UM med school looks toward class of 200 NextGenMD students

The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Class of 2024 students were the first to complete all four years of medical school under the NextGenMD curriculum.

The NextGenMD program focuses on early exposure to the clinical setting, case-based learning, coaching provided by a clinical educator through all four years, and a scholarly concentration program that allows for individualized pathways and dual degrees for all students.

“We generally aim to matriculate 200 students per class,” said Dr. Gauri Agarwal, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s associate dean for curriculum. “While we are still finalizing our Class of 2029, we expect a similar-sized cohort.”

The Class of 2024 excelled in numerous national standards, Dr. Agarwal added.

“The United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 and Step 2 exams evaluate medical students’ comprehension of principles and mechanisms underlying health and disease, as well as their ability to apply their skills to clinical scenarios,” she said. “Our students excelled in both exams. The pass rate for Step 1 nationally is 93%; our first NextGenMD class achieved a 98% pass rate. Step 2 is a scored exam, with a national mean score of 245. Our students score at 250, above the national mean.”

Residency match rate is another important way to highlight the curriculum’s success, Dr. Agarwal said. The National Residency Matching Program reported a 2024 match rate of 93.5%. Miami’s 2024 final placement rate was 100%.

“We compared the Class of 2024’s progress with that of the Class of 2023, which studied under the previous curriculum, with clinical exposure offered in the third, rather than second, year,” she continued. “Both sets of students were evaluated by faculty and residents, and through objective, structured clinical exams. We found that the performance of second-year students was at the level of third-year students. This is, in part, due to the NextGenMD students’ early introduction to clinical experiences and their clinical coaches. We are excited to see these indicators of success and will continue to position our students as successful, confident and adaptable future leaders of medicine.”

A healthy curriculum is constantly responsive and changing to what’s happening in the world, she said.

“We recognize that AI and VR will be a significant factor in the future career of our students, and we see immense value in incorporating the latest technologies into numerous aspects of our medical education programming,” Dr. Agarwal explained.

One example of the success of the NextGenMD curriculum is how it uses the latest technologies in the first year of medical school exposing students to artificial intelligence and virtual reality. This includes interactive experiences such as using AI for differential diagnoses, VR-based medical simulations, and art analysis at the university’s art museum to explore their human observational skills and inherent biases.

“By immersing students in AI and VR early in their training, we are fostering adaptability and an understanding of AI’s potential and limitations in health care,” Dr. Agarwal added. “We also understand that AI is rapidly evolving, and current technology will be outdated very quickly. Our job is to get students to think critically about the thoughtful and ethical integration of AI into health care and the qualities of physicians that are more difficult to replace with a machine.”