Skip to main content

News

You are here

Hot Tech: Automated Student Affairs Processes (ASAP)

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Automated Student Affairs Processes is a Windows presentation foundation software application for automatic compiling, ease of editing and tracking of Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) prepared by medical school student affairs offices.

Every medical school within the United States and Canada must submit an MSPE as part of a medical student's residency application. The MSPE includes specific information from the student's academic record including both didactic and clinical courses. The MSPE also includes clinical faculty's comments on evaluations, scholarships, awards and community service information. This task needs to be completed by October 1st of each year. The MSPE may also be requested later in the student's medical career, as part of the application process for a medical license, hospital privileges or insurance participation. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) requires that all MSPEs have identical information for each student.

Currently, the manner in which the MSPE is compiled can take up to six full-time employees yearly. With approximately 16,000 medical students entering residency each year, and an average of 131.5 students per year per medical school, the task of generating customized evaluation letters is an overwhelming task. Additionally, the way the MSPEs are compiled leads to inaccurate data and incomplete MSPEs, which can negatively affect a medical student's application for residency.

With this new software application, the MSPE is compiled automatically. The software has an editing and tracking component that helps the student affairs personnel track the status of the MSPE. The University of Maryland School of Medicine's Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and Medical Education (OME) have created a beta version of the application and it has been in use for three years at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Currently, ASAP is licensed to New York Medical College (NYMC) and we are in the process of renewing license for next three years. The users can import the student's evaluation data from any source into UMB's software. This software also includes a reporting mechanism that helps the MSPE writers track the status of every evaluation letter.

Thus, this software allows for medical school student affairs offices to cut down on their MSPE administrative tasks and allows the Deans to spend more time on counseling medical students. It also helps eliminate administrative errors and makes the MSPE process seamless.

Click here to learn more via our Technologies page. Also, be sure to visit the ASAP website.