacob Prunuske, jprunuske@mcw.edu for Clinical Learning) to discuss your interest and MCW-Central Wisconsin faculty opportunities. In order to receive a faculty appointment, candidates must complete an application form, provide a CV and copy of their license to practice as appropriate and provide a signed acknowledgement of intent to abide by the MCW Code of Conduct. The faculty appointment process is initiated with the MCW Department of Faculty Affairs once all materials are received. When your appointment is approved MCW, you will be notified of your appointment and you receive an MCW email address.

Will I get paid for teaching?

Faculty who are acting as preceptors in their own setting (clinic, hospital, etc.) are volunteers and do not get paid, although their contribution to the medical education of our future physicians is priceless. Individuals who come to the MCW-Central Wisconsin campus to work with our students can get paid if they are doing this work outside of their normal employment. For instance, if a physician is cutting his/her clinic hours short and seeing less patients to come to work with MCW-Central Wisconsin students, the physician can be paid the honorarium. Honoraria are paid after a W9 form is provided to MCW-Central Wisconsin. We are unable to pay those coming to work with our students as part of their normal jobs, but we may be able to cover mileage or other travel costs.

Will I/Can I get CME for teaching?

We are happy to provide documentation to you of your work with us so that you can pursue CME. Family physicians may report credit for teaching health professions learners. However, a maximum of 60 AAFP Prescribed credits may be reported during a three-year re-election cycle. Teaching is considered a live activity.

Will MCW provide teaching materials for me to use?

Yes. All courses and clerkships are developed and approved by a process at MCW so that all campuses are teaching the same things to all medical students, regardless of campus. Materials including discussion group questions, skills learning content and even power points are available and in many cases, are expected to be used. In almost all cases, regional campus faculty do not need to prepare any teaching materials, and materials will be provided to you in advance of your scheduled time with students. You will want to review content prior to working with students but in most cases, you won’t need to prepare material.

An exception would be if you are participating in an extra-curricular session with students – this might be something specific to the MCW-Central Wisconsin campus and student body, and depending on the event, it might make sense for you to prepare your own materials or power points or whatever is appropriate.

I have never taught formerly before. Are there resources to help me be a good educator?

Yes! The regional campuses subscribe to an online resource library called TeachingPhysician.org for our appointed faculty members to use. It is full of teaching resources. Our MCW-Central Wisconsin Education Coordinators will direct our local faculty to specific items, if applicable. Additionally, the MCW department of Faculty Development shares tips and tricks and resources on a regular basis with all appointed faculty. Regular full and part time faculty can also participate in new faculty orientation.

What specific information do I need to know about the courses or other teaching opportunities?

Information on how what you are teaching fits into the overall curriculum, goals and objectives for each course, prior course work or experiences that the students have in the topic you’re teaching, pre-work that the students will be asked to do, etc. will be provided to you by the Assistant Dean and/or Education Coordinator for the class that you’re working with, as appropriate. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions!

What should I do if I agreed to teach a session and now cannot make it?

You will be asked to contact the Assistant Dean or the Education Coordinator for the course that you are scheduled to teach if you are scheduled for a session, and are unexpectedly unavailable. As much advance notice of this situation as possible would be appreciated.

What time commitment is required in this role?

The time required will depend on the course that you are working with. Clinical Apprenticeship requires a preceptor to be available to their student ½ day per week over the course of the M1 year – about 21 weekly sessions in total. There are different days of the week and AMs/PMs to choose from to best fit your needs.

For CWIC, the Central Wisconsin Integrated Clerkship a preceptor’s time will vary depending on discipline and is negotiable based on interest and availability.

For small group or skills sessions you will be told in advance when to arrive and how long your session is. Most sessions are 3 hours in length or less.

For extra-curricular topics, the time commitment will vary with the session or event.

How will I provide feedback on the students or on my experience?

Preceptors provide regular feedback to the students and are involved in determining the final grades for the students in these clerkship settings.

For other teaching opportunities – small group sessions, skills sessions, other discussions, you will be asked to provide feedback on the experience to the Assistant Dean responsible for your session. This might be formal or informal feedback on how you felt the session went and how you feel the students responded.

Who do I contact if I have concerns about a student?

You will be asked to contact the Assistant Dean for your course if you have a concern about a student. Contact information will be provided to you before the start of your session or course.

How will MCW provide me feedback on my teaching?

Students will be asked to evaluate your preceptorship or your learning session and this information will be shared with you as appropriate.

MCW-Central Wisconsin is recruiting faculty for:

Clinical Course Instructors
MCW-Central Wisconsin continues to seek physicians who are interested in facilitating classroom learning for our M1 and M2 students. Facilitators have the opportunity to participate in a variety of sessions based on their interests and availability. All sessions will occur at the MCW-Central Wisconsin campus in Wausau, WI.
Learn more and submit interest

Central Wisconsin Integrated Clerkship (CWIC) Preceptors
The CWIC is the clerkship experience for MCW-CW students. Students will experience Surgery, Anesthesiology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Medicine, and Neurology core clinical experiences in longitudinal integrated fashion.
Learn more and submit interest

M1 Clinical Apprenticeship
As a volunteer clinical preceptor for this course, you will supervise a student in the office setting for a half day each week. You will also provide opportunities for students to practice history and physical exam skills during their clinical experiences.
Learn more and submit interest

M2 Specialty Longitudinal Integrated Clinical Experience (SPLICE)
SPLICE is an opportunity for MCW-CW students to gain experience in your specialty to enhance their education, expose them to positive mentoring, and explore various specialty practices early in their medical training. Prior to SPLICE, students will have had a similar year-long longitudinal experience in a primary clinic and will have completed a 10-week summer clerkship.
Learn more and submit interest

Basic Sciences
There are opportunities for PhD faculty to lead small group discussions in many of our Basic Science courses. In this capacity, you would act as a facilitator, moderate discussions and add expertise. Additionally, in the M2 year, there are a number of opportunities for local sessions where basic scientists are paired with clinicians to explore how the science students are learning relates to clinical conditions. All materials are provided to the faculty member. Expectations would be to apply for an adjunct faculty appointment, facility discussion and provide feedback to students. Complete an interest form for yourself and send with your CV to the campus administrator, Kelly Mulder to start the MCW Faculty appointment process. For more information on Basic Sciences courses, please call Dr. Roy Long, at (715) 870-0914.
Learn more and submit interest

Pathways Organizations and Mentors
The MCW-Central Wisconsin Scholarly Pathways: The Physician in the Community provides opportunities to partner with a variety of public health or community-based agencies working to help ameliorate health-related issues of local relevance.
Learn more about Pathways Organizations and Mentors (PDF)