Medical school training begins with Essential Principles of Medicine (EPOM), an introduction to the fundamental concepts in basic scientific disciplines that students need before going on to the normal and abnormal biology. EPOM consists of eight learning units, including anatomy (which runs through the entire segment). They then begin the 10-unit organ-based segment Health, Illness, and Disease (HID), which focuses on both the physiology and pathophysiology of each of the organ systems.
Essential Principles of Medicine (EPOM)
In the first course of the curriculum, Essential Principles of Medicine, students learn the core concepts in the three fundamental themes of Science, Patient care and Physicianship required for the practice of medicine.
- Science domains acquaint students with basic science principles.
- Patient care teaches clinical skills.
- Physicianship focuses on professionalism, ethics and humanism.
Essential Principles of Medicine fuses scientific and clinical learning, and is organized into several learning units. Each unit is directed by a unit leader, and incorporates a variety of educational methods including problem-based learning, "flipped classrooms", longitudinal patient experiences, clinical skills workshops, office preceptorships, anatomic dissection, interactive sessions, small-group discussions and lectures.
Health, Illness and Disease (Parts I and II)
The second segment of the curriculum, Health, Illness and Disease, bridges Essential Principles of Medicine and the clinical clerkships. Students examine how various parts of the human body normally function, how they malfunction, how these malfunctions can be diagnosed and treated, and how these treatments affect society and the practice of medicine. The segment is organized by organ or organ system, with consideration of the interactions among the systems. The three themes of science, physicianship, and patient care introduced in Essential Principles of Medicine continue to guide the curriculum.
- Science domains acquaint students with basic science principles.
- Patient care teaches clinical skills.
- Physicianship focuses on professionalism, ethics and humanism.