Can any current students comment on how many hours of lecture you have each day in the first 2 years, whether its mandatory, if material is posted online in video/audio format, when it is posted etc.?
The # of hrs of lecture/day really depends on the block you're in...
for Block 1 = biochem + cell/mol biology it's mostly 8am-12pm w/ some afternoon microanatomy labs, from 1pm-3pm (which are just looking at electronically available slides)
For block 2 = anatomy, it's usually lecture from 8am-12pm w/ gross and/or microanatomy lab 2-3 afternoons during the week (gross labs range from 2-3 hours)
For block 3a/3b = neurosciences + behavioral sciences it's mostly 8am-12pm
Stretched throughout the whole 1st and 2nd year is a Clinical Decision Making (CDM) course which includes ethics, physical and history taking, a clinical decision making component/clinical problem solving, and biostatistics/evidence-based medicine. CDM occurs mostly on afternoons, somewhat randomly.
In the 2nd year, the first block is infection and immunity (all of microbiology + immunology) which is 9a-12p and there are a few (~4-5) basic microbiology labs which occur in the afternoon and only take an hour or two. The 2nd major block is organ systems (part of organ systems occurs during I+I on a couple afternoons/week) which consists of a systems-based approach to physiology, pathology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology; organ systems involves lecture - usually from 8a-12p and occasional (afternoon) pathology small group sessions/pathology labs which involve discussing pathology (and pathology slides) in the context of clinical vignettes.
For the most part, lectures are not mandatory, but there are exceptions - mostly for CDM, but also some of the lectures in the neurosciences course are mandatory. microanatomy labs usually aren't mandatory but gross anatomy labs are. Microbiology labs, the clinical problem solving sessions, and pathology small group sessions are also mandatory.
At the current time, lectures are only audio-recorded, and are usually available on the same day as the lecture w/ a delay of a few hours. Archived lecture audio (for the past 4 or 5 years) is also available. Lecture notes/powerpoints are provided both in a physical and electronic (via Blackboard, usually in advance of the lecture) format.
