6.2 Academic Requirements Policy
Purpose and Scope
This policy applies to medical students enrolled in the University of Washington School of Medicine’s (UWSOM) or regional partner programs and approved to pursue the MD degree. The purpose of this policy is to outline all academic requirements, which students must complete in order to successfully obtain the MD program degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Policy Statement
All students must pass and complete the academic course and credit requirements as approved for their entering class in order to graduate.
*Students should visit the academic credits and requirements for their entering class below for specific modifications related to COVID.
Foundations Phase (for E-24 and all subsequent classes)
Entering class 2024 and all subsequent classes, must successfully complete the following to qualify for the Patient Care Phase of their medical training:
- Immersion & Orientation
- Foundations of Clinical Medicine
- Fundamentals of Medical Science & Research
- Infections & Immunity
- Integration I
- Cancer, Hormones & Blood
- Muscles, Joints, Bones & Skin
- Cardiovascular System
- Medicine, Health & Society I
- Respiration & Regulation
- Integration II
- Head, Neck & Gut
- Mind, Brain, & Behavior
- Integration III
- Reproduction & Development
- Threads
- Medicine Health and Society II
- OSCE (Foundations I & II)
- Consolidation / Comprehensive Basic Science Review
- USMLE Step 1
- Transition to Clerkships
- Independent Investigative Inquiry (III)
- Independent Investigative Inquiry Final Project (III Final Project)
Students who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical course work will be expected to meet the clinical requirements that exist at the time the students enter the clinical curriculum.
Foundations Phase (for E-23)
Entering class 2023, must successfully complete the following to qualify for the Patient Care Phase of their medical training:
- Immersion & Orientation
- Foundations of Clinical Medicine
- Fundamentals of Medical Science & Research
- Infections & Immunity
- Cancer, Hormones & Blood
- Muscles, Joints, Bones & Skin
- Cardiovascular System
- Medicine, Health & Society I
- Respiration & Regulation
- Head, Neck & Gut
- Mind, Brain, & Behavior
- Reproduction & Development
- Threads
- Integration weeks 1-3
- Medicine Health and Society II
- OSCE (Foundations I & II)
- Consolidation / Comprehensive Basic Science Review
- USMLE Step 1
- Transition to Clerkships
- Independent Investigative Inquiry (III)
- Independent Investigative Inquiry Final Project (III Final Project)
Students who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical course work will be expected to meet the clinical requirements that exist at the time the students enter the clinical curriculum.
Foundations Phase (for E-22)
Entering class 2022, must successfully complete the following to qualify for the Patient Care Phase of their medical training:
- Immersion & Orientation
- Foundations of Clinical Medicine
- Fundamentals of Medical Science & Research
- Infections & Immunity
- Cancer, Hormones & Blood
- Muscles, Joints, Bones & Skin
- Cardiovascular System
- Medicine, Health & Society I
- Respiration & Regulation
- Head, Neck & Gut
- Mind, Brain, & Behavior
- Lifecycle
- Threads
- Integration weeks 1-3
- Medicine Health and Society II
- OSCE (Foundations I & II)
- Consolidation / Comprehensive Basic Science Review
- USMLE Step 1
- Transition to Clerkships
- Independent Investigative Inquiry (III)
- Independent Investigative Inquiry Final Project (III Final Project)
Students who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical course work will be expected to meet the clinical requirements that exist at the time the students enter the clinical curriculum.
Foundations Phase (for E-19 through E-21 cohorts)
Entering classes 2019 through 2021, must successfully complete the following to qualify for the Patient Care Phase of their medical training:
- Immersion & Orientation
- Foundations of Clinical Medicine
- Molecular & Cellular Basis for Disease
- Invaders & Defenders
- Circulatory Systems
- Energetics & Homeostasis
- Blood & Cancer and Musculoskeletal
- Mind, Brain, & Behavior
- Lifecycle
- Threads
- Ecology of Health & Medicine/Themes in Medicine (I)
- Clinical Research Methods
- OSCE (Foundations I & II)
- Foundations Capstone, Consolidation & Transition
- USMLE Step 1
- Transition to Clerkships
- Independent Investigative Inquiry (III)
Students who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical course work will be expected to meet the clinical requirements that exist at the time the students enter the clinical curriculum.
Patient Care Phase
Students must successfully complete the following to qualify for the Explore & Focus Phase of their medical training:
- Family Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Obstetrics/Gynecology
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Surgery
- Integration
- OSCE (Patient Care Phase)
- NBME Subject Exams and/or equivalent clerkship exams
Explore & Focus Phase
Students must successfully complete the following to qualify for consideration for receiving the MD degree from UW School of Medicine:
- Advanced Patient Care clerkships
- Emergency Medicine
- Neurology or Neurosurgery
- Clinical electives
- Integration
- USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK)
- Transition to Residency
- NBME Subject Exams and/or equivalent clerkship exams
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 129.5 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Fundamentals of Medical Science and Research | 13 credits | |
Cancer, Hormones and Blood | 10 credits | |
Infections and Immunity | 10 credits | |
Muscles, Joints, Bones and Skin | 8 credits | |
Cardiovascular System | 8 credits | |
Respiration & Regulation | 10 credits | |
Head, Neck and Gut | 8 credits | |
Mind, Brain, and Behavior | 11 credits | |
Reproduction and Development | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses: | ||
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 17 credits | |
Medicine Health and Society I | 1 credit | |
Medicine Health and Society II | 3 credits | |
Integration I | 0.5 credits | |
Integration II | 0.5 credits | |
Integration III | 0.5 credits | |
Scholarship Courses: | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) | 6 credits | |
Independent Investigative Inquiry Final Project (III Final Project) | 1 credit | |
Consolidation (12 credits) and Transition to Clerkships (2 credits) Credits counted under Foundations Phase |
14 credits | |
Patient Care Phase Curriculum* |
84 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Explore and Focus Phase Curriculum* |
76 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 8 weeks | 16 credits |
Clinical Electives: 5 four-week blocks*** | 20 weeks | 40 credits |
Transition to Residency Credits counted under Explore and Focus Phase |
2 weeks | 4 credits |
Total minimum credits for M.D. degree: |
289.5 credits |
* Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. All students are required to complete a minimum of two, four-week clerkships in Seattle at one or more of the following hospitals: UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, or Puget Sound VA.
** One of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-internship.
*** Electives can range from of 2-12 weeks but will usually be either 2-weeks or 4-weeks. Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 128 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Fundamentals of Medical Science and Research | 13 credits | |
Cancer, Hormones and Blood | 10 credits | |
Infections and Immunity | 10 credits | |
Muscles, Joints, Bones and Skin | 8 credits | |
Cardiovascular System | 8 credits | |
Respiration & Regulation | 10 credits | |
Head, Neck and Gut | 8 credits | |
Mind, Brain, and Behavior | 11 credits | |
Reproduction and Development | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses: | ||
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 17 credits | |
Medicine Health and Society I | 1 credit | |
Medicine Health and Society II | 3 credits | |
Scholarship Courses: | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) | 6 credits | |
Independent Investigative Inquiry Final Project (III Final Project) | 1 credit | |
Consolidation (12 credits) and Transition to Clerkships (2 credits) Credits counted under Foundations Phase |
14 credits | |
Patient Care Phase Curriculum* |
84 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Explore and Focus Phase Curriculum* |
76 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 8 weeks | 16 credits |
Clinical Electives: 5 four-week blocks*** | 20 weeks | 40 credits |
Transition to Residency Credits counted under Explore and Focus Phase |
2 weeks | 4 credits |
Total minimum credits for M.D. degree: |
288 credits |
* Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. All students are required to complete a minimum of two, four-week clerkships in Seattle at one or more of the following hospitals: UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, or Puget Sound VA.
** One of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-internship.
*** Electives can range from of 2-12 weeks but will usually be either 2-weeks or 4-weeks. Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 128 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Fundamentals of Medical Science and Research | 13 credits | |
Cancer, Hormones and Blood | 10 credits | |
Infections and Immunity | 10 credits | |
Muscles, Joints, Bones and Skin | 8 credits | |
Cardiovascular System | 8 credits | |
Respiration & Regulation | 10 credits | |
Head, Neck and Gut | 8 credits | |
Mind, Brain, and Behavior | 11 credits | |
Lifecycle | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses: | ||
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 17 credits | |
Medicine Health and Society I | 1 credit | |
Medicine Health and Society II | 3 credits | |
Scholarship Courses: | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) | 6 credits | |
Independent Investigative Inquiry Final Project (III Final Project) | 1 credit | |
Consolidation (12 credits) and Transition to Clerkships (2 credits) Credits counted under Foundations Phase |
14 credits | |
Patient Care Phase Curriculum* |
84 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Explore and Focus Phase Curriculum* |
76 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 8 weeks | 16 credits |
Clinical Electives: 5 four-week blocks*** | 20 weeks | 40 credits |
Transition to Residency Credits counted under Explore and Focus Phase |
2 weeks | 4 credits |
Total minimum credits for M.D. degree: |
288 credits |
* Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. All students are required to complete a minimum of two, four-week clerkships in Seattle at one or more of the following hospitals: UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, or Puget Sound VA.
** One of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-internship.
*** Electives can range from of 2-12 weeks but will usually be either 2-weeks or 4-weeks. Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 120 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Molecular & Cellular Basis of Disease | 11 credits | |
Invaders and Defenders | 10 credits | |
Circulatory Systems | 16 credits | |
Blood and Cancer | 5 credits | |
Muskuloskeletal | 3 credits | |
Energetics and Homeostasis | 10 credits | |
Mind, Brain, and Behavior | 14 credits | |
Lifecycle | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses: | ||
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 16 credits | |
Themes in Medicine | 4 credits | |
Scholarship Courses: | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) | 6 credits | |
Research Methods | 6 credits | |
Consolidation and Transition (3 courses: Foundations Capstone, Consolidation, & Transition to Clerkship) credits counted under Foundations Phase |
11 credits | |
Patient Care Phase Curriculum* |
84 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Explore and Focus Phase Curriculum* |
76 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 8 weeks | 16 credits |
Clinical Electives: 5 four-week blocks*** | 20 weeks | 40 credits |
Transition to Residency credits counted under Explore and Focus Phase |
2 weeks | 4 credits |
Total minimum credits for M.D. degree: |
280 credits |
* Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. All students are required to complete a minimum of two, four-week clerkships in Seattle at one or more of the following hospitals: UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, or Puget Sound VA.
** One of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-internship.
*** Electives can range from of 2-12 weeks but will usually be either 2-weeks or 4-weeks. Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Academic Credit Requirements for Entering 2019 Class & Subsequent Classes
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 120 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Molecular & Cellular Basis of Disease | 11 credits | |
Invaders & Defenders | 10 credits | |
Circulatory Systems | 16 credits | |
Blood & Cancer & Musculoskeletal | 8 credits | |
Energetics & Homeostasis | 10 credits | |
Mind, Brain, & Behavior | 14 credits | |
Lifecycle | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses | ||
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 15 credits | |
Themes in Medicine/Ecology of Health & Medicine+ | 4 credits | |
Scholarship Courses | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) ± | 6 credits | |
Independent Investigative Inquiry Final Project ± | 1 credit | |
Research Methods | 1 credit | |
Consolidation & Transition | 16 credits | |
(Includes Foundations Capstone, Consolidation & Transition & | ||
Transition to Clerkships) credits counted under Foundations Phase | ||
Patient Care Phase Curriculum* | 86 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Blocked Course (Distance Learning): | ||
Themes in Medicine | 2 weeks | 2 credits |
Explore & Focus Phase Curriculum* | 77 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Clinical Electives: 5 four-week blocks*** | 20 weeks | 40 credits |
Blocked Course (Distance Learning): | ||
Themes in Medicine | 1 week | 1 credit |
Transition to Residency | 2 weeks | 4 credits |
Total minimum credits for MD degree: | 283 credits ± |
+ Themes in Medicine course change effective and on transcript in Winter 2021.
Themes in Medicine, week seven, 1 week, 1 credit is waived for students who entered the UW School of Medicine in fall 2019.
± Independent Investigative Inquiry requirement is optional for students graduating between summer 2022 and spring 2023 and for the entering class of 2020 due to impacts of COVID-19 and final credits may be below minimum of 283 credits.
* Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. All students are required to complete a minimum of two, four-week clerkships in Seattle at one or more of the following hospitals: UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, or Puget Sound VA.
** One of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-internship.
*** Electives can range from of 2-12 weeks, but will usually be either 2-weeks or 4-weeks. Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Academic Credit Requirements for Entering 2018 Class
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 120 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Molecular & Cellular Basis of Disease | 11 credits | |
Invaders & Defenders | 10 credits | |
Circulatory Systems | 16 credits | |
Blood & Cancer & Musculoskeletal | 8 credits | |
Energetics & Homeostasis | 10 credits | |
Mind, Brain, & Behavior | 14 credits | |
Lifecycle | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses: | ||
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 16 credits | |
Ecology of Health & Medicine | 4 credits | |
Scholarship Courses: | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III)* | 6 credits | |
Research Methods | 6 credits | |
Consolidation & Transition (3 courses: Foundations Capstone, Consolidation & Transition to Clerkship) credits counted under Foundations Phase | 11 credits | |
Patient Care Phase Curriculum* | 60 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Internal Medicine | 8 weeks | 16credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Pediatrics | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Blocked Course (Distance Learning): | ||
Ecology of Health & Medicine ± | 1 week | 1 credit |
Explore & Focus Phase Curriculum* | 76 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 8 weeks | 16 credits |
Clinical Electives: 5 four-week blocks*** | 20 weeks | 40 credits |
Blocked Course (Distance Learning): | ||
Themes in Medicine | 1 week | 1 credit |
Transition to Residency (credits under E&F Phase) | 2 weeks | 4 credits |
Total minimum credits for MD degree: | 256 credits |
* Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. The Time in Seattle requirement is waived for students in clerkships during the 2020-2021 academic year due to COVID-19.
± Ecology of Health Medicine, week six, 1 week, 1 credit is waived for students who entered the UW School of Medicine in fall 2018.
** One of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-internship.
*** Electives can range from of 2-12 weeks, but will usually be either 2-weeks or 4-weeks. For students graduating in June 2022, 40 credits (five months) of electives will be required and 16 credits (two months) of electives can be clinical or approved non clinical electives.
Students who complete CBSR receive credit for one clinical elective pre-COVID-19. In addition, CBSR students must complete at least 16 clinical elective credits for graduation.
Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Academic Credit Requirements for Entering 2017 Class
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 120 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Molecular & Cellular Basis of Disease | 11 credits | |
Invaders & Defenders | 10 credits | |
Circulatory Systems | 16 credits | |
Blood & Cancer & Musculoskeletal | 8 credits | |
Energetics & Homeostasis | 10 credits | |
Mind, Brain, & Behavior | 14 credits | |
Lifecycle | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses: | ||
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 16 credits | |
Ecology of Health & Medicine | 4 credits | |
Scholarship Courses: | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) | 6 credits | |
Research Methods Course | 6 credits | |
Consolidation & Transition – (Foundations Capstone, Consolidation, & | 11 credits | |
Transition to Clerkships (Credits counted under Foundations Phase) | ||
Patient Care Phase Curriculum | 86 credits ± | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Blocked Course (Distance Learning): | ||
Ecology of Health & Medicine | 2 weeks | 2 credits |
Explore & Focus Phase Curriculum* | 61 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Clinical Electives: 4 four-week blocks*** | 16 weeks | 32 credits |
Blocked Course (Distanced Learning): | ||
Ecology of Health & Medicine/Themes in Medicine | 1 week | 1 credit |
Transition to Residency | 2 weeks | 4 credits |
(Credits counted under E&F Phase) | ||
Total minimum credits for MD degree: | 283 credits± |
* For students graduating in June 2021, the USMLE Step 2CS is suspended from May 2020 to approximately May 2021 and is not required for graduation.
± Students who leave the curriculum and re-enter the Patient Care Phase in Spring 2020 will have reduced credits due to the shortened clerkship length and impacts of COVID-19.
** Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. The Time in Seattle requirement is waived for students in clerkships during the 2020-2021 academic year due to COVID-19.
For students graduating in June 2021, one Advanced Patient Care Clerkship is required and the requirement that one of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-internship is suspended.
*** Electives can range from of 2-12 weeks, but will usually be either 2-weeks or 4-weeks. For students graduating June 2021, 32 credits (4 months) of clinical elective rotations are required and 16 credits (two months) of clinical elective requirements can be met by approved non-clinical online courses.
Students who complete CBSR receive credit for one clinical elective pre-COVID-19. In addition, CBSR students must complete at least 16 clinical elective credits for graduation.
Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Academic Credit Requirements for Entering 2016 Class
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 107 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Molecular & Cellular Basis of Disease | 11 credits | |
Invaders & Defenders | 10 credits | |
Circulatory Systems | 16 credits | |
Blood & Cancer | 5 credits | |
Energetics & Homeostasis | 10 credits | |
Mind, Brain, & Behavior | 14 credits | |
Lifecycle | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses: | ||
Primary Care Practicum | 8 credits | |
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 8 credits | |
Scholarship Courses: | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) | 6 credits | |
Consolidation & Transition (credits counted under Foundations Phase) | 11 credits | |
Patient Care Phase Curriculum* | 84 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Explore & Focus Phase Curriculum* | 76 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Clinical Electives: 4 four-week blocks*** | 20 weeks | 40 credits |
Transition to Residency (credits under E&F Phase) | 2 weeks | 4 credits |
Total minimum credits for MD degree: | 267 credits |
* Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. All students are required to complete a minimum of two, four-week clerkships in Seattle at one or more of the following hospitals: UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, or Puget Sound VA.
** One of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-Internship.
*** Electives can range from 2-12 weeks, but will usually be either 2-weeks or 4-weeks. For students graduating June 2020, 40 credits (5 months) of clinical elective rotations are required and 16 credits (two months) of clinical elective requirements can be met by approved non-clinical online courses.
Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Academic Credit Requirements for Entering 2015 Class
Foundations Phase Curriculum | 107 credits | |
Blocked Courses: | ||
Molecular & Cellular Basis of Disease | 11 credits | |
Invaders & Defenders | 10 credits | |
Circulatory Systems | 16 credits | |
Blood & Cancer | 5 credits | |
Energetics & Homeostasis | 10 credits | |
Mind, Brain, & Behavior | 14 credits | |
Lifecycle | 8 credits | |
Longitudinal Courses: | ||
Primary Care Practicum | 8 credits | |
Foundations of Clinical Medicine | 8 credits | |
Scholarship Courses: | ||
Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) | 6 credits | |
Consolidation & Transition (credits under Foundations Phase) | 11 credits | |
Patient Care Phase Curriculum* | 84 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Explore & Focus Phase Curriculum* | 76 credits | |
Required Clinical Clerkships: | ||
Neurology/Neurosurgery | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Advanced Patient Care** | 8 weeks | 16 credits |
Clinical Electives: 5 four-week blocks | 20 weeks | 40 credits |
Transition to Residency (credits under E&F Phase) | 2 weeks | 4 credits |
Total minimum credits for MD degree: | 267 credits |
* Students will be advised concerning their clinical training which will include different locations throughout the WWAMI region. All students are required to complete a minimum of two, four-week clerkships in Seattle at one or more of the following hospitals: UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, or Puget Sound VA.
** One of the two 4-week Advanced Patient Care Clerkships must be a Sub-Internship.
Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the UW Pathology fellowship who enter the UWSOM prior to 2015 and who do not engage in the clinical curriculum immediately after completing pre-clinical coursework meet the clinical requirements as they exist at the time they enter, with the exception of 8 credits of clinical electives which are waived. These students enter the clinical curriculum in summer of their third year of MD coursework after completion of the PhD or UW Pathology fellowship.
Academic Credit Requirements for Entering 2014 Class
Foundations Curriculum (Generally defined as 500 level courses) | 147 credits | |
Required Human Biology (Basic Science) first and second year courses | ||
Required Preceptorship | ||
Introduction to Clinical Medicine I & II | ||
Clinical Curriculum (Generally defined as 600 level courses) | 148 credits | |
Required clinical clerkships in the third year | ||
Family Medicine | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Internal Medicine | 12 weeks | 24 credits |
Obstetrics/Gynecology | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Pediatrics | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Psychiatry | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Surgery | 6 weeks | 12 credits |
Required clinical clerkships in the fourth year | ||
Emergency Medicine | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Neurology | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Chronic Care | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Surgical Selectives | 4 weeks | 8 credits |
Other clinical electives | 16 weeks | 32 credits |
Independent Investigative Inquiry | 8 credits | |
Non-Clinical Selectives (500-level medical school courses) | 4 credits | |
Capstone (Transition to Residency) | 2 credits | |
Total minimum credits for MD degree: | 309 credits |
Effective: Current
Last updated: April 24, 2024
Policy Contact: UW School of Medicine, Curriculum Office, somgov@uw.edu; Education Quality Improvement Office, eqi@uw.edu