In preparation for our LCME accreditation site visit, we want to highlight how our curriculum is intentionally designed to support students as they progress across the four years of medical school and to prepare them for each step in the journey.
The curriculum is organized into three phases that build on one another: the Core Principles Phase (Years 1-2), the Application Phase (Year 3), and the Advanced Development Phase (Year 4). Throughout all, the program objectives serve as the guiding principles that shape every course and every learning experience.
Our courses and clerkships are overseen by dedicated directors who craft course-level objectives, map them to session objectives for each learning activity, and ensure these experiences cultivate the essential knowledge, skills, and professionalism for the practice of medicine. The assessments they design ensure students meet the learning objectives and are prepared for the next stage of training.
A key strength of our curriculum is the use of intentional connections that bridge across courses and phases. Content is organized in curricular threads to ensure essential themes are woven throughout. We invest in preparing students for major transitions, whether moving from classroom to third-year clinical experiences, advancing to fourth-year acting internship responsibilities, or preparing for residency.
In the preclinical years, students have clinical experiences and simulated experiences to prepare them for clerkships. In clerkships, students participate in required clinical experiences to gain exposure to critical patient types, diseases, and treatments. During the fourth year, students gain exposure to the role of an intern.
As we prepare for our site visit, we have created a series of short videos about how different aspects of our curriculum relate to accreditation. While designed for course/clerkship directors, they could be useful for any faculty or staff wanting to learn more.