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Curriculum Overview

 

Curriculum Timeline

Year 1

Phase1:  Foundations of Medicine

This 17-week phase includes the medical science, medical arts and clinical skills that students will require before beginning in clinics and Phase 2 units.  Each week of Phase 1 will have a predominant theme.  Anatomy (embryonic, microscopic and gross, including cadaver dissection), physiology, pharmacology, data analysis, metabolism and nutrition will be taught in relation to the weekly themes.  The medical science components of the curriculum will heavily depend upon an integrated textbook:  Human Anatomy & Physiology, 8th edition by Marieb and Hoehn.  Students will be expected to thoroughly understand the content of this textbook, as well as others used in the phase, at the completion of Phase 1.  Students will develop patient interviewing and physical examination skills over the course of Phase 1 to prepare them for their Longitudinal Clinical Experience which begins in Phase 2.  Students will engage in professional development through self-exploration and self-assessment activities across Phase 1 as they examine the different psycho-social and technical dimensions of patient care.

Phase 2:  (2.1) Molecules, Cells and Cancer

This 9-week unit, beginning in early January, integrates molecular and cell biology with genetics, hematology, cancer biology and basic oncology.  It includes a strong component of translational research as we explore how we know what we know about the molecular basis of cancer and other genetic diseases.  Students begin their longitudinal clinical experience at the start of this unit.  The clinical skills taught include breast, pelvic and male genital exams.

Phase 2: (2.2) Host and Defense

This 9-week unit begins in March and introduces infectious disease, the biology of the immune system, the body's response to pathogens, and antimicrobial therapy.  Instruction centers on common clinical presentations, beginning with fever and then moving through major body systems while addressing increasingly complicated diseases, from sore throat to AIDS.

Clinical Experience

Students begin their Longitudinal Clinical Experience (two half days per month in a primary care clinic) during Phase 2 of Year 1.

Year 2

Phase 2:  (2.3) Brain and Behavior

This 9-week unit begins in August of the second calendar year.  The unit integrates basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology with the clinical disciplines of neurology, psychiatry, pathology and pharmacology.  The unit provides the students with the conceptual framework necessary to recognize common neurological and mental health issues.

Phase 2: (2.4) Circulation, Respiration and Regulation

This is a 12-week unit that runs from mid-October to mid-December. This unit is designed to help students develop the clinical medicine skills and medical science knowledge to be able to propose rational differential diagnoses and diagnostic and treatment strategies for clinical problems affecting the hematologic, circulatory, respiratory, and renal organ systems.

Phase 2:  (2.5) Metabolism and Reproduction

This 9-week unit runs from early January to late March.  It begins with the pathophysiology of the gastrointestinal tract and the digestion/absorption of nutrients.  The basic metabolism covered in phase 1 is reviewed and built upon as we focus on the liver.  Obesity, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance lead into endocrinology.  From the sex hormones, we transition to reproduction.  Clinical reasoning skills, with a particular focus on causes and treatment of abdominal pain, will be emphasized throughout the unit.

Phase 2:  (2.6) Skin, Muscle, Bone and Joint

Upon completion of this 8-week unit, students will be able to name, recognize and describe common dermatologic and musculoskeletal diseases, including the basic science foundations of each condition.  In addition, they will describe diseases clinical presentation and pathophysiology and define terms used on physical, microscopic and radiologic examinations.  Students will be able to gather essential information from clinic patients presenting with dermatologic and musculoskeletal complaints and produce accurate, clear and organized documentation of patient encounters in the form of SOAP notes and complete H&P's.  This unit provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to reason through case-based vignettes as seen in USMLE in order to prepare them for USMLE Step I and Phases III and IV.

Phase 2: (2.7) Life Cycle

This 2 week unit teaches students to apply knowledge of the normal life cycle emphasizing on transitions within the life span according to its place in clinical medicine, medical science, and medical arts.

Clinical Experience

Students continue their Longitudinal Clinical Experience (two half days per month in a primary care clinic) and begin their Subspecialty Clinic Experience (one half day per month in a variety of subspecialty clinics) during Phase 2 of Year 2.

Year 3

In the third year, emphasis is on the integration of basic science knowledge with clinical, ethical, diagnostic, and problem solving skills.  Clinical clerkships, during which students learn patient management as members of the health care tem, include family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery.  Students also take a Topics of Medicine course, which reviews a series of simulated patients with common medical problems seen in ambulatory medicine.  The student is also required to complete a four-week clinical neurology clerkship between the end of the sophomore year and the end of the senior year.  Each student must also satisfactorily complete an objective standardized clinical examination (OSCE) administered at the end of the 3rd year prior to being promoted to the 4th year.

Family Medicine Clinical Clerkship

Four weeks with a community based of faculty family medicine preceptor.  The majority of the time is spent with the preceptor in the hospital, office, nursing homes, and on house calls. Time is also spent learning about and experiencing other elements of the health care system in the community served by the preceptor.

Internal Medicine Clinical Clerkship

Twelve weeks divided into one six-week inpatient rotation taken in the first half of the year and a second six-week rotation in the second half of the year.  The second rotation consists of 3 weeks of inpatient responsibilities and 3 weeks in an ambulatory clinic.  Inpatient clerkships consist of case work and rounds on wards of the University of Utah Medical Center, LDS Hospital, or the VA Medical Center.

Neurology Clinical Clerkship

Four weeks divided into two weeks inpatient and two weeks outpatient experiences.  The inpatient rotation at the University of Utah Medical Center, Primary Children's Medical Center, or VA Medical Center consists of direct patient care, daily ward rounds, brain cutting sessions, procedures such as lumbar puncture, participation in clinical conferences, and attendance at specialty clinics.  The outpatient experience occurs in the multiple sclerosis, muscle, and neurology outpatient clinics.

Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Clerkship

Six weeks of inpatient and outpatient experience at the University of Utah Medical Center and LDS Hospital.  Time is also spend in lectures, seminars, and review of gynecological pathology.

Pediatrics Clinical Clerkship

Six weeks divided into two three-week blocks.  three weeks are spent on the inpatient wards at Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC).  The other three-week block includes one week on a pediatric subspecialty service and the other two weeks at the General Pediatric Clinic at the university of Utah Medical Center, and the newborn nursery at the University of Utah Medical Center.

Psychiatry Clinical Clerkship

Six weeks emphasizing inpatient care at the University of Utah Medical Center, V A Medical Center, Primary Children's Medical Center, and the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute.  Students attend civil commitment proceedings, electroconvulsive therapy, outpatient clinics, and consultation/liaison rounds.  One day each week is devoted to a core lecture series and case conferences.  Each student spends one week on the consultation/liaison service and one half day per week in the office of an outpatient therapist.

Surgery Clinical Clerkship

Eight weeks of ward work, operating room experience, lectures, case presentations, and rounds at the University Medical Center, LDS Hospital and V A Medical Center.  Students spend six weeks on general surgery and two weeks in specialty areas.

Year 4

Seniors must complete a minimum of 36 weeks of credit.  Included in the 36 weeks are a two-week half-day medical ethics course, a two week half-day Health Care Delivery course, a required hospital-based subinternship (4 weeks), a four week required Public Health course, and a four-week clinical neurology clerkship between the end of the sophomore year and the end of the senior year.  A minimum of 24 weeks must be spent at the University of Utah School of Medicine or its approved sites unless specific prior approval to do otherwise is obtained from the dean of student affairs.  A minimum of 12 weeks must be spent in clinical electives except when specific approval to do otherwise is obtained from the dean of student affairs who has authority to define what qualifies as a clinical elective.

Students interested in exploring or pursuing research experiences, including obtaining graduate degrees, are encouraged to do so through individualized programs designed in consultation with research mentors in the various departments.

Senior credit hours can only be earned by electives completed in the 3rd and 4th years.