Curriculum
The School of Medicine curriculum is undergoing review and evolutionary change as the MCG continues to graduate well-educated physicians in the era of health care reform. The curriculum is broad-based and designed to equip students with the attitudes, behaviors, knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in any field of medicine. While School of Medicine graduates are well-prepared for any field of postgraduate study, half of MCG graduates practice in a generalist discipline (family medicine, internal medicine or pediatrics). This bulletin describes the curriculum for the upcoming academic year. Changes in the curriculum will continue as the School of Medicine increases early clinical experiences for students, emphasizes self-motivated learning and strives to integrate the basic and clinical sciences.
Pre-Clerkship Years
During the two pre-clerkship years, students acquire the building blocks of basic science that underlie medical practice and the skills required for clinical decision-making and patient interaction. The modular content of the curriculum is taught in lectures, labs with integrated clinical conferences, and small-group activities.
In the first semester of year one, the introductory Cellular and Systems Structures module provides a foundation for the basic sciences and introduces students to gross anatomy, histology and development. In the second semester, biochemistry, genetics, and physiology are taught in the Cellular and Systems Processes module while the Brain and Behavior module explores the interplay between psychiatry and neuroscience.
Offered concurrently with the basic science modules, the yearlong Essentials of Clinical Medicine course emphasizes family, cultural and population aspects of health care, communication skills, information retrieval and analysis, health promotion/disease prevention, ethics, history-taking and a community project. The Essentials of Clinical Medicine course is a two-year sequence that emphasizes skills to prepare students for the third year.
In year two, Essentials of Clinical Medicine addresses interviewing and physical examination, common medical problems, and interdisciplinary topics such as ethics, nutrition, and the impact of behavior on health while highlighting principles of patient care for each stage of life. Cellular and Systems Disease States is a yearlong module divided into five systems-based blocks that correspond with the Essentials of Clinical Medicine course. This module covers medical microbiology, pathology and pharmacology in the context of clinical medicine. Teaching strategies include interactive small groups, preceptor relationships and lectures linked to course objectives.
Students average 26 hours per week of scheduled activities during the first two years. Classes are held in the Research and Education Building and the Medical Student Resource Area, which includes small-group rooms with computers and Internet access. Students are advised to purchase a computer capable of using relevant educational software.
The Greenblatt Library maintains more than 1,800 journal subscriptions and provides access to many external databases. Audiovisual learning aids are used in class and are available in the library. Grading is A-F with a C constituting a passing grade. Passing the USMLE Step 1 is required to progress to the third year.
Clerkship Years
Patient contact begins during year one in the Essentials of Clinical Medicine course, which extends through year two.
Year three consists of required core clerkships in family nedicine (six weeks); internal medicine (eight weeks); neurology (four weeks); obstetrics/gynecology (six weeks); pediatrics (six weeks); psychiatry (six weeks) and surgery (eight weeks). Students can complete a four-week elective in the third year. Core clerkships take place at MCG Medical Center, the Children's Medical Center and affiliated hospitals and community-based teaching sites throughout the state. Students may rotate to affiliated community hospitals for part of the core curriculum.
During year four, students complete four-week rotations in emergency medicine, critical care, adult ambulatory medicine, and an acting internship in family medicine, neurology, medicine, pediatrics, surgery or obstetrics and gynecology. The remainder of the fourth year is for elective study that can include clinical and research courses. Student must complete three four-week electives to fulfill graduation requirements.
Evaluation during the clinical years is based on knowledge, clinical skills and professional behavior, and uses an A-F scale. Passing the USMLE Step 2 is required for graduation.