Acronyms and Definitions

Workday Terminology and Crosswalk: This is a list of many common Workday terms used across all of the Universities of Wisconsin, as well as some corresponding terms used prior to the July 2025 transition to Workday, where applicable.

Acronyms used in SMPH:

Acronym	Pronounced	Full Name	What is it and/or how does it connect to SMPH?
AAI	A A I	Ambulatory Acting Internship	MD program - Phase 3 block
AAMC	A A M C	American Association of Medical Colleges	AAMC is a not-for-profit association representing all 144 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 90 academic and scientific societies
AC	A C	Acute Care	MD program - Phase 2 block
ACAP	A C A P	Academic and Career Advising Program	A program in Student Services that helps medical students navigate a pathway to the residency of their choice. The ACAP program provides specialty, residency, & career information for students, matriculation—graduation.
ACGME	A C G M E	Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education	Though this body governs accreditation of residency programs, its standards have been used to craft evaluation tools and competency requirements for undergraduate medical students as they advance in development and application of clinical skills. By applying these standards early, SMPH seeks to create a smooth transition to residency on graduation.
ACP	A C P	American College of Physicians (has a Wisconsin Chapter)	The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a national organization of internal medicine physicians. With 143,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in the United States. Holds annual chapter meetings.
Acuity	Acuity	Acuity One45	Student information system used by MD program (possibly other health professions in the future) for student scheduling, calendars, placement lotteries, evaluations, curriculum mapping, and analytics/reporting needs
AMA	A M A	American Medical Association	The largest association of physicians and medical students in the United States. The AMA's stated mission is to promote the art and science of medicine for the betterment of the public health, to advance the interests of physicians and their patients, to promote public health, to lobby for legislation favorable to physicians and patients, and to raise money for medical education. The Association also publishes the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which has the largest circulation of any weekly medical journal in the world.
APC	APC	Academic Planning Council	This is the highest-level academic policy committee at SMPH, and reports to the University APC.
BEAM	beam	Building Equitable Access to Mentorship	The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) in partnership with the SMPH Kern National Network (KNN) team initiated a new learning community offering faculty development aimed at increasing faculty mentoring skills.
BiB	Bib	Body in Balance	MD program - Phase 1 block
CAE	CAE	Learning Space	The software used in the Clinical Teaching & Assessment Center to create video recorded encounters that include performance checklists.
CAVS	Cavs	Classroom and AV Services	The Classroom and AV Services (CAVS) team supports students, faculty, and staff by providing and maintaining technology in SMPH learning spaces across six buildings. We help design tech-enabled rooms to support a variety of teaching and presentation styles and coordinate AV support for classes and events during regular business hours. https://iit.med.wisc.edu/cavs/
CGEA	CGEA	Central Group on Educational Affairs	The CGEA is one of four regions that comprise the AAMC’s national GEA (Group on Educational Affairs). The CGEA medical schools are located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The CGEA has two annual meetings, a spring regional meeting at a member institution and a fall meeting at the national AAMC meeting.
CIPE	C I P E	Center for Interprofessional Education	https://cipe.wisc.edu/
CME	C M E	Continuing Medical Education	educational activities for life-long learning, AMA requires certain amount of credit hours per year
CPC	C P C	Chronic & Preventive Care	MD program - Phase 2 block
CSP	C S P	Community Service Programs	The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Office of Community Service Programs works to increase and improve medical student service and civic engagement opportunities. Active groups include Allied United for Health (AUH), Doctors Ought to Care (DOC), Mentorship Achievement Program (MAP), and Medical Students Offering Maternal Support (MoMS), MEDiC (see below).
CTAC	C Tack	[Wichman] Clinical Teaching and Assessment Center	A suite of 24 exam rooms on the third floor of HSLC that are used to help hone and test skills in conducting clinical encounters. They are set up as clinic rooms, but are equipped with unobtrusive cameras and recording equipment to allow review of the encounters for assessment or improvement.
ELO	ELO	Enduring Learning Object	Online learning activity such as narrated powerpoint, brief video, interactive module, etc. designed to complement the main curriculum.
EPCC	E P C C	Educational Policy Curriculum Committee	The EPCC is SMPH’s curriculum oversight committee. Membership includes a variety of educational contributors and leaders from both clinical and basic science departments, plus five student members (four voting members, one from each year, and a non-voting Medical Scientist Training Program representative). EPC sets educational policies and tracks and approves course/clerkship proposals (new courses, course changes and course deletions). It stays informed of curriculum quality, monitors adherence to grading policies, and may take action to reform or improve courses. The committee also hears student appeals of Student Promotion and Review Committee (SPaRC) decisions. It reports decisions to the UW APC for approval.
ERAS	ERAS	Electronic Residency Application Service	Centralized, online solution to the residency application and documents distribution process. It provides applicants the ability to build and deliver their application and supporting materials either individually or as a package to residency programs. It also provides a streamlined experience for Designated Dean’s Offices, Letter of Recommendation (LoR) authors and program directors.
FDA	F D A	U.S. Food and Drug Administration	Maintains debarment list of individuals who are forbidden from working in the drug industry, some clinical sites require students do not appear on this list to participate in rotations
FERPA	Ferpa	Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act	http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. Employees receive training in how to apply the law.
FFF	FFF	Food, Fasting & Fitness	MD program - Phase 1 block
GQ	G Q	Graduate Questionnaire	Also known as the AAMC GQ (Association of American Medical Colleges), it is an annual questionnaire sent by the AAMC to recently graduated or soon to graduate medical students regarding their medical school experience.
HFT	HFT	Human Family Tree	MD Program - Phase 1 block
HIPAA	Hippa	Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act	SMPH employees receive training in how to uphold privacy protections for patients’ personal/healthcare information under this Federal law. http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/summary/index.html
HRSA	Hersa	Health Resources Services Administration	Government Agency that provides grants to some of our programs
I&D	I&D	Invaders & Defense	MD program - Phase 1 block
IAI	IAI	Inpatient Acting Internship	MD program - Phase 3 block
IAMSE	IMC	International Association of Medical Science Educators	A nonprofit professional development society organized and directed by medical faculty members who teach the sciences fundamental to medical practice.
ICEP	I SEP	Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership	The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a proud tradition of providing outstanding continuing education for healthcare professionals. In January 2015, the School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Office of Continuing Professional Development (OCPD), School of Nursing Continuing Education in Nursing Program, and the School of Pharmacy Division of Pharmacy Professional Development formed a partnership to enhance professional development opportunities focusing on interprofessional collaboration and teamwork. This collaboration, known as the Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP), was awarded Joint Accreditation in 2016 a prestigious recognition from three global leaders in healthcare continuing education accreditation
ICTR	Ikter	UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research	Interdisciplinary UW institute (comprising Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy and the College of Engineering) whose mission is to change the UW research culture from “silos” to collaborations among ICTR members and within the entire university. With this UW team and ICTR's northern partner Marshfield Clinic, the Institute promotes major advancements in clinical and translational research.
IHC	I H C	Interhouse Council	Incoming students are assigned to one of the five Houses, each named after a physician prominent in SMPH history. The Interhouse Council is made up of elected student leaders from each house. The Council plans noon talks on themes important to medical students, organizes the annual House Cup competition and coordinates the Big Sib/Little Sib program. The houses help students to learn more, direct their energies to good causes, have fun, and make helpful connections within/across medical school years.
KNN	K N N	Kern National Network
LCME	L C M E	Liaison Committee for Medical Education	This body is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the reliable authority for the accreditation of medical education programs leading to the MD degree for all North American medical schools. LCME monitors the quality of every aspect of medical school curriculum, facilities, and quality of student life, and determines, publishes and maintains the standards medical schools must meet. Site visits for re-accreditation are conducted every eight years and require a year-long process of school-wide self-study, data collection and documentation to prepare.
LTC	LTC	Longitudinal Teacher/Coach	In alignment with best educational practices, a major feature of the SMPH transformed curriculum is to provide each of our students with a longitudinal teacher/coach (LTC) to allow for continuity between teacher and learner to facilitate competency-based skill development across all Phases of our new curriculum. LTCs will be primarily responsible for the teaching of clinical skills and case-based learning curriculum across Phase 1 of the new curriculum, and the coaching of teamwork skills and professionalism and the fostering of lifelong learning with critical reflection across all three Phases of the curriculum. Teaching will be accomplished through small group sessions, on-line discussions/interactions and individualized student conferences as needed.
M&M	M and M	Mind & Motion	MD program - Phase 1 block
MAMA	mama	Mission Aligned Monetary Allocation	Funding source for faculty who teach. Med Ed Office collects data on all teaching activities (# of hours per faculty member, # of ELOs, # of clinical hours) and a formula is applied and funding ultimately allocated to departments (not to individual faculty).
MedEd	Med Ed	Medical Education (aka Medical Education Office or MEO)	A number of sub-units that oversee curriculum, assessment and evaluation of the MD program
MEDiC	medic	MEDiC	Established in 1990, MEDiC is a student-run program of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and comprises seven health clinics throughout Madison. MEDiC's goals are to improve the health of the underserved in the Madison area and to educate University of Wisconsin-Madison health professions students.
MSA	M S A	Medical Student Association	The Medical Student Association is the student governmental body representing the interests of all enrolled medical students at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
MSES	M S E S	Medical Student Education and Services	MSES encompasses MedEd, Student Services, and Admissions
MSPE	M S P E	Medical Student Performance Evaluation	The MSPE is a summary letter of evaluation intended to provide residency program directors an honest and objective summary of a student's salient experiences, attributes, and academic performance.
MSTP	M S T P	Medical Scientist Training Program	The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides integrated graduate training in scientific research and clinical medicine, leading to a combined MD/PhD degree. The timeline for MSTP students is extended, with its own structure, requirements and milestones. The degree typically takes between seven and eight years to complete; there may be some variability as required by the needs and goals of each individual student.
NBME	NBME	National Board of Medical Examiners	The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that serves the public through its high-quality assessments of healthcare professionals. The NBME develops and manages the USMLE (see below) which establishes the standards of knowledge and performance for physicians nationwide.
NIH	N I H	National Institute of Health
OASIS	Oasis	Online Access to Student Information and Scheduling	Software used by MD and PA programs to run placement lotteries and is used as a general repository of relevant information and documents, e.g. the latest edition of the student handbook, commonly used administrative/request forms, career planning information, etc. Many functions being replaced by the Acuity One45 system.
OCPD	O C P D	Office of Continuing Professional Development	formerly Continuing Medical Education (CME) Part of SMPH Academic Affairs, OCPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education credits to physicians who successfully participate in CME activities certified by the School. OCPD maintains records of participation for a minimum of 6 years as required by the ACCME.
OFAC	OFAC	Office of Foreign Assets Control	Government agency that publishes a list of individuals acting for or on behalf of targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. Some clinical sites require students do not appear on this list to participate in rotations.
OHR	O H R	Office of Human Resources	UW central campus HR Office
OIG LEIE	O I G L E I E	Office of the Inspector General List of Excluded Individuals/Entities	Government agency that maintains list of individuals who have committed Medicaid or Medicare fraud, clinical sites often require students do not appear on this list to participate in rotations
OSCE	OSCE	Objective Structured Clinical Exam	An exam for medical students and/or medical professionals that is structured as a series of stations that may cover a wide range of clinical skills. At SMPH, these are conducted in the CTAC. This type of exam can be graded by faculty assessors and/or standardized patients and may be used for medical school courses and departmental exams, as well as testing for national licensure.
P1PP	P 1 P P	Phase 1 Preceptor Program	The Phase 1 Preceptor Program (P1PP) is a required 18-month clinical experience in the outpatient clinic practice of volunteer physicians. All students spend 5 half-days per semester in clinic with their designated preceptor observing patient care delivery and practicing basic clinical skills such as history taking and physical examinations skills.
PA	P A	Physician Assistant	Physician assistants receive a broad education in medicine and are educated in the medical model to complement physician training. Physician assistants are qualified to perform physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive healthcare, and assist in surgery. In most states, including Wisconsin, they can prescribe medications. The UW PA program’s academic home is within the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH).
PERC	perk	Partnership Education and Research Committee	Part of the Wisconsin Partnership Program (see below). PERC allocates and distributes funds designated for medical education and research initiatives that advance population health. The committee's broad representation includes faculty and staff with experience and expertise in research, education, and public and community health.
PI	P I	Principle Investigator	Lead (generally faculty member) on a grant/project
PoD Ethics	PoD Ethics	Path of Distinction in Ethics	A program aimed at students with an interest in biomedical ethics
PoD IPE	PoD Interprofessional Education	Path of Distinction in Interprofessional Education	A program aimed at students with an interest in interprofessional education
PoD MedEd	PoD Medical Education	Path of Distinction in Medical Education	A program aimed at students with an interest in academic medicine
PoD Ph	PoD Public Health	Path of Distinction in Public Health	A program aimed at students with an interest in public health and service learning experiences.
PoD Rsrch	PoD Research	Path of Distinction in Research	A program aimed at students with an interest in research
PPP	P P P	Patients, Professionalism & Public Health	MD program - Phase 1 block
PT	P T	Physical Therapy/Therapist	Physical Therapists (PTs) are licensed health care professionals who diagnose and oversee the management of patients of all ages in order to improve their physical and functional abilities. (DPT: Doctor of Physical Therapy)
RUSCH	rush	Rural and Urban Scholars in Community Health	Rural and Urban Scholars in Community Health (RUSCH), launched in 2009, is a pre-med pathway program that has been developed by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The program is open to undergraduate students enrolled at any campus within the Universities of Wisconsin, including Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Parkside, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point, Stout, Superior and Whitewater.
SAM	Sam	System for Award Management	SAM Exclusion Records contains the data for all active exclusion records entered by the federal government identifying those parties excluded from receiving federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and federal financial and non-financial assistance and benefits. Some clinical sites require students do not appear on this list to participate in rotations.
SASS	SASS	Student Academic Support Services	Academic advising for MD students, part of Student Services unit.
SCOPE	S C O P E	Specialized Care in Gynecologic and Pediatric Patients	MD program - Phase 2 block
Shelf/Subject Exams		Shelf Exams	Now called Subject Exams, these are standardized, Course- or Clerkship-specific online exams provided by the National Board of Medical Examiners.
SMPH	S M P H	School of Medicine and Public Health	A school within the University of Wisconsin
SP	SP	Standardized Patient	A person who has been trained to interact with medical students/medical professionals in the persona of a patient to test or improve clinical skills, but who can also act as an assessor of the performance, often working with a checklist of items to rate the quality of the care received.
SPARC	SPARC	Student Promotion and Review Committee	The SPaRC is the SMPH committee charged with monitoring all medical students and reviewing thosewho fail to meet academic and/or professional behavior requirements. The committee is empowered to establish individualized learning plans and levy sanctions or other disciplinary actions.
SPC	S P C	Surgical & Procedural Care	MD program - Phase 2 block
Step 1	Step 1	MD Program Step 1 Board Exam	One-day USMLE exam that medical students typically take after completing Y2. Step 1 assesses understanding and application of important concepts of the sciences basic to the practice of medicine, with special emphasis on principles and mechanisms underlying health, disease, and modes of therapy.
Step 2	Step 2	MD Program Step 2 Board Exam	2 parts - Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) / Step 2 CS (Clinical Skills). One-day USMLE exam typically taken in Y4 that assesses application of medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science essential for the provision of patient care under supervision and includes emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention.
TME	T M E	Transforming Medical Education	Wisconsin Partnership grant (renewable every 3 years) that helps fund the ongoing transformation of medical education at SMPH.
TRIUMPH	triumph	Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health	This SMPH program seeks UW medical students committed to providing health care for urban populations. It combines Milwaukee-based third-year primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine rotations, the fourth-year preceptorship and electives with community and public health experiences. The program integrates clinical medicine and community and public health in third- and fourth-year curriculum.
UDS	U D S	Urine drug screen
UGME	UGME	Undergraduate Medical Education
UHS	U H S	University Health Services
USMLE	USMLE	The United States Medical Licensing Examination	A three-step examination for medical licensure in the United States and is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®). While individual licensing boards grant the license to practice medicine, all medical boards in the US accept a passing score on the USMLE as evidence that an applicant demonstrates the core competencies to practice medicine. In LCME- accredited medical schools, although Step 1 and Step 2 can be taken in any order, most students will take Step 1 at the end of their second year and Step 2 in their fourth year. (Step 3 is usually taken during the first or second year of postgraduate training, so not relevant for SMPH students yet. See entries above for “Step 1” and “Step 2.”) Students travel to testing centers to take the exams.
UWHC	U W H C	University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics
WARM	warm	Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine	The Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine (WARM) is a rural education program within the MD program curriculum at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. Medical students who are enrolled in this four-year program will learn to develop the skills and have opportunities to participate in a rural setting. The goal of the Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine program is to admit students who intend to practice rural medicine and ultimately help increase the number of physicians who practice medicine in rural Wisconsin.
WIMR	wimmer	Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research	The Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is designed to allow researchers to work with scientists from other disciplines, speeding the transfer of science to the people who will benefit from it. Has a strong emphasis on cancer research. Also refers to the buildings where they are housed, WIMR and WIMRII.
WMAA	W M A A	Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association	The University of Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association reaches 10,000 alumni worldwide with opportunities to connect through student initiatives, Quarterly magazine, events and programs. Organizes events such as the White Coat Ceremony, Operation Education, alumni-to-students stethoscope donation program, and medical school graduation ceremony and party. Also supports many philanthropic efforts, including the Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association Student Scholarship Fund.
WPP	W P P	Wisconsin Partnership Program	This program allocates funds through grants and builds relationships with local, regional and statewide groups to improve the health and well-being of Wisconsin residents through investments in research, education, prevention practices/ interventions, and policy development. It uses the state health plan, "Healthiest Wisconsin," as its foundation.
Acronym	Pronounced	Full Name	What is it and/or how does it connect to SMPH?