Curriculum Details

U Med is a longitudinal, four-year curriculum that takes advantage of UIC's location and breadth of clinical opportunities to prepare physician-leaders for urban communities.

U Med students take the same required courses as their classmates. Some of the components of required courses are tailored to specific issues of importance to future urban physicians. For example, in the first two years all students take Essentials of Clinical Medicine or ECM (which is a two-year course). ECM has some components —Longitudinal Primary Care preceptorships, Special Topics mini-courses, clinical case studies, service-learning opportunities, etc. — that are ideal in addressing the needs of future urban physicians. Thus, we adapt these components to provide expanded exposure to fundamental topics.

In the third year, all students take a two-week course entitled Essentials of Clinical Practice and Professionalism (ECP&P). ECP&P assists third year medical students in preparing for clerkships by providing training and resources that will help them excel. The course builds upon the foundation established in ECM, by reinforcing clinical competency as well as social and cognitive skills. It combines lectures, small group exercises, and hands-on clinical practice to achieve these goals. U Med students are exposed to clinical situations that are typical in urban hospitals and clinics.

For the six required clerkships, U Med students are assigned to the same track (i.e., clerkship sequence) but at different urban placements. They come together twice per month to discuss clinical and other issues they encounter and talk about various approaches used at their individual assignment.

In the senior year, U Med students take part in the Senior Forum, a course that enables them to reexamine their knowledge and skills involved in integrating the basic sciences into the clinical sciences in the care of patients. It looks at clinical pathophysiology, clinical therapeutics, and the humanistic components of medicine again, in the light of clinical experience after a full year of clinical clerkships. Participants are also encouraged to design electives to delve more deeply into cultural issues that impact medical care, or take advantage of opportunities for clinical work outside the US.

In addition to the regular course work, U Med students also participate in other didactic and experiential activities specifically designed for their interests. Each year, several seminars are offered exclusively to U Med students to expand exposure and knowledge of:

• Cultural issues that impact medical care,
• Access to care, insurance and delivery systems factors
• Religious beliefs and health-related behaviors
• Health literacy
• Health disparities
• Etc.