Learning in Docent Teams

What is a Docent?

At the UMKC School of Medicine, docents are faculty physicians who act as mentors and guides for students in our six-year B.A./M.D. program and our four-year M.D. program.

Why Docent Learning?

The docent system and approach to training are unique to the UMKC School of Medicine and are a foundation of our M.D. programs. The system takes the best of apprenticeship learning and combines it with small-group teaching, mentoring, peer coaching and other techniques.

Students start their education by joining a docent team, where they learn from one another and their docent faculty member. In this setting, docents provide clinical instruction while also guiding students’ personal and professional development. The system develops the attitudes, beliefs, competencies, habits and standards students need to be the best physicians possible.

How Does it Work?

In the first two years of the B.A./M.D. program, docent teams consist of 10 to 12 students from the same class. In the third year, students join new docent teams that mix students in years three through six, as well as students entering UMKC’s four-year M.D. program. Docent units are based at the School of Medicine and Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, a UMKC partner hospital, and provide individual offices, as well as a common meeting space for the team.

Peer Mentorship

By design, the docent system fosters a spirit of mentorship. Year three students are paired with year five students, allowing the older students to serve as mentors and friends. This junior-senior partnership continues for two years, until the more senior students graduate, and the junior students take on the role of mentor.

Team Approach

The docent system emphasizes practical, bedside teaching. During years three through six, teams spend half a day each week assisting their docent in an outpatient clinic, and two months with their teams on daily rounds at affiliate hospitals, Truman Medical Center or Saint Luke’s Hospital. These experiences provide a wealth of clinical exposure and emphasize the team nature of modern medicine. Nurses, clinical pharmacists, medical librarians, social workers and other professionals join the docent physician in instructing students.

Practice-Ready Physicians

Docent teams have been part of UMKC’s medical education since its inception. The one-on-one and one-on-few experiences teach students how to use information, how to approach ambiguity and uncertainty, and how to think critically about challenges in medicine and biomedical science. It is a unique and outstanding program that continues to produce well-prepared, well-rounded physicians while positioning the School of Medicine and its graduates among the best in the field.

Ready to Learn More?

Explore our six-year B.A./M.D. program, four-year M.D. program, or contact admissions for more information.