Medicine, MD

First Year - Preclinical Courses

The biomedical sciences portion of the curriculum is approximately 65 weeks in duration. The first year curriculum runs from August through May, and is devoted to the basic scientific foundations of medicine and an introduction to clinical medicine. The first year format consists primarily of basic science activities in the General Education Building and clinical activities in the Robert Kaplan Clinical Skills Center. Approximately twenty hours weekly are devoted to scheduled activities.

Second Year - Preclinical Courses

The second year curriculum runs from August through March, and is devoted to the  continued exposure to the basic scientific foundations of medicine and clinical medicine, focusing around organ systems. It consists primarily of basic science activities in the General Education Building and clinical activities in the Robert Kaplan Clinical Skills Center. Approximately twenty hours weekly are devoted to scheduled activities.

Third Year - Clinical Rotations (Begins in May)

Students proceed directly into the Third Year Clinical Clerkships upon successful completion of the Biomedical Sciences, and obtaining a passing score on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1. Occasionally, students may elect to delay entry into the clerkship program in order to pursue graduate studies. Criminal background checks are a requirement for training. Based on the results of these checks, an affiliated clinical site may determine not to allow a student at their facility.

Students begin the third year with a week-long Principles of Clinical Medicine block that focuses on providing clinical skills essential to success in the M-3 clerkships. During the clerkships, students focus their attention and efforts on patient problem-solving and experience an increasing level of responsibility throughout the rotations. Student workload in the third year is controlled by the director of each clerkship. Third year medical students will have the opportunity to take six weeks of career exploration electives to assist them in making important career decisions. 

These clerkships provide a breadth of clinical experiences in the major care areas. Students become an integral part of the health-care team in an academic setting involving both house staff and faculty as well as ancillary services of the teaching hospitals. Programs are available in facilities in Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville.

Location of Clinical Clerkship and Elective Offerings:

*The Department of Family Medicine seeks to expose all medical students to primarily ambulatory-based medicine in the real-life office setting of practicing community family physicians. The department places students in locales throughout the state of Tennessee including urban, suburban, rural, and under-served communities. Whenever possible, student preferences for specific locations are taken into consideration. Students may request approved settings in their hometown or communities where they may stay with family or friends. Students are responsible for the costs associated with transportation, housing, and food.

Additional information on each clerkship can be found at: http://www.uthsc.edu/Medicine/medicaleducation/clerkships/

Fourth Year - Clinical Rotations

The fourth year is composed of four 4-week required rotations, Principles of Clinical Medicine VI (1) and (2) [Fall and Spring terms], Longitudinal Scholars Program (Fall and Spring terms), and four 4-week electives. These clerkships allow for increased responsibility in patient care as well as the opportunity to pursue areas of individual interest. The electives provide students with the opportunity to select the clinical or basic science experiences to best meet their particular career goals. More information is provided at http://www.uthsc.edu/Medicine/medicaleducation/fourth_year.php.

*Elective Programs: 16 weeks of half-time/full-time electives are required. (320 electives are available in Chattanooga, Jackson, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.) Electives can be viewed at: http://www.uthsc.edu/Medicine/medicaleducation/fourth_year.php
**Two of the Option Blocks must be taken in Blocks 11-1 and one option block must be used to accommodate asynchronous away rotations.

Electives: Sixteen weeks of two-week (half-time) or four-week (full-time) elective work are required and normally taken during the senior year. Both basic science and clinical electives of varying lengths are offered in a variety of settings with maximal learning opportunities. During this time, each student has the opportunity to: 1) select experiences that meet individual career goals, 2) study in depth in a clinical or basic science area, and 3) have increased responsibility in patient care under the direct supervision of the faculty. Electives are offered by the University of Tennessee, UT-affiliated hospitals, and (with approval) at other accredited medical schools. The Elective Catalog is available at: http://www.uthsc.edu/Medicine/OLSEN/electives-catalogs.php.

With proper selection, the electives program provides a varied and appropriate educational experience. This imposes a high level of responsibility on each student and with the limited elective time available, each student is encouraged to seek advice from as many different people as is practical.

Although prior approval by the course coordinator is not required for all electives, the responsibility of verifying the availability of an elective for a particular scheduling period rests with each student. For courses which indicate, “Consent of Course Coordinator” as a prerequisite, permission must be obtained from the course coordinator prior to scheduling.

A student may request an elective not currently listed in the Electives Catalog. Any specially designed elective requires approval of the involved faculty member, the appropriate departmental chair, and the Clinical Sciences Subcommittee. The Office of  Medical Education has forms available for this purpose. Since the approval process for a special elective could require considerable time, students are advised to begin this process well in advance of the time at which the requested elective is to be scheduled.