Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program

MD Curriculum

MD students will participate in a 1.5 year pre-clerkship curriculum, followed by 2.5 years of clinical training. Highlights include:

• Shortened pre-clerkship training allowing for clinical exposure prior to taking USMLE Step 1
• Exposure to clinical electives earlier in the clinical training
• Synthesis case-based education in first 1.5 pre-clinical years
• A pass/fail/honors grading system
• Scholarly opportunities and completion of a minor as part of year 4

Technical Standards for completion of the curriculum

It is the policy of the Texas A&M School of Medicine that no person shall be denied admission nor graduation on the basis of any disability, provided that the person demonstrates the abilities to meet the minimum standards set forth herein. Standards are developed as criteria to achieve the Doctor of Medicine degree in preparation for post-graduate training in any of the varied fields of medicine and for licensure as a practicing physician. Further, the safety of the patient, on whom the medical education process is largely focused, must be guarded as the final and ultimate consideration. Therefore, it is not only reasonable but essential for good patient care to require minimum standards for the education of physicians.

The School of Medicine recognizes that certain student disabilities can be accommodated without compromising the standards required by the College and the integrity of the curriculum. The School of Medicine is committed to the development of innovative and creative ways of opening the curriculum to competitive and qualified disabled candidates, while protecting the care of patients.

Development of the Medical Curriculum

The faculty of the School of Medicine is charged to: devise a curriculum that provides the student with the fundamental principles of medicine, acquire the skills of critical judgment based on evidence and experience, and develop an ability to use principles and skills wisely in solving problems of disease. In designing the curriculum, the faculty introduces current advances in the basic and clinical sciences, including therapy and technology, changes in the understanding of disease, and the effect of social needs and demands on medical care. The faculty should foster in students the ability to learn through self-directed, independent study throughout their professional lives.

Finally, the faculty of each discipline should set the standards of achievement for all students in the study of that discipline. Examinations should measure cognitive learning, mastery of basic clinical skills, the ability to use data in realistic problem solving, and respect for the rights and dignity of patients. This institution has in place a system of assessment which assures that students have acquired and can demonstrate on direct observation the core clinical skills and behaviors needed in subsequent medical training.

Abilities and Skills Requisite for Completion of the College of Medicine Curriculum

In the selection of students and in their progress through the curriculum, the College of Medicine faculty is guided by standards set by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME). The faculty places strong emphasis on the academic achievements of applicants, including performance in the sciences relevant to medicine. This includes evidence of satisfactory scholastic achievement as indicated by grade point averages (GPA) and scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Breadth of education and life experiences are deemed important in the selection process. The faculty is equally cognizant of its responsibilities to patients who will be a part of the educational process and to future patients who will entrust their welfare and lives to medical school graduates. They, therefore, consider carefully the personal and emotional characteristics, motivation, industry, maturity, resourcefulness, and personal health required of all students so that they become effective physicians.

Because the MD degree signifies that the holder is a physician prepared for entry into the practice of medicine within postgraduate training programs, it follows that graduates must acquire a foundation of knowledge in the basic and clinical sciences that will permit the pursuit of a variety of careers in medicine.

Candidates for the MD degree must have somatic sensation and the functional use of the senses of vision and hearing. Candidates must have the functional use of the senses of equilibrium, smell, and taste so as to be able to diagnose patients' problems. Additionally, they must have sufficient exteroceptive sense (touch, pain, and temperature), proprioceptive sense (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis and vibratory) and motor function to permit them to carry out the activities described in the sections which follow. They must be able consistently, quickly, and accurately to integrate all information received by whatever sense(s) employed, and they must have the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze and synthesize data.

A candidate for the MD degree must have abilities and skills in six essential areas:

1. 1. Observation
   2. Communication
   3. Motor
   4. Intellectual-conceptual
   5. Integrative and quantitative
   6. Behavioral and social
   7. Ethical

Technological compensation can be made for disabilities in some of these areas; but a candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. The use of a trained intermediary to observe or interpret information or to perform procedures compromises the essential function of the physician and may jeopardize the safety of the patient. The six areas of abilities/skills are detailed as follows:

Observation: The candidate must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences. A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation. It is enhanced by the functional use of the sense of smell.

Communication: A candidate should be able to speak; to hear; and to observe patients in order to elicit information, to describe changes in mood, activity and posture; and to perceive non-verbal communications. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively with patients. Communication includes not only speech but reading and writing. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with patients and with all members of the health care team.

Motor: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate should be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of physicians are cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administration of intravenous medication, application of pressure to stop bleeding, opening of obstructed airways, suturing of simple wounds, and performance of simple obstetrical maneuvers. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium and functional use of the senses of touch and vision.

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Problem-solving, the clinical skill demanded of physicians, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, the candidate should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.

Behavioral and Social Attributes: A candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his/her intellectual abilities; the exercise of good judgment; the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients; and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients. Candidates must be able to function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties and ambiguities inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that should be assessed during the admissions and educational processes.

Ethical Standards: A candidate must demonstrate professional demeanor and behavior, and must perform in an ethical manner in all dealings with peers, faculty, staff, and patients. Questions of breech of ethical conduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions for resolution under the Student Code of Conduct.

In determining the minimum standards for completion of the medical curriculum, the TAMHSC School of Medicine recognizes that certain disabilities can be accommodated without compromising the standards required by the School of Medicine or the integrity of the curriculum. The School of Medicine is committed to the development of innovative and creative ways of opening the curriculum to competitive and qualified disabled candidates, while protecting the care of patients. At the same time, the school recognizes the essential need to preserve the standards and integrity of the curriculum, requisite for the competent and effective physician. Since the treatment of patients is an essential part of the educational program, the health and safety of those patients must be protected at all costs. Therefore, it is not only reasonable but essential for good patient care to require minimum standards for the education of physicians.

Dates and Deadlines