At UMHS, student success is at the heart of everything we do. Few people embody that commitment more than Donna Walker, our Director of Learning Services. With nearly a decade of experience in medical education and a background that bridges technology, education, and leadership, Dr. Walker is uniquely positioned to guide students through the complex process of learning in medical school.
We sat down with Dr. Walker to learn how her work directly supports UMHS’s high retention and graduation rates by equipping students with the tools they need to thrive academically, as well as what distinguishes UMHS from many other Caribbean medical schools.
Q: To start, can you share a bit about your background and how you came into this role?
Dr. Walker:
My background is in technology, and my initial field of work was educational technology. From there, I moved into instructional design, faculty development, and eventually into learning strategies and leadership. I worked at another Caribbean medical school for a couple of years before coming to UMHS, and I now have over a decade of experience in the Caribbean university context. Over that time, I’ve held a variety of positions, but what I fell in love with most was meeting with students through one-on-one sessions or workshops and helping them succeed.
Q: What drew you to UMHS?
Dr. Walker:
It was really the culture. I heard so many good things about the school being student-focused, with small class sizes and a strong emphasis on supporting students. Of course, every institution aims for student success, but there are different ways to achieve it. What impressed me was seeing how deeply that commitment runs here. After visiting the school and meeting with the president, Warren Ross, it was clear how genuinely invested everyone is in the students.
Q: What kinds of learning strategies do you introduce to help students?
Dr. Walker:
There are many strategies that can help students succeed in medical school, but I always remind them that learning is highly individual; it depends on their preferences, strengths, weaknesses, and even the context of each course. I encourage students to approach every class a little differently and find what works best for them.
Some of the most common areas we focus on include time management and structure, managing test anxiety, processing information effectively, and identifying the main ideas from lectures. But ultimately, it often comes down to one-on-one work. Sometimes the challenges are academic, and sometimes they’re non-academic factors that still affect a student’s performance.
Q: What makes UMHS’s approach to learning support unique compared to other schools?
Dr. Walker:
The biggest difference is how student-focused it is. In this role, I’ve had a lot of autonomy and, importantly, the time to really drill down into what students need to do well. That has reignited my passion for the work.
If a student comes in with a complicated situation—or starts with one concern but we uncover several others—I have the space to really work with them. Because of our smaller class sizes, I can also follow up later in the week, which allows us to build strong relationships over time. Most of my appointments aren’t one-offs; students often come back, whether it’s to address something new or to update me on their progress. That ongoing connection throughout Basic Sciences is something I truly value, and it sets UMHS apart from larger schools where the learning specialist-to-student ratio makes this difficult to achieve.
Q: Preparing for the USMLE Step exams can feel overwhelming. How does your team help students build confidence and succeed?
Dr. Walker:
I approach Step preparation through the lens of self-regulated learning. By the time students finish Basic Sciences, everyone’s profile looks different. Their strengths, weaknesses, and content gaps are highly individualized. So my goal is to give them the tools to assess themselves, address their gaps, and take ownership of their learning.
One way we do this is by introducing the Learning and Study Skills Inventory (LASSI) early on, starting with Accelerated Review Program (ARP) students. LASSI provides a profile across ten domains, helping students understand both their strengths and areas for growth. It not only gives them a starting point for developing effective strategies but also empowers them to advocate for themselves in advising and learning strategy sessions. Research even shows a correlation between LASSI scores and Step performance, which reinforces the importance of these skills.
We also emphasize multiple-choice question (MCQ) strategy. Beyond just practicing questions, we teach students how to learn from them, focusing on time management, attention to detail, and dissecting questions to understand how they’re constructed. In our workshops with EBS5 students, we encourage them to think like the question writer, so they’re learning concepts rather than just chasing a daily quota of questions.
Q: Let’s go back to ARP—the Accelerated Review Program. Can you explain how students are placed in it and what your role looks like in that program?
Dr. Walker:
When students apply, the admissions team determines whether they begin in ARP, the Basic Sciences Program, or the Extended Basic Sciences Program, based on readiness for medical school. That decision usually factors in things like MCAT scores, overall preparation, or even time away from school.
All ARP students are enrolled in SSPCOMM, our Study Skills and Professional Communications course, which I direct. Through this class, I get to work closely with students as they transition into the rigors of medical school. We use the course time to talk about learning strategies, reflect on the significant changes they’re experiencing, and introduce tools like the LASSI for self-assessment. It’s really about teaching them how to learn effectively in a high-stakes environment and giving them a strong foundation before they move into Basic Sciences.
Q: UMHS recently announced a partnership with UWorld. How will this help students?
Dr. Walker:
UWorld is a high-quality question bank, and what makes it so valuable is that the questions closely mirror the style and rigor of the USMLE. They’re challenging, require integration across subjects, and demand both critical and clinical thinking.
Students in Maine now have access to UWorld, and our team helps lead question-based review sessions with them. In these two-hour sessions, we work through 15–20 questions together, guiding students to not just answer but really learn from the questions. They challenge each other, discuss reasoning, and strengthen problem-solving skills in a group setting. The learning specialists and other faculty take turns facilitating, which has been very effective.
On the island, EBS5 students also work with UWorld questions. This timing is ideal because they’ve already covered most of their Basic Sciences content, and the focus shifts to integrating knowledge across disciplines to solve clinical cases. It’s about applying everything they’ve learned in a way that mirrors how they’ll be tested, and how they’ll ultimately practice medicine.
Q: Do you have an example of how Learning Services has made a difference for a student?
Dr. Walker:
The beginning of medical school is often the most challenging, especially for students who didn’t go through ARP and are suddenly faced with the pace and volume of the curriculum. I’ve met with students after their first quiz or block exam when things didn’t go well, and at that point many feel defeated. They’re studying all day, barely sleeping, barely eating, and questioning whether they belong in medical school.
Those appointments can be very powerful. We spend time breaking down what’s working and what isn’t, talking about what an effective study session looks like, and even the role of sleep in learning. I’ve seen students go from scoring in the 30s or 40s on their first exams to coming back after the second block with scores in the 80s or 90s.
One student in particular comes to mind: she was on track to fail anatomy but kept meeting with me every couple of weeks to adjust her study plan. By the end of the term, she scored a 90 on her final exams and told me, “I couldn’t have done this without you.” She was so moved by the support system here at UMHS.
Stories like that—students who may have been on the verge of leaving medical school but turn things around and finish strong—are the most powerful. And it’s not only those who are struggling early on. I’ve also worked with students later in Basic Sciences who are doing well but facing more complex, integrated content. With them, we use MCQs as a tool to help them pull ideas together and approach the material in new ways. Both kinds of students show why this one-on-one support makes such a difference.
Q: It sounds like your team plays a big role in retention and graduation rates. What makes UMHS’s Learning Services unique compared to other Caribbean medical schools?
Dr. Walker:
Some schools don’t even have dedicated learning specialist teams, and at larger schools it’s much harder to provide the kind of individualized support we’re able to give here. That’s a huge advantage at UMHS: we have the time, space, and ability to truly be present with students one-on-one and to follow through in meaningful ways.
For example, I might send a quick check-in email after a session: “Hey, I know you met with me last week. How are things going?” Students consistently tell us how much it means to feel seen in that way. Of course, they’re supported by their faculty and peers, but when they don’t have the emotional bandwidth to advocate for themselves, having someone else invested in their success can make all the difference.
That personal connection is something many other schools simply can’t offer, and it’s one reason why our retention and graduation rates are so strong.
I’d also add that the support from leadership makes a real difference. President Ross, along with our faculty and dean, truly values this work and communicates that often. Knowing that the administration stands behind us reinforces our sense of belonging and strengthens our ability to help students succeed.
Q: Why do you think it’s important for educators to continually develop their communication and teaching skills?
Dr. Walker:
This is something I’m passionate about. I believe the biggest reason faculty should continuously develop themselves is because we now have an entirely new generation of students in our classrooms. In my opinion, there’s a significant gap between the older millennial or Gen X teacher and the younger Gen Z student. At times, it almost feels like we come from two different worlds.
This matters because today’s students expect a very different kind of teaching and learning experience than higher education has traditionally offered. They expect personalization, immediacy, engagement, and even a degree of entertainment in how they learn. While our faculty—and faculty across higher education—are outstanding, I don’t think we’re all fully prepared for the expectations of this younger generation, who have been deeply shaped by technology and social media.
The more we can meet students where they are and provide learning experiences that feel valuable to them, the more we remain relevant as an institution. Classrooms today look very different than they did even ten years ago, and that’s why educators need to keep evolving their communication and instructional skills.
Q: Are there any upcoming initiatives for students that you’d like to highlight?
Dr. Walker:
Yes. One initiative we’re focusing on is test anxiety and how to manage it. Of course, some anxiety is natural in medical school. It’s a high-stakes, stressful environment. But when students get closer to Step 1 and realize that years of hard work feel like they hinge on one exam, that anxiety can become overwhelming.
Right now, I’m working with our campus counselor, Ruth FitzGerald, to develop programming around test anxiety. We’re starting with ARP students to help them prepare for the kinds of anxiety they may face throughout medical school. We’re also extending this work to students in Maine, specifically to support them in managing the stress surrounding Step 1.
Even if a student knows the material well, anxiety can interfere with performance. Helping them build tools to navigate that stress is just as important as mastering the content itself. This is something we’re excited to collaborate on and roll out for our students.
Q: What advice would you give incoming UMHS students on making the most of our learning resources?
Dr. Walker:
The first few weeks of medical school can feel daunting, and that’s completely natural. Students should expect to be challenged at a level they haven’t experienced before. One of the biggest keys to success is understanding that you’ll need to constantly adapt. What worked for you in the past may not work with the volume and pace of this curriculum.
So I would encourage students to expect the pace to feel intense and overwhelming at times, but to recognize that this is a normal part of the process. Anticipate that you’ll need to adjust how you study, learn, and process information in ways that are more effective and efficient than before. One of the best ways to navigate that transition is to meet with a learning specialist early on. We can help students reflect on their current strategies and strengths, recognize what needs to change, and build a plan that sets them up for success.
And I always remind students: it’s not just about surviving medical school, but thriving in it. That means creating balance so you still have time to take care of yourself, go to the gym, eat well, and maintain your well-being, rather than feeling completely overwhelmed and going it alone without support.
To learn more about Learning and Student Support Services at UMHS, email Dr. Walker at Dwalker@umhs-sk.net
Megan is a Public Relations & Communications Consultant for UMHS. When she's not working with UMHS faculty, students and alumni to promote their expertise through media coverage and special events, she enjoys spending time outdoors in her hometown of San Diego.
