University of California Los Angeles (David Geffen School of Medicine)

PHASE 1: HUMAN BIOLOGY AND DISEASE The first two years of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA curriculum provide instruction in the sciences basic to medicine. Students learn about basic biological mechanisms and gain an understanding for normal and abnormal structure and function relating to states of health and disease. Emphasis is placed on the whole person in health and disease. The second year of the program centers on the processes of disease, with emphasis on organ-system oriented introduction. In their first year, students follow a required basic and social science curriculum. In addition, they may choose from one of four broad categories of electives. In small groups, students can focus on specialized topics: addiction, cancer biology, controversies in nutrition, AIDS, sexual differentiation of the brain, health care reform, etc. In the Medical Scholars Program, groups of five first-year students meet for two hours each week to work through academic problems that arise from courses such as cell and tissue biology in the first semester and physiology in the second. Students who choose the research program can do bench work in a lab or clinical research involving data analysis and literature review. Students can also choose clinical experience electives examples include the UCLA/Salvation Army Homeless Health Care Project and DOC/STATS, in which students lead community discussions with adolescents on topics such as AIDS prevention and smoking cessation. The block-based curriculum for years one and two has been designed to increase integration of normal human biology with disease processes and clinical skills from the first week of medical school onward. Basic science is taught in the context of its application with planned reiteration. Instruction is coordinated throughout sequentially-taught blocks. Curricular Threads are woven into the fabric of each block, and include o Doctoring principles and clinical skills o Anatomy, histopathology and embryology o Genetics and genomics o Population medicine, informatics and clinical reasoning o Pharmacology PHASE 2 CORE CLINICAL CLERKSHIPS During the last two years, instruction in patient care is given in the form of required clinical rotations at UCLA Medical Center and at the many affiliated hospitals. The third year Doctoring course combines ambulatory care in community settings with small group discussions of diverse aspects of common patient problems. Included in the clinical years are electives where students can spend up to 12 weeks at other sites away from UCLA and its affiliated hospitals, exploring a particular area in a practical, hands-on way. Students can also participate in externships in other parts of the world, including such locations as Australia, England, Germany, Africa, South America, Honduras, India and Taiwan. The third year begins with a two-week course, Clinical Foundations, focused on the basics of clinical care, including a review of the physical examination, BCLS, basic radiology, write-ups and presentations, with an emphasis on professionalism and ethical standards. Clinical Foundations is followed by 48 weeks of core clerkships, each of which includes an orientation period to prepare students with the clinical skills needed in the specific rotation. * Inpatient Medicine (8 weeks) * Surgery/Anesthesiology/Ophthalmology (12 weeks) * Obstetrics & Gynecology (6 weeks) * Pediatrics (6 weeks) * Ambulatory Medicine (8 weeks) : Combined didactics with clinical experience in Family Medicine (4 weeks) and Internal Medicine (4 weeks) * Neuro/Psychiatry (8 weeks) : Combined didactics with clinical experience in Psychiatry (4.5 weeks) and Neurology (2.5 weeks) Three longitudinal courses continue throughout the year: * Radiology -- Core topics in radiology are included in the didactic sessions for each of the clerkships and include an emphasis on the use of imaging as diagnostic and treatment modalities. * Doctoring 3 -- Small groups of students meet twice a month to develop skills in communication and to reinforce standards of professionalism and humanistic approaches to patient-centered care. * Longitudinal Preceptorship -- Students spend two afternoons a month with a community-based outpatient preceptor to improve skills in clinical assessment and explore possible career choices. Phase 2 ends with a required Clinical Performance Examination (CPX) in which students receive feedback on their history taking, physical examination, patient/physician interaction, and information sharing skills. Education Objectives by Clerkship: * Ambulatory Internal Medicine * Family Medicine * Inpatient Internal Medicine * Neurology * Obstetrics & Gynecology * Pediatrics * Psychiatry * Surgery PHASE 3 : FOURTH-YEAR COLLEGES Faculty members and students interested in common career activities are grouped into academic colleges during year four. The colleges are designed to * strengthen career advising, * improve the quality and selection of electives, * provide a means of honing clinical skills, * stimulate discussion of new findings in the basic, social, and clinical sciences relevant to the future practice of medicine. College activities include an introductory course focused on advanced clinical skills and decision making, a monthly series of evening seminars, a longitudinal academic activity that can be either teaching or scholarship, and regular advisory meetings. Acute Care -- Careers in emergency medicine, anesthesia, and critical care specialties. Themes include time-based decision making, physiologic correlations, and crisis management. Applied Anatomy -- Careers in the various surgical specialties, obstetrics & gynecology, radiology, radiation oncology, ophthalmology, and pathology. The unifying theme is anatomical implications in medical practice. Medical Science -- Careers that will include research or subspecialty training programs that require research. The theme is the development of skills in basic and clinical research. Primary Care -- Careers in internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, and psychiatry. Themes include prevention, mental health, international health, geriatrics, and women's health. MBA/MPH -- Careers in health care management. Members of this college are enrolled in one of two joint-degree programs with either the Anderson School of Management or the UCLA School of Public Health. Students have extended their curriculum for about one year to earn a second degree. Integrated coursework has been developed. Drew Urban Underserved -- Members of this college are students in the combined UCLA/Drew University program, which is recognized for its placement of graduates in underserved communities. For students interested in scientific careers, the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) educates and trains exceptionally qualified individuals, requiring an average of seven years of study leading to the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. The Specialty Training and Academic Research (STAR) program, offered by the Department of Medicine, seeks to promote academic careers for physician-scientists. The program integrates research with medical school, residency and fellowship training, leading to certification in internal medicine and its subspecialties, as well as the Ph.D. degree for equivalent research experience. For students who wish to pursue research or other responsibilities, another option is now available The Extended Curriculum Program, in which the pre-clinical portion of the medical school curriculum is spread over three years, giving students the flexibility to pursue special needs and interests. The Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program is designed to attract students who express an interest in addressing the concerns of underserved populations. Students in the program spend their first two years at the UCLA campus, and complete their last two years of clinical work at the King/Drew Medical Center on the Drew University campus. The UCR/UCLA Biomedical Sciences Program is a cooperative venture involving UC Riverside, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Students obtain both B.S. and M.D. degrees in seven years by combining programs in their fourth year at UCRiverside.

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School name: University of California Los Angeles (David Geffen School of Medicine)
Address: 10833 Le Conte Avenue
Zip & city: CA 90095 Los Angeles
Phone: 310-825-6081
Web: http://dgsom.healthsciences.ucla.edu

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