Question for those you in a Systems-Based Cirriculum

[alphaholic06]

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How does it work? My school is supposed to be system based, but I'm not so sure. So do you all get lectures from each departments on the same subject, multiple note-sets for each department, or a single syllabus for each block? Is there one test per block or does each discipline give its own test? Feel free to add any additional info.

 

[wanabdoc]

- [wrong thread]

 

[nogolfinsnow]

We are pretty much systems based, with a little leakage here and there. We have people from different departments do the anatomy, cell bio, biochem, clinical presentations, etc. Then it all comes together, usually with 1 test hlaf way through and then a final.

 

[rgarrig]

acasccsacsasc

 

[VeerTheTIGuy]

I go to a school in the UK with a systems-based curriculum

- 1st year is an introduction to medicine (MD2001), essentially, and in first semester you get a breakdown of most of the body, as well as some of the biochemistry, immunology, etc that you need to know. 2nd semester (MD2002) starts the Back, Upper, and Lower Limbs
- 2nd and the first half of 3rd year is Systems Based. You do the following systems, in this order:
Year 2, Semester 1: (MD3001)
Cardiovascular System (7 weeks)
Respiratory System (4 weeks)
Year 2, Semester 2: (MD3002)
Gastrointestinal System (4 weeks)
Renal System (3 weeks)
Reproductive System (4 weeks)
Year 3, Semester 1: (MD4001) <----- where I am right now
Nervous System (9? weeks)
Endocrine System (3? weeks)
When I say systems-based, what I mean is this: You start off learning the "Normal Structure, Functions, and Relations" of the system. This includes Anatomy and Physiology, for the most part. You then move into "Integration of Control", which is really just some more Physio (I dunno why that's there lol). Then you move into "Abnormal Function", meaning Microbiology, Pathology, and Pathophysiology. Followed by "Treatment", meaning Pharmacology. Throughout all these, you do Clinical Assessment, which is basic examination techniques (puts you waaaaay ahead of the kids you join with at your Clinical School), and is a lot of fun. It helps integrate/keep things interesting, especially since it makes you feel like a proper doctor lol. This cycle continues for each system.
- In 2nd Semester of 3rd year, you do an SSC (MD4002: Student Selected Component) and AMS (MD4003: Applied Medical Sciences). MD4002 is basically a dissertation, an anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 word paper on a topic of your choice. Don't worry, there is a lot of guidance from the professors, etc, to help you get through it. MD4003 is where we use simulated patients and case scenarios to help you integrate your basic science and clinical knowledge to give you a good introduction to clinical practice.
(this was copy-pasted from a thing i wrote for some perspective students, so apologies if theres anything side-tracking)

we have a mid-semester assessment (4 short answer and 40 multiple choice) which is 25% of our mark and an end of semester assessment (10 short answer and 120 multiple choice) which is 75% of our mark for each module

 

[rgarrig]

I go to a school in the UK with a systems-based curriculum

- 1st year is an introduction to medicine (MD2001), essentially, and in first semester you get a breakdown of most of the body, as well as some of the biochemistry, immunology, etc that you need to know. 2nd semester (MD2002) starts the Back, Upper, and Lower Limbs
- 2nd and the first half of 3rd year is Systems Based. You do the following systems, in this order:
Year 2, Semester 1: (MD3001)
Cardiovascular System (7 weeks)
Respiratory System (4 weeks)
Year 2, Semester 2: (MD3002)
Gastrointestinal System (4 weeks)
Renal System (3 weeks)
Reproductive System (4 weeks)
Year 3, Semester 1: (MD4001) <----- where I am right now
Nervous System (9? weeks)
Endocrine System (3? weeks)
When I say systems-based, what I mean is this: You start off learning the "Normal Structure, Functions, and Relations" of the system. This includes Anatomy and Physiology, for the most part. You then move into "Integration of Control", which is really just some more Physio (I dunno why that's there lol). Then you move into "Abnormal Function", meaning Microbiology, Pathology, and Pathophysiology. Followed by "Treatment", meaning Pharmacology. Throughout all these, you do Clinical Assessment, which is basic examination techniques (puts you waaaaay ahead of the kids you join with at your Clinical School), and is a lot of fun. It helps integrate/keep things interesting, especially since it makes you feel like a proper doctor lol. This cycle continues for each system.
- In 2nd Semester of 3rd year, you do an SSC (MD4002: Student Selected Component) and AMS (MD4003: Applied Medical Sciences). MD4002 is basically a dissertation, an anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 word paper on a topic of your choice. Don't worry, there is a lot of guidance from the professors, etc, to help you get through it. MD4003 is where we use simulated patients and case scenarios to help you integrate your basic science and clinical knowledge to give you a good introduction to clinical practice.
(this was copy-pasted from a thing i wrote for some perspective students, so apologies if theres anything side-tracking)

we have a mid-semester assessment (4 short answer and 40 multiple choice) which is 25% of our mark and an end of semester assessment (10 short answer and 120 multiple choice) which is 75% of our mark for each module

Interesting. But don't you start medical school right after high school? I can't imagine not having studied philosophy, math, history, etc. at a college-level. Do you feel like you missed out? Just curious.

Cheers!

 

[VeerTheTIGuy]

Interesting. But don't you start medical school right after high school? I can't imagine not having studied philosophy, math, history, etc. at a college-level. Do you feel like you missed out? Just curious.

Cheers!

Yeah, I graduated from an american high school in '05. I've never studied philosphy - but that doesn't bother me. I did pretty well in all upper-level math i took in high school, and 5'ed my AP Calc (I know it's not exactly the same, but still). But to be honest, how much of either of those are actually relevant? The only time I feel like I'm missing out on anything is when there are certain things that professors don't elaborate on (or completely skip over) - but that's because here the Clinical years are where you get most of the detailed knowledge on diseases, etc. That and American things (aka Chipotle and Super Bowl commercials)

 

[osli]

Our school is systems based. The typical section is 6 weeks, with Cardiopulmonary and Neuroscience being more like 12 weeks.

Most sections start with basic anatomy (lecture and lab... something like 'endocrine' obviously has little anatomy), histology, and physiology. Immunology and biochem are mixed in fairly early as required. Pathology, clinical management, pharm etc. occupy most of the second half of each section. The mix obviously changes depending on the section... musculoskeletal and neuroscience has much more anatomy, endocrine has a lot more biochemistry and physiology, skin/blood/lymph has a lot of pathology, biochem, and immunology etc.

We have comprehensive written "quizzes" about every two weeks, and each section ends with a cumulative comprehensive written final exam. There is also a "pathology practical" for most sections (pretty much making the call on diagnosis with a picture or two of gross and/or histology, and just a couple of words that describe the patient... "patient with leg pain... what is the diagnosis?" or sometimes just a picture description like "gross lung... diagnosis?"). And there is an anatomy lab practical for most sections. The longer sections (cardiopulm and neuro) have a midterm at the half-way point.

 

[Slide]

IMO systems-based > PBL first year. We have a somewhat structured systems format (mol bio, renal, blood, GI, etc.). Generally the biochem/phys/histology sectios go together, while anatomy does its own thing. Occasionally the histo will overlap with anatomy (mainly head/neck) and go over things anatomy doesn't have time to cover. Lectures are still traditional. I like this system because the overlap in subjects gives greater understanding of each system and we can use knowledge from one subject to help us on another (ie using physiology of the immune system to help with histo).

 

[Kappy1]

I am at NYCOM a DO school we have a systems based curriculum with a PBL or Lecture Based format. First six weeks of school was an Introduction to Osteopathic Medicine which had basic genetics, some microbio, some radiology, thorax and pelvis anatomy, Biochemisty, Pharm., OMM, etc... It was really basics to medicine. We had three exams where each exam had questions from all of the departements that lectured during the exam period. Only OMM and Anatomy gave practicles which were seprate from the written exam. Musculoskeletal System was the same with two exams for 6 weeks. Now we are in Nuero. which will last three months but it is broken down into three courses~1 part per a month. OMM, Anatomy, ICC(standardized Patients) practicle after finishing DPR (doctor patient relation courses for the neuro system.

 

[OncoCaP]

How does it work? My school is supposed to be system based, but I'm not so sure. So do you all get lectures from each departments on the same subject, multiple note-sets for each department, or a single syllabus for each block? Is there one test per block or does each discipline give its own test? Feel free to add any additional info.

We don't officially use a syllabus (we have copies of last years floating around ... before they discontinued the thing). It's PowerPoints, personal class notes, textbooks, PBL, introductory clinical (vitals, CV exam, etc.). We cover various systems, like GI/Reprod/Nutrition in one block, Cardio Resp Renal in another, etc. Different departments give lectures and it works pretty well. We have about one test per block (although we had an initial test halfway through Block 1 just so that people knew if they were going to be ok or not for the Block 1 test) for the first few blocks. Later it divides up into individual subjects. I like this way of learning medicine thus far.

 

[madeyedhl]

From next year and on, we become system based. here is what we do.

MS1;
1~4th week: cell bio, bio chemistry
5~8th week: introduction of phys, pharm, path, histology

what i mean by introduction is all the chapters of the book
before the systemic part

9th~13th week: ANATOMY ALL IN

14th week: system lecture for: musculo skeletal, c/t part

3 weeks: GI

2weeks: endocrinology

then summer break:

then resp, repr, cardio etc all the systemic subjects in blocks
we do histo, phys, path, pharm for each system

then we do 5weeks of microbiology and immunology

then 2 weeks of lab work, then we are done for the first year.