In the core principles phase, all students are enrolled in the same course sequence. Students may enroll in elective experiences after the first semester of the M1 year. Elective coursework or clinical experiences take place in the free afternoon times, not during scheduled class time for required courses.

Preclinical courses are designed to prepare students for third year clinical rotations, the USMLE Step 1 examination and, most importantly, a practice of lifelong learning as a physician. From the beginning, foundational science is integrated with clinical application. Clinical Anatomy and Radiology integrates anatomic knowledge from cadaver-based prosection labs, imaging modalities, and physical examination with standardized patients. Next, the Foundations of Infection, Disease, and Therapeutics course provides a solid foundation of the basic science underlying normal function, disease processes, and therapeutic principles. Students then proceed through the systems courses, which integrate and apply the foundational science to body systems. M2 students’ course Multisystems and Integrative Concepts reinforces clinical science applied across different systems.

Clinical skill development begins right away. Physical exam practice starts in the Clinical Anatomy and Radiology course and continues through other M1 courses. Patient interview practice starts in an Introduction to Clinical Medicine. Teaching is through weekly small group meetings mentored by teams of physicians and behavioral science faculty. Through practice sessions with standardized patients, students gain skills and confidence for interviewing actual patients. The course also emphasizes social, economic and interpersonal aspects of health. Introduction to Clinical Medicine continues through most of the M1 year. Students then gain a foundation in epidemiology, public health, statistics and evidence-based medicine in the Contemporary Practice of Medicine course. After summer break, M2 students return and hone their history, physical examination, and clinical reasoning skills in the Advanced Clinical Medicine course.

Learning occurs through multiple venues. Interactive large-group sessions stream simultaneously to the Lexington, Bowling Green and Northern Kentucky campuses. Most large-group sessions are recorded for later review. Small group are the predominant learning venue for some courses. Independent learning occurs through multiple venues including videos, reading and interactive on-line modules.

The third year of the UK College of Medicine curriculum allows the student to apply their core knowledge and skills to a variety of different medical disciplines. This also allows the student to gain exposure to multiple specialties and associated subspecialties through different clerkship rotations. Clinical experiences occur in a variety of settings, including inpatient hospital facilities, operating rooms, and ambulatory clinics, under the direction of clinical faculty and residents. Through these experiences, students have the opportunity to participate in team rounds, interdisciplinary meetings, and patient care discussions. Throughout, students are active participants in providing patient care and practicing their clinical skills by assessing patients, discussing plans with patients and colleagues, and directly participating in the delivery of medical care.

Students complete nine required clinical clerkships, one at a time, during the course of the academic year. Each clerkship varies in length and credit hours:

MD 830 | PEDIATRICS CLERKSHIP (7 weeks/credit hours)
MD 831 | EMERGENCY MEDICINE CLERKSHIP (2 weeks/credit hours)
MD 832 | NEUROLOGY CLERKSHIP (4 weeks/credit hours)
MD 833 | PSYCHIATRY CLERKSHIP (4 weeks/credit hours)
MD 834 | FAMILY MEDICINE CLERKSHIP (4 weeks/credit hours)
MD 835 | INTERNAL MEDICINE CLERKSHIP (8 weeks/credit hours)
MD 837 | SURGERY CLERKSHIP (7 weeks/credit hours)
MD 838 | OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY CLERKSHIP (4 weeks/credit hours)
MD 839 | ENTRUSTMENT IN CLINICAL MEDICINE (5 weeks/credit hours)

The third-year curriculum also includes a novel, longitudinal course which integrates content and skills across the different clerkship disciplines. This course utilizes large and small group settings, simulation, and standardized patients to help students hone their developing skills. It also includes a longitudinal, small group facilitated by a clinical faculty member who will track student progress and provide assistance in their development.

The fourth year of the UK College of Medicine curriculum is designed to allow students to tailor their education to their career plans. Recognizing that students will have very different needs depending upon their residency selection, the fourth-year curriculum allows students the flexibility to select those courses which are most relevant to their future career. Throughout all of these courses, the emphasis is toward mastering the clinical skills that students will be performing at the start of their intern year. All courses are four weeks in length (4 credit hours). Students must complete eight courses, including Transition to Residency.

ACTING INTERNSHIPS
These courses place students in the role of an intern to directly prepare them for the responsibilities and skills inherent in this role. In this intern role, students perform patient care tasks such as providing initial assessments, placing orders, coordinating care, providing official documentation, and managing care transitions. Students must complete a minimum of two, four-week Acting Internships. Students can select the specialty area for these experiences from a diverse list of choices based on what best meets their future career needs. Acting Internships are available in a variety of departments: emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, otolaryngology, pediatrics, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, surgery, and urology.

ELECTIVES
In addition to the required courses, students select five elective courses. These electives provide opportunities for students to explore special interests and build skills which will be most relevant for their planned career. Elective offerings include both patient-care and non-patient care rotations, as well as research.

MD 840 | TRANSITION TO RESIDENCY
This capstone course is designed to ensure graduating medical students possess the critical knowledge and skills required for the supervised practice of medicine. This course relies on workshops, simulation, and standardized patients to allow for realistic practice and assessment of these important skills. Within the course, students have the ability to tailor the content to meet the needs of their future specialty.

FLEX MONTHS
Students have planned time off in the fourth year to facilitate residency interviews, vacation, and/or preparation for a USMLE exam. Student calendars includes three scheduled “flex months” that have no educational requirements.

ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS
For information and details about the Advanced Development Directors, visit our page here.