Program of Study

Our first-year curriculum introduces you to the role of medicine in society and concentrates on both the molecular aspects of disease and the human body as a whole.

Beginning in the second semester, students advance into the integrated organ-based modules covering the hematologic, gastrointestinal, renal and musculoskeletal systems.

Your clinical experience begins within the first two weeks of classes with the Clinical Practice of Medicine 1 where you will learn the art of physical diagnosis and history taking along with direct patient contact over the entire first year.

Our second-year curriculum expands your organ-based knowledge of cardiovascular, respiratory, behavioral and neurosciences, endocrinology and reproductive medicine.

Your clinical skills also progress in the Clinical Practice of Medicine 2 course where you begin to master the art of both the history and physical exam while learning the presentations of disease states.

The synthesis of all this knowledge is culminated with your USMLE Step 1 examination after a dedicated study period of approximately 7 weeks.

Required participation in two (M2 and M3 year) Interprofessional Education (IPE) forums. Grade for Core Topics (M3) is dependent upon successful completion of all IPE requirements.

The third year is all about the clerkships — intense experiences in both inpatient and outpatient arenas covering the specialties of Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology, in six-week blocks, while Internal Medicine and Surgery occupy 12-week rotations.

One-month electives are offered during the medicine and surgery clerkships that allow exposure to areas of interest in the third-year or the ability to fulfill some fourth-year requirements. The importance of ethics in the clinical realm is emphasized during the year-long course in Dilemmas in Clinical Medicine.

Enrollment in Year 3 clerkships takes place via a lottery and there is no specific course sequence.

Your fourth year provides ample opportunities for exploration and diversity with only two fourth-year requirements: advanced medicine and neurology, with neurology being offered as third-year elective option as well.

Flexibility of scheduling allows for opportunities to explore special interests through individualized selections at the Jacobs School and across the nation and world.