Loyola University Chicago (Stritch School of Medicine)

FIRST AND SECOND YEARS Years one and two provide a combination of instruction in the basic sciences and in developing skills in communicating with patients, taking a history, and performing a physical examination. All courses feature a combination of lecture and small-group experiences. Some courses have other learning formats, such as required laboratory sessions. Practical experience in the fundamentals of clinical medicine is provided by the Patient Centered Medicine course (PCM) that is described below. The basic science courses seek to provide foundational competencies in medical knowledge, communication skills, and professionalism along with an introduction to practice-based medicine, lifelong learning, and the social and community context of healthcare. The first year begins with Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. The emphasis here is on making sure all our students have a firm grasp of these topics that are crucial for understanding medicine in the 21st century. During this course, students consider different ways in which they learn best and spend time in small-groups on problem solving exercises, as well as collaborating on group projects. Structure of the Human Body begins after our fall break and combines gross anatomy with embryology. This course expects students to spend considerable time in dissection of a human cadaver and computer-based study. The hands-on type of learning characteristic of the structure course is part of what medical practice entails today: traditional methods supplemented and enhanced with new information technology. The second semester begins with Function of the Human Body, a course that explores human physiology through a combination of lecture, laboratory sessions, and interactive problem-based sessions. This course spans the entire second semester. In the spring, students study the building blocks of human immunology in the Host Defense course. The break between first and second years provides students with a variety of opportunities for independent study and service. Although not required, many first year students engage in a research project or take part in one of the international immersion programs sponsored by University Ministry. The second year begins with the Neuroscience course in which students learn the basic science of the human nervous system and the pathophysiology of diseases affecting the nervous system. Neuroscience is combined with Therapeutics and Pharmacology. This course spans the entire second year and coordinates information about drugs, other therapeutic modalities, and alternative medicine with the appropriate organ system being studied. From October to May,Mechanisms of Human Disease runs in parallel with Therapeutics and Pharmacology. This course emphasizes the pathophysiology of disease and considers clinical processes that affect various organ systems. An important feature of this course is the frequent smallgroup sessions where students meet and consider various cases that help them develop their skills in differential diagnosis and begin to consider possible treatment options. These small-group sessions have clinical faculty members as facilitators and allow students the opportunity to have a yearlong experience with a clinician, providing the opportunity for clinically relevant interaction and opportunities for informal advising and mentoring on residency and career issues. Finishing the year, students take Behavioral Development, a course designed to bring things together from molecules, cells, organs, and drugs and focus on the human person throughout the lifespan from conception to death. This course provides a panoramic view of pregnancy, childhood, adult years, aging, and death and dying. At the end of the second year, students have a flexible period of time to study for USMLE Step 1 with the bulk of the class studying independently. Students set their date for the exam directly with the National Board of Medical Examiners. Passage of USMLE Step I and Part A of Step II is a requirement for graduation. Students also must take Part B of Step II. Patient Centered Medicine (PCM) is a three-year interdisciplinary course and one of the core experiences in developing the competencies necessary for successful practice. PCM combines lectures and small-group learning and heavily relies on a variety of experiential activities. Students practice interviewing with standardized patients in our Clinical Skills Center and gain in history taking skills by working with the patients in our hospitals and physician mentors� offices. Students follow these physician mentors on visits that allow them to see the day-to-day life of practicing physicians and work on clinical skills. Students also take time on duty with our chaplains in Loyola University Hospital to gain perspective on the spiritual experience of patients. In the first year, PCM I is focused on developing communication skills with patients, especially learning how to take a good history. But a number of other topics are included that are essential for a successful career in medicine in the 21st century: ethics, biostatistics and epidemiology, clinical reasoning, evidence- based medicine, economics of health care, and prevention. In the second year, PCM II focuses on increasing skills in physical examination and introduction to clinical topics needed for clerkships. In the third year, PCM III takes a different format from the previous two years. PCM III meets for six to eight daylong sessions where students come together from their various clinical clerkships and participate in a forum that mimics the best practices of continuing medical education for practicing physicians. The day begins with a one hour small group reflection where students share their personal clinical experience. Topics include ethics and professionalism, errors in medicine, end of life care, and successful teaching and learning in the clinical arena. THIRD AND FOURTH YEARS During the third and fourth years students participate in a number of required and elective clerkship experiences. Third-year required clerkships include internal medicine, surgery, family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry. Clerkships combine inpatient experience with extensive time in the ambulatory setting, using one of the private office settings available to students and taking advantage of Loyola University Hospital, the adjoining Hines Veteran�s Affairs Hospital, and several outstanding community hospitals in the metropolitan Chicago area. The third-year is meant as a time of learning while serving as an apprentice in clinical medicine. The clinical curriculum provides students with a breadth of learning needed to maximize their career choice by allowing a tailored program, especially in the fourth year, to give students the best possible preparation for successful residency training. Students are carefully supervised by resident and attending physicians, yet they are encouraged to develop their skills and appropriate independence in formulating plans for diagnosis and treatment. Students also consider possible future residency choices and career paths in medicine through formal sessions run by the Office of Student Affairs and interactions with residents and attending physicians. Many clinical departments sponsor interest groups that provide information about different specialties, as well as advice and strategies for those interested in a particular career path. A third-year elective is offered in several subspecialties for a limited number of students who are serious in their consideration of a subspecialty not offered in Year 3 and opt to have a clinical experience to help guide their choice of residency. The fourth-year features a combination of required subinternships and elective experiences. It also is time when students are making their choice of residency programs and need advice on interviewing, outside electives, application processes, and strategies for the match program. We strive for demanding and rewarding clinical experiences that will make Stritch graduates ready for residency while providing a series of programs, advising, and support to assist students in choosing for their future. We view the fourth-year as a critical part of education and have high standards: � Two one-month long subinternships are required in internal medicine and intensive care. Students have the option of choosing from a neonatal ICU, surgical ICU, or medical ICU. � A month-long clerkship in neurology also is required. � Electives are chosen in consultation with the student�s advisor and planned to help the student become prepared for residency. These may be taken from the broad selection of electives available on campus and at other accredited medical schools. � There are some opportunities for international experiences. The advisor also helps the student think about what residency programs are a good fit for the student�s plans and hopes, as well as giving guidance about developing a final list for the match.

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School name: Loyola University Chicago (Stritch School of Medicine)
Address: 2160 South First Avenue
Zip & city: IL 60153 Maywood
Phone: 708-216-3229
Web: http://www.meddean.lumc.edu

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