Midwestern Medical School Reforms Student Services With Document Management

Medical school faculties are typically very discriminating about the applicants they choose — their institution’s reputation hinges in part on the success of their alumni. One midwestern university that enrolls and grooms some of the best and brightest medical minds was successfully attracting top candidates, but needed a better way to track and manage applicant information. The university’s paper-based system was becoming too cumbersome with the growing number of current student and alumni records on file. Delays in decision making, occasional missing documentation, and the constant fear of making a procedural mistake were taking their toll on a staff that was constantly under pressure.

Putting the puzzle pieces together

The Office of Records and Registration of this university’s medical school program manages paperwork that tracks student progress from the time of application through enrollment, graduation, and beyond. Requests for student verification, ongoing evaluation of students’ readiness to move on in their medical studies, and tracking each approved leave of absence requires detailed and thorough documentation of diverse records. Student transcripts, graduate school applications, disciplinary action forms, assessments of each student’s financial need and the appropriate government forms; photos, and supplemental applications from the American Association of Medical Colleges are typically on file for each student.

To make accurate and timely decisions, and comply with the demand for documentation from potential employers and other educational institutions, student files are accessed regularly. Faculty, alumni, and state verification agencies constantly request information and expect a prompt response, yet Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws compel the institution to guard and secure files appropriately. The need for near-immediate, yet accurate answers constantly has to be weighed against established procedures that are intended to ensure compliance, fairness, and consistency.