Mission Statement
The Department of Internal Medicine was established as a part of the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita in 1974. The specific mission statement of the department is as follows:
The University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita is a leader in the state and region in education, research, and patient care. The leadership role is based upon a commitment to conduct quality programs. The purpose of the Department of Internal Medicine is the development and use of knowledge:
- To educate students and physicians in the field of general internal medicine recognizing that it is an integral part of primary care;
- To provide comprehensive, longitudinal, humane and cost effective medical care to the ill and expert health counsel to individual patients and to the community as a whole;
- Through research, attempt to solve existing problems, generate new insights, and guide new investigations directed towards the relief of human suffering and to the general betterment of the human condition.
The following goals and objectives have been adopted by the full-time teaching faculty to meet this mission statement:
Goal: To evaluate the effectiveness of all programs in terms of their educational outcomes and relevance outcomes and relevance to the mission in order to plan strategically to meet the needs of our students, community and the state of Kansas.
Objectives:
- Adopt the principles of total quality management and incorporate those priniciples into the educational processes of the Department of Internal Medicine.
- Educate department faculty, residents, staff, and students on the philosophy of total quality management.
- Establish teams of residents, students, faculty and staff to review different processes and make improvements that will meet the needs of the department.
- To review and develop programs that will answer the needs of health care reform and better train residents in the environments of the future
Goal: To develop an environment conducive to faculty development.
Objectives:
- Encourage the development of teaching skills among faculty ranks.
- Provide both financial and departmental support for research.
- Recruit and retain quality faculty who are committed to teaching, research, and patient care.
- Assist in the development of interdepartmental cooperative programs.
Goal: To enhance the patient care experience for students and residents to better prepare them for the variety of practice environments.
Objectives:
- Maintain and increase ambulatory care experiences without diminishing the learning necessary to manage common inpatient problems.
- Develop new affiliations with health care organizations to provide additional educational opportunities and financial support for faculty development.
- Develop innovative programs utilizing the principles of total quality management with input from students, residents, faculty, and outside resources.
