Student Led Clinics

Core Courses - Mission-Driven MD

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Student Led Clinics

Core Courses - Mission-Driven MD

Apply Today

Mission-Driven MD Program Course Descriptions

Phase One (MS1)

SCoPE

SCoPE is a 6-week immersive course that launches first-year medical students into the profession of medicine. SCoPE prepares students to succeed in Phase 1.1 and establishes a school culture that embraces:

  • Social Connection
  • Collaboration
  • All backgrounds, perspectives, and walks of life
  • Self-reflection and self care
  • Grit

The course emphasizes clinical and communication skills, foundational science concepts, self-directed learning, and professional identity formation. Students will be exposed to a variety of learning modalities that will be employed throughout their education, including problem-based learning, simulation, team- based learning, standardized patient encounters, and reflective practice. Community is fostered through intensive team-building exercises and learning within students’ Learning Communities and Houses.

Essentials 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3

In the Essentials series, students will embark on a journey through the fundamental principles of medical science and develop critical thinking skills essential for their future careers as healthcare professionals. The courses will focus on the integration of foundational sciences, including anatomy, physiology, genetics and pathology, to foster a comprehensive understanding of the human body's structure and function. Active learning techniques, including problem-based learning (PBL) and team-based learning (TBL), will be employed to engage students in practical scenarios, encouraging them to analyze and solve medical cases collaboratively. By the end of the series, students will possess a solid grasp of essential medical concepts and critical thinking skills that will serve as a solid foundation for their medical education.

Doctoring 1.1, 1.2, 1.3

The Doctoring series is a comprehensive and interdisciplinary program designed to equip aspiring medical professionals with essential clinical skills, foster humanistic values, and cultivate empathy, communication, and professionalism. These courses recognize the importance of not only technical proficiency but also the art of medicine, where understanding patients' emotions, cultural backgrounds, and social contexts play a vital role in providing compassionate and holistic healthcare.

Phase Two (MS2)

Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships

A longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) is an innovative and comprehensive approach to medical education that offers students a unique and extended clinical experience. Unlike the traditional block-style rotations, where medical students rotate through various specialties for a few weeks each, LICs allow students to follow patients over an extended period, often several months or even a year. During this time, students immerse themselves in the care of these patients across different settings, enabling them to observe the patient's medical journey and progress throughout their treatment.

Longitudinal integrated clerkships provide a transformative learning experience for medical students. By combining extended clinical exposure, holistic patient care, and faculty mentorship, LICs equip future physicians with the skills and qualities necessary to become compassionate, competent, and patient-centered healthcare professionals.

Phase Three (MS3 & MS4)

Phase 3 is an advanced, post-clerkship curriculum centered on individualization and differentiation. During this extended period of self-directed learning, students gain immersive hands-on experience in medical specialties, honing their clinical acumen while deepening their mastery of advanced medical science. This phase empowers students to customize their schedules, pursuing expert knowledge tailored to their specific career aspirations and clinical interests.

Required Clinical Experiences
  • Brain and Behavior: A four-week immersion in inpatient and consultative neurology and psychiatry. Students solidify their clinical approach to acute neurological and psychiatric conditions, including the management of substance use disorders.
  • Advanced Medicine or Advanced Surgery: A four-week advanced inpatient experience. Joining a hospital-based team in either medicine or surgery, students delve into the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of complex medical conditions and acute hospital-based pathologies.
  • Critical Care Course: In this intensive four-week rotation, students learn to manage critically ill patients within the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The curriculum focuses on life-threatening conditions, life-support protocols, and specialized physiological monitoring.
  • Core Sub-Internship: An advanced four-week inpatient rotation where students are expected to function at the level of a first-year resident (intern). Under the direct supervision of an attending and resident, students serve as the primary provider, taking full ownership of patient care and clinical decision-making.
  • Emergency Medicine: A high-acuity two-week experience in the Emergency Department. Students encounter a broad spectrum of common and complex conditions requiring immediate diagnostic and therapeutic intervention.
Selectives

Selectives empower students to differentiate their professional profiles and tailor their education to align with their specific career aspirations. Within each selective category, students choose from a diverse array of specialized offerings.

  • Advanced Integrated Science: Students complete two, four-week intensive courses designed to bridge the gap between foundational science and clinical practice. These experiences allow for a deep dive into specific interests through the dual lens of advanced pathophysiology and integrated clinical application.
  • Health Science Systems: This longitudinal exploration examines how healthcare delivery systems impact patient outcomes and population health. Through a two-credit curriculum, students engage with critical topics such as quality improvement, high-value care, and health economics to better navigate the complexities of modern medicine.
  • Health Humanities: To cultivate empathy and critical reflection, this requirement provides students with diverse frameworks to explore the human experience of illness and the medical profession. Students complete two credits in courses focused on disciplines such as narrative medicine, bioethics, and the visual arts.
Electives

The elective curriculum offers maximum flexibility for career exploration and residency preparation. Students are required to complete a minimum of 26 elective credits during their medical education, with 24 weeks specifically dedicated to Phase 3. Our expansive catalog provides a wealth of opportunities, including specialized clinical rotations, faculty-mentored research projects, and unique scholarly pursuits designed to round out each student's medical portfolio.During this phase, students continue to gain hands-on experience in various medical specialties and further develop their clinical skills, while continuing to deepen their understanding of medical science. These years will allow students to pursue deep knowledge while also focusing on individualized learning and differentiation.