Office of Medical Education

Curriculum Overview

The first two years of study introduce students to the technical language, principles and methods of investigation in the primary disciplines of biomedical science. The module block structure of the curriculum provides an intensive, concentrated exposure to each content area.

First Year
Human Structure - Intensive study in gross and microscopic anatomy is integrated with embryology. The course uses human cadavers, both prosected and dissected materials, computer programs that highlight spatial relationships, radiological materials (CT scan, MRI, x-rays), and other materials for teaching. Clinical correlations and palpation exercises stress the medical application of the information.

Patient-Centered Medicine - Provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to practice patient-centered and evidenced-based care in today’s health care environment. This course will include a wide range of learning opportunities such as lectures, panel discussions, case presentations, small group discussions, practice with simulated patients, workshops, patient contact, mentoring and self-directed exercises.  Medical professionalism is a major thread throughout the course, and as such, will be a significant component of student assessment and evaluation.

Students learn the foundational knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to effectively and compassionately become physician professionals, by emphasizing the model of patient-centered clinical medicine, which includes:

1. Exploring both the disease and the illness experience
2. Understanding the whole person
3. Finding a common ground
4. Incorporating prevention and health promotion
5. Enhancing the patient-doctor relationship
6. Pursuing quality of care

Patients, Physicians and Society I - This course is taught in problem-based learning sessions with a small group of students and a faculty tutor. Focusing on biopsychosocial, ethical, economic and other factors involved in human illness, this course helps students gain insight into the medical cases and situations they will encounter throughout their careers.
Other courses taught in modular blocks include the following:

Cellular Structure and Function - These courses focus on the basics of human biochemistry and genetics. The biochemistry and genetic inheritance involved in a variety of human diseases is studied. For example, glycogen metabolism and its disorders, the genetics of those disorders, and clinical examples of glycogen storage diseases are studied in an integrated fashion. Clinical correlation sessions allow students to learn from physicians treating these illnesses in practice and from the patients and families who experience these illnesses.

Neurosciences - This interdisciplinary course, including neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, neurology, ophthalmology, neurosurgery, etc., describes how the nervous system functions in health and disease. Problem-based and clinical correlation sessions, as well as computer-assisted learning, are used.

Human Function - This course provides the basics of human physiology. Clinical correlations are used to demonstrate applications in medical practice.

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Second Year
Introduction to Medical Profession II - Builds upon the foundation learned in Patient-Centered Medicine.

Patients, Physicians and Society II - Continuation of first-year course.

Immunity, Infection and Disease - This integrated study of immunity, inflammation, and infectious agents uses a variety of teaching methods including lectures, laboratories, problem-based sessions, and other clinical correlation sessions to help demonstrate applications of knowledge to medical practice.

Mechanisms of Disease and Treatment Courses - The parallel study of human pathology, pharmacology and psychiatry allows considerable integration of drug therapy as it relates to the specific pathology of organs or organ systems. For example, the drugs used to treat cardiac disease and the pathologic conditions of the heart are simultaneously studied. This course emphasizes didactic sessions, small-group learning and team teaching by faculty members.

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Third Year
The third-year curriculum provides the student with broad exposure to the major medical disciplines. The year balances the need for adequate exposure to and involvement with patient care with the time needed for study and assimilation of information. The clinical casework integrates related medical disciplines so that students can appreciate the broad medical and social problems that many patients encounter. Student learning occurs in hospital facilities and at ambulatory settings. The third-year courses are the following:

Clinical Neurosciences - This is an eight-week rotation of neurology and psychiatry.

Family and Community Medicine – The specialty of Family and Community Medicine has a long history of caring for people of all ages in their communities. During this clerkship, students begin to explore the rich legacy of family-centered patient care and experience the “art of doctoring.” Students work with practicing family physicians in a variety of settings. Patients are at the center of all learning activities.

Internal Medicine and Emergency Care - This 16-week integrated clerkship combines inpatient and outpatient Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine. Students work in continuity clinics with the same clinician one afternoon per week in either a UK, VA or community-based practice for the duration of the clerkship. Students continue rounding with UK and VA inpatient teams, gain experience in both the ICU and emergency room settings, and are trained in ACLS. Students have the opportunity to explore a number of topics relevant to the practice of medicine such as professionalism, service learning and ethics in small group learning experiences. These groups also develop and present quality improvement projects.

Obstetrics and Gynecology – This four-week rotation allows students to participate in the care of women and children, to assist in prenatal care, birth and follow-up of mothers and infants, and to focus on the family unit. This clerkship offers the opportunity to care for women and children in both clinic and hospital settings. Students will spend two weeks in Labor and Delivery, one week in benign gynecology and one week in gynecologic oncology. Students will also have the opportunity to spend time in a gynecology operating room setting.

Pediatrics – This rotation gives students four weeks of ambulatory pediatrics and four weeks of inpatient pediatrics. Students see patients with a wide variety of cases to well child visits to rare infectious diseases. Students learn though direct patient care, small groups, lecture, and one-on-one mentoring. The ambulatory rotation may be completed at a Kentucky AHEC location, where students spend the entire month with a community based physician.

Surgery – The third-year Surgery clerkship is an eight-week course that presents surgical approaches to adult disease. The overall objective is to train a "generalist" physician in surgical management of adult disease. Students learn through direct involvement in patient care, weekly conferences and clinical skills workshops. Students rotate on a general surgery service for four weeks and on two surgery specialty services for two weeks each. Students may opt to complete one four-week surgery specialty rotation. During the General Surgery rotation, students take part in Trauma Call and will function as part of the Trauma Surgery Team approximately three times during the month. This call routine is designed to give students on all general surgery services an exposure to a wide variety of general surgery patients and problems.

Clinical Performance Exam - All students successfully complete a multi-station clinical performance evaluation (CPX) before promotion to fourth-year

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Fourth Year

The fourth year of study is designed to allow students to further develop and demonstrate their clinical skills on the required acting internships. Students complete two four-week acting internships, one in a medical discipline and one in a surgical discipline. In addition to Advanced Clinical Pharmacology and Anesthesiology and the Dean’s Colloquium, students complete 16 weeks of elective rotations at the University of Kentucky or another approved site.

Advanced Clinical Pharmacology and Anesthesiology - This course integrates basic and clinical sciences in a required fourth-year rotation. Students review clinical pharmacology and observe a variety of drug treatments in the operating room and pain clinics. Students also receive small-group critical care practice using the Human Patient Simulator.

Dean's Colloquium - This capstone course is held one week before Senior Week and graduation and focuses on inter-professional relationships, medical jurisprudence, health care systems and issues of managed care.