Program Objectives
Undergraduate medical education program objectives
Overview
Physicians must acquire a core body of basic science knowledge. This core body of knowledge provides a foundation for practicing medicine and integrating future knowledge. Physicians must be able to use and apply this core body of knowledge to the identification, evaluation, and treatment of disease and the promotion of health.
Graduating Physicians Should Have Demonstrated:
1.1 Knowledge of the normal structure and function of the human body at the level of the molecule, cell, organ/organ system, and patient as a whole.
1.2 Knowledge of normal growth and development throughout all life stages.
1.3 Knowledge of the basic biomedical and psychosocial mechanisms of disease, including key genetic, environmental, microbiologic, nutritional, immunologic, social and epidemiological factors.
1.4 Broad knowledge of the common diseases that affect specific age, sex and ethnic backgrounds for the major organ systems.
1.5 The ability to apply basic science knowledge to the care of patients.
Overview
Physicians must be dedicated to compassionate and empathetic care for their patients and be committed to conducting their professional activities with fairness and integrity.
They must consistently exhibit professional attitudes and behaviors in daily medical practice and their life in the community. As professionals, physicians should achieve the highest level of competence personally possible by obtaining the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors needed to care for patients and understand that learning is a lifelong process.
Graduating Physicians Should Have Demonstrated:
2.1 The ability to care for patients in a compassionate way, consistently demonstrating respect for the privacy and dignity of all patients.
2.2 The ability to consistently and dependably carry out duties with honesty, personal integrity, self-motivation and self-discipline.
2.3 The ability to confront their own values as they relate to the practice of medicine.
2.4 Demonstrate personal manners, dress, grooming, speech, and interpersonal skills expected of a medical professional.
2.5 Knowledge of the theories and principles that govern ethical decision making
2.6 Knowledge of the major ethical dilemmas in medicine, particularly those that arise at the beginning and end of life and those that arise from the rapidly expanding field of genetics.
2.7 Knowledge of a physician’s responsibilities to protect and care for individuals and populations that are vulnerable, at risk, or disadvantaged.
2.8 The ability to understand legal and ethical issues such as informed consent, malpractice, conflict of interest and confidentiality.
2.9 The ability to accept constructive performance feedback and develop an action plan for improvement.
2.10 A commitment to lifelong learning.
Physicians must be able to address a patient’s clinical history effectively and efficiently. They must be able to develop a differential diagnosis and management plan.
Graduating Physicians Should Have Demonstrated:
3.1 The ability to identify, prioritize, and evaluate key information from a patient’s clinical history.
3.2 The ability to use evidence-based medicine to formulate a comprehensive differential diagnosis, direct a diagnostic workup effectively and efficiently, develop a management plan, and oversee its implementation.
3.3 The ability to retrieve, interpret and manage data from diagnostic tests and clinical procedures for decision making.
3.4 The ability to use consultants effectively in a team approach to patient care.
3.5 An understanding of the role of practice guidelines in caring for patients.
Overview
Physicians must effectively use a variety of information gathering and inferential tools for diagnosis, treatment, and clinical research. Physicians should have an understanding of probability, biostatistics, formal decision analysis, epidemiology, research design, informatics, bioethics, health policy, and health law, which are often useful in developing rational, effective therapies for groups and individual patients.
Graduating Physicians Should Have Demonstrated:
4.1 The ability to frame a question, search the literature, organize data, and compile and use information to care for a patient.
4.2 The ability to access and utilize the full range of information resources available to physicians, including library resources; key professional texts and journals; and information resources available electronically such as the World Wide Web, data bases, email, a PDA and other media.
4.3 An understanding of applied biostatistics and clinical epidemiology and how these disciplines are used to evaluate information critically, conduct formal decision analysis and design research.
4.4 An understanding of how clinical trials are designed, implemented, and analyzed.
4.5 The ability to utilize decision-support systems and guidelines for clinical decision-making, including an understanding of the roles of preferences and probabilities.
4.6 The ability to evaluate independently the accuracy and significance of the information one obtains from any source, but especially studies reported or summarized in the medical literature.
Overview
Physicians must be excellent listeners and have good written and spoken communication skills. A physician’s ability to communicate with patients, families, caregivers, and colleagues and staff in a way that conveys sensitivity, compassion, and concern is one of the most important aspects of mastering the “art of medicine.” Effective communication allows physicians to work within a group, collaborate with others to accomplish specific goals, and is central to their role as teachers.
Graduating Physicians Should Have Demonstrated:
5.1 Active listening with ethnic, racial, and cultural sensitivity.
5.2 The ability to give accurate, clear, concise oral presentations.
5.3 The ability to write accurate, clear, concise patient records, including history and physicals, progress notes, orders, and referrals for consultation.
5.4 The ability to begin a patient encounter, elicit key information, educate and advise, and end the encounter, conveying sensitivity, compassion, and concern.
5.5 The ability to communicate effectively with a dying patient and their family about advance directives and other end of life issues.
5.6 The ability to deliver bad news and respond effectively to patient/family responses.
5.7 The ability to discuss medical errors in ways that promote patient trust, understanding and self-learning.
5.8 The ability to work and communicate effectively and professionally as part of a health care team, with appreciation for the contributions and competencies of other health care professionals and respect for their unique roles, regardless of degree, occupation, or perceived status.
5.9 The ability to recognize the uncertainty and anxiety experienced by patients and family dealing with acute and chronic illness.
Physicians must be able to perform a large set of basic clinical skills. They must be able to interview and examine patients and use diagnostic tools appropriately. Physicians must be able to perform a core set of therapeutic procedures.
Graduating Physicians Should Have Demonstrated:
6.1 The ability to effectively and efficiently perform a history and physical examination that is appropriate for age, gender, culture, region and clinical setting.
6.2 The ability to generate and maintain appropriate medical records, including history and physical, discharge summaries, progress notes, consults, death summaries, procedure notes and prescriptions.
6.3 The ability to recognize and manage life-threatening situations and carry out or direct Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support/Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation.
6.4 An understanding of the scientific foundation for diagnostic tests and their risks and benefits.
6.5 Knowledge of the principles of palliative care, including appropriate pain management.
6.6 The ability to recognize and manage common personality/psychiatric disorders.
6.7 An understanding of how patient competency and guardianship are determined.
6.8 The ability to recognize physical, elder, child, sexual, emotional and spousal abuse.
6.9 The ability to perform common medical procedures such the placement/care of sutures for small incisions/wounds or the application of splints/bandages etc.
6.10 Knowledge of the appropriate use of common medical devices (such as vascular catheters, endotracheal tubes, Naso Gastral Tubes).
6.11 Demostrate sterile technique and universal precautions.
Physicians must understand the business aspects of medical practice in order to effectively meet the practice challenges of a changing healthcare environment. They must understand healthcare as a system, how it is financed and how resources are managed. Physicians must be sensitive to the problems of at-risk and underserved populations and maintain a commitment to advocate for patient centered healthcare reform.
Graduating Physicians Should Have Demonstrated:
7.1 An understanding of the inherent conflict between traditional professional values and imperatives of the market.
7.2 Knowledge of the social and political forces that have shaped the medical profession in the U.S.
7.3 Knowledge of how healthcare is currently financed and how resources are allocated.
7.4 Knowledge of the pros and cons of the various forms of managed care; of the ethical, legal and professional challenges raised by balancing cost and quality.
7.5 A commitment to utilize resources appropriately to provide optimal care.
7.6 The ability to apply basic principles of continuous quality improvement to medical practice.
Physicians must be exquisitely sensitive to human differences and strive to make themselves aware of the key aspects of age related, gender, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic and other social and community factors that shape patients’ perceptions of health and disease and the doctor-patient relationship. Physicians must be aware of the health needs and resources within their community.
Graduating Physicians Should Have Demonstrated:
8.1 A commitment to promote patient and community health.
8.2 An understanding of population-based medicine, broad public health issues and resources.
8.3 The ability to educate patients, families, and communities about modifiable risk factors and how to move toward healthy behaviors and lifestyles.
8.4 Knowledge of the unique problems facing special populations and specific occupations.
8.5 The ability to apply health screening and disease surveillance guidelines.
8.6 An understanding of the guidelines for disease prevention through immunization; disease reporting; and other chemical, environmental, and public health procedures.
8.7 An understanding of complementary and alternative medicine treatment options.
