Twelve tips for technologic transformation: the NYCOM experience.

Kumar • Medical education Five years ago, the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) of the New York Institute of Technology recognized the need for integrating current information technologies into the NYCOM fabric and processes. We have focused on transforming the academic and administrative culture of NYCOM by integrating technology into all aspects of it rather than implementing specific technical tools. We have made a few mistakes, but we have also had many significant successes in achieving the desired cultural change. We have put much effort into listening to sister institutions and other colleagues to benefit from their experiences. Some ideas form a common thread in achieving such cultural change. Implementing stand-alone technical solutions to specific problems is an essential component of how organizations are run. However, a cultural transformation involves much more than implementing separate technical solutions. Much in the same vein as the holistic outlook required by the osteopathic philosophy, cultural transformation of institutions requires an approach that can carry the institution along and change the way the different components of the organization function independently as well as how they relate to each other and to the outside. There is significant diversity among the osteopathic schools: some are young, some are old; some are state schools, some are private. Some have small student bodies and some have large ones. Some have limited resources while others have more. Similarly, some of our schools are technically more sophisticated than others, maybe in specific elements such as in videoconferencing. However, there is much to learn from each other in harnessing the current information technologies to enhance the osteopathic educational process and osteopathic medical practice. It is for this reason and to initiate discussion that we summarize here some elements that seem to be necessary for such a transition. We use short examples from our experience at NYCOM.