Developmental Stage 1, Structural Framework

• The Developmental Stage 1 curriculum will be structured as discipline-based courses with emphasis on the integration of the basic sciences underlying clinical medicine.

• Year I will focus on an approach to normal. Year II will build upon the concepts presented in Year I and cover disease etiology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

• Years I and II will include components that emphasize basic clinical skills.

Parameters

Maximum of 22 contact hours per week. Contact includes all scheduled activities including, but not limited to, lectures, small group discussions, laboratories, review sessions, patient encounters, and examinations.

No more than 50% (11 hours/week) of contact time can be scheduled as large group lecture.

Introduction to Clinical Practice will be scheduled on fixed half-days throughout an academic year (e.g., Tuesday A.M. and Thursday P.M.).

Lecture and small group activities (with the exception of ICP) will be scheduled in the mornings. Students must have at least two unscheduled afternoons per week.

Study time should be scheduled before each examination.

Consistent with adult learning behavior and to promote independent thinking and learning, students will be responsible for required material not covered in formally scheduled contact sessions (lecture, small group, etc.). Non-lecture learning objectives will be identified.

Ongoing auditing of curriculum content and learning objectives will be implemented to make sure that the educational experience is manageable. As self study and independent learning modules and materials are incorporated into the curriculum, time adjustments to scheduled activities will be made to maintain a manageable educational experience.

Departments failing to comply with curriculum quality and performance measures will be subject to reduction in funding.