Curriculum
The Burnett School of Medicine brings together the world’s best practices in medical education and the latest advances in technology to forge new boundaries in medical student education and training.
This progressive approach to medical education creates and shapes Empathetic Scholar® who are both adept at caring for patients and able to meet the health care challenges of tomorrow. The student is central to the educational program. Student success is at the heart of the school’s design and has been incorporated in everything from the creation of significant learning experiences and education spaces to the launch of a highly individualized team-based framework for ongoing student coaching and support. The curriculum is divided into three phases across four years and has been carefully crafted to promote learning and student success.
Phase 1 provides students with an integrated foundation in basic and clinical sciences in order to understand the underpinnings of medicine and prepare students to succeed in clinical training.
Phase 2 consists primarily of clinical learning opportunities in a longitudinal integrated clerkship model that will guide students to become proficient clinicians and effective members of a health care team.
Phase 3 provides students with skills in preparation for residency, additional inpatient clinical experiences, and an opportunity to explore career options in critical care, sub-internship electives, and a number of student-selected electives.
Across the curriculum, students experience a highly-integrated, comprehensive curriculum with content in communication, critical thinking and design, and health care delivery systems, among many other themes, to prepare them for the realities of physician practice in the 21st century. The school aims to optimize each student’s experience and performance by using proven strategies in self-directed learning, harnessing new technologies and incorporating longitudinal clinical learning opportunities. Patient care begins at the time students enter the program and integrates across the curriculum to provide immersive clinical training experiences and the opportunity for students to develop meaningful relationships with patients and faculty over time. With 24 identified educational program objectives across 7 domains, students can be sure they are receiving the highest quality preparation to excel in the art and science of medicine.
Requirements for M.D. Degree
The Burnett School of Medicine at TCU has required standards for the graduation of medical students. All students who have successfully completed the requirements for the MD degree will be recommended for graduation by the Student Progression and Promotion Committee.
Credit Hours
The Burnett School of Medicine uses the credit hour as a measure of progress toward the M.D. degree.
The school calculates credit hours according to the federal Higher Education Act, Regulation 34 CFR 600.2, which states “…a credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of students achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than: (1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit… (2) at least an equivalent of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.”
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is an accrediting body for medical education programs leading to the MD degree. The LCME requires a minimum of 130 weeks of instruction for the MD degree. The School of Medicine curriculum exceeds this minimum.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the recognized regional accrediting body in the 11 U.S. Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. The SACSCOC requires at least 30 semester credit hours for a doctorate. The School of Medicine curriculum exceeds this minimum.
Our student-centered approach limits structured classroom time to approximately 20 hours in a given a week. Students have the flexibility to structure 20 additional hours a week for both self-directed and independent study.
- At the beginning of Phase 1, students are introduced to the requirements and rigors of medical school and clinical practice in the Introduction to Medicine course. The course provides students a low-stakes opportunity to acclimate to expectations and learn success techniques before embarking on the medical education journey. After this first course, we use an organ-based approach to teach basic clinical, and behavioral sciences primarily using structured small group learning in the remainder of Phase 1.
- In addition to the integrated basic/clinical sciences organ-systems content, students are enrolled in five longitudinal courses in Phase 1: Clinical Skills, Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship: Foundational Experience, Future Accelerators of Medicine and Beyond (FAB), Scholarly Pursuit and Thesis, and Preparation for Practice.
- Finally, students are enrolled in a six week course which offers test-taking techniques and additional study materials to prepare students to sit for the USMLE Step 1 Exam.
- Importantly, the School of Medicine provides a network of individuals who offer personalized academic and professional coaching to students in order to ensure success. Students have access to both academic and executive coaches through our coaching initiatives program. These coaches provide support and coaching during this critical time of adjustment and development in a medical student’s professional formation.
Phase 1 Course Descriptions
- Introduction to Medicine
- Mechanisms of Health and Disease 1
- Mechanisms of Health and Disease 2
- Mechanisms of Health and Disease 3
- Mechanisms of Health and Disease 4
- Mechanisms of Health and Disease 5
- Clinical Skills
- Future Accelerators of Medicine and Beyond (FAB)
- Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship Phase 1: Foundational Experience
- Preparation for Practice 1
- Scholarly Pursuit and Thesis 1
- USMLE Step 1 Preparation
Students have the opportunity to be an integral part of the health care team in both inpatient and outpatient settings as part of the hallmark Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC). Students experience each of the core disciplines of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Surgery. Students are paired with clinical preceptors in each specialty who will mentor the student over course of the LIC. While most of the clerkship year occur in outpatient settings, meaningful inpatient experiences are essential. Inpatient LIC Immersion experiences at the beginning of Phase 2 orient students to the hospital environment and their role on the care team as well as help them learn to care for acutely ill patients. Students experience inpatient immersions in the Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics and Surgery clerkships. Additionally, students complete other shorter inpatient immersion experiences at various intervals for each clerkship, work multiple emergency medicine shifts, and work a weekend of inpatient call per month to expose them to inpatient medicine and the acute conditions that their patients will face. The schedule provides flexible time during the year to integrate and allow students to explore a wide variety of fields of medicine including Anesthesiology, Pathology and Radiology.
- The advantages of longitudinal clinical training are many. The LIC model is both patient-centric and learner-centric; it is a progressive curriculum that enables students to maintain continuity with patients and expand their ability to understand and manage the contemporary complexities of patient care. Clinical teachers are essential members of the educational team and key role models for students. Our clinical faculty have excellent professional reputations; the highest skill and regard for quality and patient-centered care; and a contagious spirit of learning.
- For the student, being an integral part of the health care team fosters meaningful learning about patient care and the health care system from faculty who become student advocates over time. Students have the opportunity to enroll and manage the progress of their own patient panel for each discipline. Additionally, there are weekly opportunities to connect with faculty in small-group learning sessions, called Learning and Pondering Sessions (LeAPS) to focus on connections between the basic science and clinical skills in a supportive team-based learning environment.
Phase 2 Course Descriptions
Phase 3 begins in the third year and continues until graduation. Students will continue their professional development and scholarly pursuit as well as prepare for residency. Students begin with the “Develop” portion of Phase 3 where there is an emphasis on the 13 Preparation for Practice themes the school has designated as critical to a well-rounded physician practicing 21st century medicine. Groups of students will work with faculty and community partners to develop a focused project related to one of seven societal issues. Students will also continue to care for a small subset of their patient panel, including those they acquired during Phase 1, in order to maintain clinical acuity and allow for a continued connection with patients and clinical teachers through the Phase 3 LIC course. Finally, students will also have dedicated time to continue work on their 4 year project in the Scholarly Pursuit and Thesis course and to present data to each other in small groups to hone communication skills and collaborative thinking about research.
Students continue with the “Focus” portion, a truly individualized time of the curriculum that will include a 4-week sub-internship rotation in a specialty of choice, a 4-week critical care selective in a specialty of choice, and 28 weeks of elective course time to allow students to gain valuable clinical experience, explore career interests and prepare for the residency match process. Students are given a generous allotment of time to apply and interview for residency admission, as well as prepare for and take USMLE Step 2 CK.
Finally, the students enter the “Prepare” portion of Phase 3. Students participate in a final on-campus course, Transition to Residency, designed to prepare students for the next stage of their career as a first-year resident. The curriculum includes content on advanced clinical procedures, communication skills, leadership, team management, and other requisite skills. This course allows time for the students to reflect on their progress through medical school, what it means to be a physician and includes a final emphasis on communication, empathy, and the value of compassionate patient care. During this portion of Phase 3, the students present their Scholarly Pursuit and Thesis project at the annual research symposium.