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New medical college curriculum enhances integration of basic and clinical sciences

New medical college curriculum enhances integration of basic and clinical sciences

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Upstate Medical University has introduced a new curriculum this year for its incoming first year medical students (Class of 2020) that features greater integration of basic and clinical sciences. The curriculum also incorporates the addition of small group problem-solving classes aimed at increasing discussion of clinical, ethical, social, and population health-related cases early in one’s medical education experience.

Paul Ko, MD, Upstate’s associate dean for undergraduate medical education, said the enhancements to the curriculum reflect today’s medical care.

“It’s important that we prepare our students to be physicians in the current health care environment, and that means providing them with a solid understanding of basic sciences and how it applies to their clinical work early on, as well as the social determinants of health in their future work,” he said.

Ko said the increased integration between clinical and basic sciences will aid students in the application of scientific concepts throughout their education to help increase comprehension of medical knowledge throughout their future medical careers.

“We go from bench to bedside every day with new treatment protocols that impact the way we deliver medical care, so it is important that our students have a solid understanding of the relationship between clinical and basic sciences, especially as they advance through their medical education,” Ko said. “It’s a way to enhance the clinical relevance of our teaching, as we make sure that basic science is well integrated to our clinical coursework.”

The stronger link between clinical and basic sciences will play out in the curriculum’s new case-base learning course (Foundations of Medical Reasoning or FMR), where students will meet in small groups to analyze clinical, ethical, social, and population health-related cases appropriate to their level of understanding.

Such self-directed and problem-based learning methods, experts say, helps integrate clinical reasoning before students embark on their clinical clerkships.

“The concept of active learning, which is a highlight of small group learning as opposed to large lectures, is a growing trend among medical schools,” Ko said. “This teaching style helps educate students to think as physicians.”

Courses will be divided into various organ systems, such as nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Basic science faculty will lead discussions on these topics and physicians will partner with the basic science faculty to bring in clinical context and reasoning to basic science concepts and help lead discussions.

The renewed curriculum, called the Unifed Pre-Clerkship (UP) Curriculum, was developed over several years under the guidance of special curriculum task forces comprised of students, administrators and faculty.

Ko said the college will survey and review several key areas of the curriculum to measure its success.

“I’m very pleased and proud of the work the committee has done, and believe this curriculum will be well received by our students,” he said.

For more information on Unifed Pre-Clerkship Curriculum, check the Curriculum Office facebook page and the Curriculum Renewal website.

The redesigned curriculum does not affect Upstate’s clerkship programs, where students rotate through various medical specialties, for example, internal medicine and surgery, in their third and fourth years of study. There are plans to continue to redesign the clerkship and clinical years in future upcoming changes to further integrate basic science concepts in the clinical years of training.

Caption: First-year students in the College of Medicine attend a student orientation reception Aug. 5 in the Campus Activities Building. The reception served as the launch for Upstate’s new curriculum for first-year medical students.

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