The University of Wisconsin Madison School of Medicine and Public Health rapidly adapted its four‐year, three‐phase medical doctorate clinical curriculum at the onset of the COVID‐19 in Spring 2020. Medical students in clinical rotations, our Phase 2 and 3 of the ForWard curriculum, temporarily stopped face to face care of patients, transitioning instead to online learning. For Phase 2 students, this single 12‐ week interim course included didactic content from all required integrated blocks and the creation of a new content which taught public health principles in the context of historical pandemics. Phase 3 students were rescheduled into online electives, which course directors had offered in the past and agreed to offer again during this time. All Phase 3 students participated in a Public Health Preparedness course after its rapid redesign for online delivery and scaling for an entire class. Phase 2 students returned in July 2020 to abbreviated 8‐week integrated blocks that retained approximately 83% of the clinical time students would have received in the intended 12‐week integrated blocks. This was possible through the frontloading of teaching sessions to the interim course and creative scheduling of clinical experiences. The 2015 curricular redesign to the integrated curriculum facilitated effective coordination and teamwork that enabled these thoughtful, rapid adjustments to the curriculum.

Introduction: With the constant evolution of science and advancing technology, future physicians must learn to navigate an ever-changing health care environment by continuous learning throughout their professional careers. Lifelong, self-directed learning is a critical component of medical education to ensure future physicians are adept at identifying knowledge gaps and seeking, analyzing, and communicating new information. To train faculty who teach case-based, self-directed learning, we designed the Clumsy Horse Case. Methods: The Clumsy Horse Case was created as part of a faculty development program for facilitators of a new case-based, self-directed curriculum known as Patient-Centered Education (PaCE) Cases. An unfamiliar veterinary medicine case was designed to level the playing field for faculty from different specialty areas in order to provide an authentic self-directed learning experience. To determine effectiveness, faculty participants completed a standardized eight-question evaluation survey after the Clumsy Horse Case session, and facilitators received student feedback at the end of each semester via a standard faculty evaluation form. Results: Student ratings indicated that faculty were adequately prepared to be effective facilitators. The Clumsy Horse Case was an integral part of facilitator preparation and provided an engaging learning experience for over 60 faculty. Survey ratings and comments from faculty participants indicated a high level of engagement and satisfaction with the learning experience. Discussion: The Clumsy Horse Case is generalizable for developing faculty in any curriculum with a case-based, self-directed learning component. It can be modified to fit any school's curriculum and integrated into a professional development program.

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has created Integrative Cases that weave together public health, clinical medicine and basic science in the preclinical curriculum. Student evaluations indicate that Integrative Cases help students make connections across these domains and expand their view of medicine and public health.