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Graduation Requirements for the MD Degree

Student Handbook
  • General Information
    • Accreditation
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • MD Program
    • OMESA
  • Matriculation
    • Criminal Background Checks and Drug Testing
    • Entering Medical Student Health and Immunization Requirements
    • Student Agreements, Consents, and Releases
    • Technical Requirements for Matriculation
  • Academic Standards, Policies, and Procedures
    • Attendance
    • Absences
    • Academic Integrity
    • Student Records
    • Accommodations
    • Clinical Placement Reassignment and Schedule Changes
    • Graduation Requirements for the MD Degree
    • Honors
    • Leaves/Interruption of Medical Education
    • Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
    • National Standardized Examinations
    • Progress and Promotions
    • Professional Conduct
    • Registration, Cancellation, and Withdrawal
    • Feedback to Students
    • Student Assessment, Grading, and Grade Appeals
    • Remediation
    • Use of Student Feedback
  • Other University and EUSOM Policies & Procedures
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    • EUSOM Policies
  • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Costs of the MD Program
    • Applying for Financial Aid
    • Types of Financial Aid
    • Maintaining Academic Eligibility for Financial Aid
    • Financial Obligations for Graduation
    • Tuition Refunds
    • Financial Aid Resources and Helpful Links
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Student Physician Activities (SPAs)

The learning outcomes for the Emory University School of Medicine MD program are stated in terms of the activities that a physician performs, called Student Physician Activities (SPA). This list of 28 SPAs defines what EUSOM students will learn over the course of their medical school career and will be required to demonstrate prior to graduation.

  1. Take a patient-centered history (focused and complete)
  2. Perform a physical examination (standard and “core and cluster”) and recognize normal and abnormal findings
  3. Demonstrate understanding of relevant scientific principles of medicine
  4. Prioritize a differential diagnosis based on clinical reasoning
  5. Develop a patient care plan
  6. Perform technical procedures * (see Graduation Technical Procedures List)
  7. Communicate with patients and their support system regarding their care
  8. Participate in difficult conversations with patients and their families
  9. Document and present patient findings and treatment plans
  10. Explain the scientific principles of medicine as applied to differential diagnoses and patient care plans
  11. Use electronic medical records
  12. Formulate clinical questions and search the literature for evidence that enhances patient care
  13. Contribute to generalizable medical knowledge
  14. Apply best evidence to the care of individual patients
  15. Recognize and address ethical dilemmas
  16. Protect patient information
  17. Fulfill the unique professional role of a physician in society
  18. Manage time
  19. Be a leader
  20. Use feedback to improve one’s own practices
  21. Demonstrate trustworthiness to patients, colleagues, and other healthcare personnel
  22. Treat patients while understanding own biases
  23. Treat patients without regard to personal advantage
  24. Work in interprofessional teams
  25. Identify personal limitations and seek assistance as needed
  26. Teach peers and team members
  27. Serve the community
  28. Contribute to healthcare quality and safety initiatives

* Graduation Technical Procedures List

  1. Adherence to universal precautions
  2. Putting on gloves and gowns using sterile technique
  3. Basic life support (as evidence by completion of a BLS course)
  4. Use of an automatic external defibrillator
  5. Drawing venous blood

Academic Requirements

The judgment of the faculty as to the fitness of a student to receive the MD degree is based not only upon scholastic achievement, but also upon demonstration of the attitudes and behaviors expected of a medical professional. Each student must be approved for graduation by the Dean and the School of Medicine Council of Chairs.

To be eligible to receive the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Emory University School of Medicine, students must:

  1. have attained satisfactory standing in all courses and clerkships required for the degree;
  2. have mastered the 28 EUSOM SPAs and have successfully completed all of the required activities and assessments related to the SPAs;
  3. have taken and successfully passed Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge of the USMLE;
  4. have completed all academic requirements of the MD degree within no more than six academic years from the date of matriculation.

Financial Obligations for Graduation

It is a requirement for graduation that all financial obligations to the University shall have been satisfied. Students with an unpaid balance on their student accounts may have a hold placed on their diploma and transcripts until the balance is paid in full.

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Last modified: 07/08/2021.

Student Handbook
  • General Information
    • Accreditation
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • MD Program
    • OMESA
  • Matriculation
    • Criminal Background Checks and Drug Testing
    • Entering Medical Student Health and Immunization Requirements
    • Student Agreements, Consents, and Releases
    • Technical Requirements for Matriculation
  • Academic Standards, Policies, and Procedures
    • Attendance
    • Absences
    • Academic Integrity
    • Student Records
    • Accommodations
    • Clinical Placement Reassignment and Schedule Changes
    • Graduation Requirements for the MD Degree
    • Honors
    • Leaves/Interruption of Medical Education
    • Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
    • National Standardized Examinations
    • Progress and Promotions
    • Professional Conduct
    • Registration, Cancellation, and Withdrawal
    • Feedback to Students
    • Student Assessment, Grading, and Grade Appeals
    • Remediation
    • Use of Student Feedback
  • Other University and EUSOM Policies & Procedures
    • Emory University Policies
    • EUSOM Policies
  • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Costs of the MD Program
    • Applying for Financial Aid
    • Types of Financial Aid
    • Maintaining Academic Eligibility for Financial Aid
    • Financial Obligations for Graduation
    • Tuition Refunds
    • Financial Aid Resources and Helpful Links
  • Student Wellness, Health and Other Resources
    • Student Health
    • Student Insurance
    • Wellness and Well-Being
    • Infection Control Protocols
    • Academic Assistance
    • Career Advising
    • Other Resources
    • Video Lecture Capture
  • Information Technology
    • Information Technology Conditions of Use
    • School of Medicine Information Technology Services (SOMITS)
    • Smart Device Security
    • Student Portal
    • WHSC Library
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