- Foundations of Medicine and Health:
This component is made up of six integrated course blocks.
The first block – BECOMING A DOCTOR I:
Is five weeks in duration, and gives students an understanding of population health and the doctor’s responsibility to individuals and to society. Typically students begin their medical education by studying basic science at the molecular level, and are often not fully aware of the relevance that this knowledge has in their future education as physicians or how it relates to the actual practice of medicine. This curricular block focuses on how physicians can act as advocates for their patients in the health care system; how social and environmental factors impact health; and the importance of clinical research as the unifying principle between disease biology and the science of clinical practices. This block also has a strong emphasis on the importance of critical thinking and rigorous methodologies in the measurement of clinical phenomena.
Capstone experience – BECOMING A DOCTOR I:
During the fourth year of medical school, all students will return to campus for two weeks of focused, shared experiences during which they revisit the social and behavioral determinants of health and disease and health system issues within the context of the basic science, clinical skills and evidence-based medicine they’ve learned since entering medical school.
The next five blocks in the Foundations of Medicine and Health focus on basic science in the context of clinical cases. Subject matter is integrated across entire biological systems with normal and abnormal processes taught in concert. Each block is complemented by clinical immersion experiences, early contact with patients in clinical preceptorships and simulated clinical experiences. Some themes stretch longitudinally across these blocks, including anatomy, histopathology and radiology, as well as pharmacology and clinical mastery.
The second block – HUMAN BLUEPRINT:
Is comprised of endocrine, reproductive development, genetics, molecular biology, and
cancer biology.
The third block – FOOD TO FUEL:
Encompasses gastro-intestinal system, nutrition, energy, metabolism and biochemistry.
The fourth block – HOMEOSTASIS:
Includes cardiovascular system, pulmonary system, renal system, cell regulation,
and pharmacology.
The fifth block – HOST DEFENSE AND HOST RESPONSE:
Focuses on host defense, microbiology, blood, skin, and the auto-immune system.
The sixth block – COGNITION, SENSATION AND MOVEMENT:
Is comprised of neurosciences, mind, and the musculoskeletal system.
BLOCKS 2 - 6 FOLLOW A COMMON PATTERN.
Each block has a Clinical Immersion Week and each has a Reflection and Integration Week.
- During the Clinical Immersion Week, students leave the classroom and enter the clinical setting to see the relevance of the basic science they have been studying as the concepts are used in the setting of patient care.
- The Reflection and Integration week is the final week of blocks 2-6. During this week, no new material is introduced. Learning activities are planned to help students review concepts introduced earlier in the block by presenting these concepts again, sometimes in new contexts, and now integrated with other concepts previously learned. End of block assessment takes place during the reflection and integration week.
FOUNDATIONS OF CLINICAL MEDICINE:
This segment of the clinical curriculum runs longitudinally through the Foundations of Medicine and Health, and has three components:
- Foundations of Clinical Medicine Seminars: Beginning in “The Human Blueprint,” Block 2, students participate in weekly two hour Foundations of Clinical Medicine Seminars. These seminars combine small group and large group teaching methods as they continue the themes introduced in “Becoming a Doctor.”
- RAMP: Beginning in September of Year 1, groups of students participate in the Rotating Apprenticeships in Medical Program (RAMP). They rotate through a variety of patient care experiences, observing the practice of health care across many different settings.
- Community Patient Care Preceptorship (CPCP): After completing RAMP, students select a clinical setting and a physician preceptor with whom they will work for a semester. Students meet with these preceptors every week, and have the opportunity to practice clinical and communication skills while receiving feedback from their practicing physician mentor.
SAMPLE WEEK:
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