Duke University School of Medicine
The Medical School of Duke University.
Since it opened in 1930, Duke University Medical Center has earned a reputation as one of the world's foremost patient care and research institutions, with a School of Medicine consistently ranked one of the very best in the country.
Curriculum
From beginning to end, Duke's curriculum is surprisingly different than that of most other medical schools. The students study basic science for one year instead of two. They care for patients a full year earlier than their peers across the nation. They devote an entire year to independent scholarship--something most medical students have to carve out their summers or add a year to their studies to do.
Importance is placed on teaching students the fundamentals of medicine and patient care, and also how to teach themselves.
Year One: Basic Sciences
The first year introduces students to the building blocks of medicine--the basic sciences. Duke pares these subjects down to the essentials one needs in medical practice.
Courses are taught in blocks so that a student concentrates on no more than three major areas at a time. In addition, courses are integrated within the same block so that related materials are taught together--for example, a student might study anatomy and physiology of the heart at the same time. Classes are designed to suit all learning styles, ranging from lecture formats to case presentations to seminars, small groups, and computer-based learning. Students are also assigned to lab teams of 12 with whom they'll work throughout the year.
Is one year enough time to absorb all the basic sciences? Consider Duke students' performance on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) basic science exam: Virtually every student passes; in fact, Duke's students outstrip the national average score year after year.
Year Two: Clinical Rotations
Duke students begin seeing patients full-time during the second year--a year earlier than at traditional medical schools.
After taking an intense three-week "Preparation for Year II" class as part of the Practice course, students begin their clinical clerkships. Principles learned in first year basic science courses will come to life and be continually reinforced as the students work with a variety of patients. Second year rotations also give the students a taste of the major patient care disciplines, and of different care settings-students see patients not only in hospitals, but in outpatient clinics. When coupled with the first year overview of basic science, this clinical experience enables the students to make thoughtful decisions about the path they want to pursue during the elective third and fourth years.
Year Three: Independent Research and Scholarship
Duke's unique third year is a time of freedom to study an area of particular interest in depth--a time for students to gain special insight into their long-term career goals and mature their approach to medicine.
Faculty advisors help students design a study program that will best meet their individual goals, whether it's identifying and cloning new genes at the laboratory bench, formulating public health policy with state legislators, beginning studies toward a second degree, or studying specific patient populations at Duke or even in another country. Advisors also guide students to the appropriate faculty mentor, who encourages a student professional and scientific development over the course of your research.
Most third-year study programs last eight and a half months, with each student expected to present a thesis on his or her work by September 30 of the fourth year. Students may substitute an original paper submitted or accepted for publication in a scientific journal-in fact, each class of 100 students typically produces at least that many papers.
A student can also use the third year to begin studies toward a second degree.
Year Four: Clinical Rotations
The very flexible fourth year is a time for students to round out their education, by sampling specialties that intrigue them, becoming more comfortable with patients, mastering the "core competencies" they haven't absorbed thus far, deciding whether they really want to do that residency they were looking at.
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Last updated: 08-21-2005 14:51:47
