Overview of the MD Student Program
Student Physician Activities (SPAs)
The Emory University School of Medicine Executive Curriculum Committee (ECC) has stated the outcomes of the MD program in terms of the activities characteristic of a physician that students will learn and do. These "Student Physician Activities" (SPAs) define what students should be able to perform prior to graduation. The SPAs are enumerated in the graduation requirements.
The MD curriculum is divided into four phases (view a chart of the 4-year MD Curriculum [PDF]):
Foundations of Medicine (18 months):
Following orientation and "Week on the Wards," students begin "Healthy Human," a five-month period during which the focus is on healthy human physiology, basic science, and epidemiologic principles. During this time, students also begin their clinical skills training, meeting regularly with their small group – forming a close relationship with classmates and their faculty mentor early on.
Small group discussions about professionalism, ethics, communication, cultural competency, and other essentials of patient care skills add to the "whole person approach" to medical education.
Using these new skills, students begin seeing patients in an outpatient clinic (OPEX – outpatient experience) in the early months of medical school. Reporting for service one afternoon every other week for twelve months, first-year medical students are able to learn from a healthcare team – and their patients – in a longitudinal experience.
In winter of the first year, students begin studying human disease in organ-system based courses for the duration of the Foundations phase. Anatomy also takes place during this time period. Dissection tables are equipped with a computer to display cross- sectional imaging, study guides, lecture notes, and other electronic references.
Throughout Foundations, students study microbiology, immunology, pharmacology, biochemistry, physiology, and pathology as thread topics interwoven into courses and other educational experiences. In addition, students study ethics in medicine, climate change and environmental health, clinical decision making, financial literacy, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial advocacy throughout the 4- year curriculum.
A central component of the curriculum involves our Society System. There are four Societies with four experienced clinician-educators (Small Group Advisors) in each Society; thus, each medical school class has 16 practicing physicians who are dedicated clinical teachers. Every student is assigned to a Society and a Small Group Advisor who stays with the student throughout their four-year medical education. Small Group Advisors instruct students in professionalism and the art of patient care, patient-physician communication skills, and the principles of physical examination and diagnostic thinking. Small group instruction also covers many other critical topics over the four-year curriculum.
An integral part of the MD student experience is the Community Learning and Social Medicine (CLSM) course. This structured learning experience combines community service with preparation, action, and reflection. Learners will have the opportunity to work with one of over 50 community-based organizations/partners focused on one of a number of underserved or disadvantaged populations, including elderly, disabled, economically disadvantaged, and immigrant/refugee populations.
Upon completion of the formal courses in Foundations, students are given protected study time for Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). After successful completion of Step 1 (see Step 1 section), students may begin the Application of Medical Sciences phase.
Application of Medical Sciences (12 months):
Providing students with core knowledge of the basic clinical medical and surgical fields, each student will complete required rotations in Surgery, Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Radiology, Primary Care, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Palliative Care, and Anesthesiology.
Providing students with core knowledge of the basic clinical medical and surgical fields, each student will complete required rotations in Surgery, Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Radiology, Primary Care, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Palliative Care, and Anesthesiology. Students complete these rotations at Emory and Emory-affiliated healthcare facilities throughout the Atlanta area, including:
- Grady Memorial Hospital
- Emory University Hospital
- Emory University Hospital Midtown
- Emory Decatur Hospital
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding
- Emory Wesley Woods Center
- Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- The Emory Clinic (multiple sites around Atlanta)
- Other clinical sites in and around Atlanta
During the Application phase, students still regularly meet with their Small Groups to further develop their professional identity and to process and reflect on their clinical experiences. In addition, students study ethics in medicine that builds on clinical experiences in the core rotations.
Discovery (5 months):
The Discovery phase is a structured time for students to conduct a hypothesis-driven research project under the direction of a faculty member. While the Discovery project must be a scientific inquiry based in medicine, students are able to combine their interests in other areas, such as creative writing, public health, community development, education, or health policy, into their project. Some students are also able to include an international experience in their Discovery project. This is an opportunity for students to renew their creative energies and explore a new facet of medicine under the tutelage of an Emory faculty member.
Students must carry out a research project that meets the standards for the MD degree as established by the Discovery faculty. This project can be part of the student's second- degree program and may be designed and undertaken as part of that program.
The Discovery leadership is responsible for assuring that the project fulfills the requirements for the Discovery phase of the MD curriculum.
During Discovery, medical students work full time on their projects with minimal other academic commitments except occasional seminars or workshops relevant to their research. Many students publish their Discovery work in peer-reviewed scientific journals and all students are required to present their Discovery project at Medical Student Research Day in the fourth year.
The Discovery period does not apply to MD/PhD or master's degree students as they will complete more comprehensive research as part of those degrees.
Translation of Medical Sciences (7 months):
This phase prepares each individual for the transition to being a physician. Required senior rotations include Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, 3 months of electives, and an acting internship in Surgery, Medicine, or Pediatrics. Students are permitted to take up to two of their electives as away-rotations during this year if they are on-cycle. The Translation phase concludes with a required month-long Capstone course that offers carefully designed lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and exercises which equip the soon-to-be graduate with the practical skills and information that will be crucial to their success as residents.
Last modified: 07/15/2024.