The interdisciplinary generalist curriculum project at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Nova Southeastern) proposed for its IGC Project to match students with community-based generalist physician role models through partnership with a managed care organization (MCO). An unanticipated corporate merger between the initial managed care partner and another health plan resulted in Nova Southeastern's negotiating training partnerships with multiple MCOs. Other program elements that differed from what was originally proposed include provision of an interactive utilization management session at a hospital or skilled nursing facility, rather than a headquarters-based utilization management rotation; combining multiple learning experiences for students within a single MCO session; having a portion of the training take place at field-based sites outside MCO headquarters or after normal business hours (i.e., MCO physician committee meetings); and recruitment of physician mentors through a variety of means and not just through MCOs. The current goals emphasize preparing students to have a working knowledge of managed care principles and practice that can be applied in any medical field and setting. This goal contrasts with the original goal of preparing students for jobs "within" managed care. The IGC Project is viewed at Nova Southeastern as the flagship of interdisciplinary curricular changes in the training of tomorrow's physicians.