Curricular Requirements and Expected Timeline

The information in this section is the purview of the Curriculum Committee, not SPC. It is included here so that all SPC members share a common understanding of the curricular requirements to graduate. 

Clinical Immersion focuses on basic clinical skills and topics relevant to pursuing a career in medicine, such as professionalism and patient-centered care. It is a requirement that students complete Clinical Immersion before entering the Foundations Phase. 

Foundations Phase consists of: 

  • Seven integrated, interdisciplinary blocks (Molecular and Cellular Basis for Disease, Invaders and Defenders, Circulatory Systems, Energetics and Homeostasis, Blood and Cancer and Musculoskeletal, Mind Brain and Behavior, and Lifecycle) 
  • Foundations of Clinical Medicine Course 
  • First portion of Ecology of Health and Medicine Course 
  • Research Methods Course 
  • Foundations Capstone Course 
  • Consolidation Course, which includes USMLE Step 1 preparation 
  • Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) Scholarship Course 
  • Transition to Clerkships Course 

Longitudinal curricular threads (Human Form and Function, Pathology/Histology, Pharmacology) and themes are woven throughout the curriculum. 

The Foundations Phase Curriculum is intended to be completed in 18 months. The seven required blocks must be completed as a full-time, intact, contiguous curricular schedule. 

All curricular requirements must be successfully completed before entering the Patient Care Phase. 

The III Scholarship requirement must be successfully completed before the end of the Consolidation and Transition, prior to entering the Patient Care Phase, unless a waiver has been granted by the Curriculum Office. 

Students are assigned to one of the UWSOM’s six regional campuses at enrollment and are expected to complete all Foundations courses at that campus. Student who need to repeat coursework may be assigned to a different regional campus by SPC. 

Patient Care Phase consists of: 

  • Second portion of Ecology of Health and Medicine Course 
  • Six required clerkships (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Surgery) 

The six required clerkships must be completed as a full-time, intact, contiguous curricular schedule. Only under exceptional circumstances will permission be granted to delay a required clerkship into the final year. Under rare circumstances, and with the approval of the clerkship director and the Associate Dean for Curriculum in consultation with the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural, and Regional Affairs, a student may be permitted to complete a required clerkship at another Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) approved medical school. 

Explore and Focus Phase consists of: 

  • Final portion of Ecology of Health and Medicine Course 
  • Emergency Medicine Clerkship 
  • Neurology or Neurosurgery Clerkship 
  • 8 weeks of Advanced Patient Care clerkships 
  • 20 weeks of elective clerkships 
  • Transition to Residency Course 

All curricular requirements must be successfully completed before Hooding.

Passing Foundations-2 and Patient Care OSCEs is a graduation requirement. The Foundations-2 OSCE must be passed before entering the Patient Care Phase. The Patient Care OSCE must be passed at the end of the Patient Care Phase and before the Explore and Focus Phase, even for students planning to expand. The Associate Dean of Student Affairs (ADSA) may make exceptions to the timing of the OSCE in individual circumstances. 

Passing USMLE Step 1, Step 2-CK, and Step 2-CS is a graduation requirement. 

Step 1 

  • Students must complete all Foundations Phase requirements except Consolidation & Transition and Transition to Clerkships before taking Step 1, including any remediations. 
  • Students must take Step 1 before the Patient Care Phase start date for their entry year unless they have a mandated delay or approved deferral. Mandated delays are required for students in academic difficulty as defined in UWSOM Policy Regarding USMLE Step 1 Exam. 
  • Step 1 must be taken before starting the Patient Care Phase. 
  • Student must take Step 1 within 1 year of completing Foundations Phase. 
  • For students in concurrent degree programs or research fellowships, Step 1 must be passed before the student may enter their graduate or research program. 

Step 2-CK and Step 2-CS 

  • Students must pass all Patient Care Phase clerkships, including any remediation, before taking Step 2-CK or Step 2-CS. 
  • Step 2-CK should be taken after completing the Patient Care Phase and no later than June 30 of the third year. 
  • Step 2-CS should be taken after completing the Patient Care Phase and no later than August 31 of the fourth year. 
  • For students completing their Patient Care Phase off-cycle from the projected timeline, Step 2-CK and Step 2-CS should be taken within 8 weeks of completing the Patient Care Phase.