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MD/PhD Program

Medicine Section of the MD/PhD Program
 

MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
MD/PhD PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Medical Education

The patient is the centre of our clinical work and consequently, the centre of our learning. Patient-centred care requires a relationship in which patients will feel that their concerns have been acknowledged and that the physician has understood their plight from each patient's own unique perspective. Patients and physicians must work together to find common ground regarding management - reaching a mutual understanding of their problems, goals of treatment and respective roles of patient and physician.
 

Years One and Two

In Schulich Medicine, the first two years of the curriculum provide the student with a solid grounding in the basic and clinical sciences. These two years are each divided into a series of blocks: "Introduction to Medicine", "The Thorax", "The Abdomen", "Head and Neck", "Back and Limbs", and "Systems". Within each block, various subject areas are presented which integrate the basic and clinical sciences.

The weekly timetable is structured around a case presentation which is introduced at the beginning of each week. The case provides the stimulus for instruction, and is designed to highlight a number of objectives of the MD program. Throughout the week, the student is exposed to a variety of teaching methods including: small group tutorials, problem based learning, lectures and large group discussions, self-instructional materials, and laboratories. Time is also provided in the curriculum for students to explore career opportunities.

Students participate in early patient contact that emphasizes a patient-centred approach to medicine, beginning in Year 1. Part of being a good physician is understanding the community in which patients live, and the first two years of the program provide a variety of opportunities for student involvement in the community. At the end of the first year, all medical students participate in Rural Week to gain clinical experience and exposure to rural medicine in a southwestern Ontario community hospital.

Years Three and Four

The third and fourth years of medicine include a 52 week integrated clerkship, clinical electives, and Advanced Basic Science Electives. During the third year Clerkship, the student becomes an active member of clinical care teams in the following medical disciplines: family medicine, medicine, obstetrics and gyneacology, paediatrics, psychiatry and surgery. Under the supervision of faculty and more senior housestaff, clerks are given graded responsibility in the diagnosis, investigation and management of patients in hospital, clinic and outpatient settings. All students in third year are required to complete a community clinical Clerkship for a minimum of four weeks outside of London.

Beginning in Year 4, Clinical Electives are arranged entirely by the student in any area of medicine, at Western or in other centres. After completion of the clinical electives, students return to Schulich in February for the Transition Period which includes: Advanced Basic Sciences (e.g. Surgical Anatomy, Medical Physiology) Advanced Communication Skills, General Review, Ecosystem Health, Health Care Systems, etc. This permits students to further integrate the basic and clinical aspects of medicine in light of their clinical experience.

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Program Structure

There are currently two working models for the program:
Model 1

  • 3 years of research
  • 4 years of undergraduate medical training

Model 2

  • 2 years of undergraduate medical training
  • 3 years of research
  • last 2 years of undergraduate medical training

Model 1 is primarily for students with limited research training/experience. (usually students who enter with a Honours degree) The students would spend the first 2 to 3 years in the graduate program completing the graduate program requirements including course work, comprehensive examination as well as carryout most of their independent, original research. There would also be opportunities to participate in electives available to first and second year medical students and attend medical rounds (by permission) in the clinical departments.

 

Model 2 is primarily for students with research training/experience (usually students who enter with a Masters degree) Students take the first two years of the medical curriculum with graduate research being carried out over the summer months. This would be followed by a break from the medical curriculum (2 to 3 years) to complete the graduate degree requirements prior to the start of years 3 and 4 of the medical curriculum. The same options described above would be available for those who are unable to complete the graduate degree requirements in the desired time frame. These curriculum paths should apply to the majority of the students admitted to the program, however, variations in these routes may be made in order to accommodate individual requirements.

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