Curriculum
Our curriculum produces physicians whose strong foundation in basic, clinical, and health systems sciences prepare them to work collaboratively with other health professionals to promote health and reduce suffering for the patients and populations throughout Nebraska and the surrounding region.
The College of Medicine curriculum enhances the acquisition of enduring knowledge and skills while integrating the emerging knowledge and abilities critical to becoming a 21st century physician. The curriculum outcome is a physician who is well prepared to excel in residency training, professional practice, and as a productive citizen of Nebraska.
Hear more about how the College of Medicine prepares its students through a three-phase interactive and experiential curriculum.
The first phase of the curriculum, coordinated by the Office of Medical Education, is Foundations of Medicine and this takes place over 18 months: Year one from August to May and year two from August to March. This first phase integrates basic, clinical and health systems sciences into blocks that are organized by the organ systems of the human body. In each organ systems-based block students will learn about normal structure and function of an organ system followed by the pathologic and clinical manifestations present when those systems act abnormally, similar to how a physician approaches patients in clinical practice. Focus is also placed on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of specific diseases for both patients and populations. Collectively, this learning constitutes the foundation of the practice of medicine and lays the groundwork for subsequent phases. More about Phase 1.
Phase 1 Co-Directors: Kimberly Latacha, PhD and Ryan Mullane, MD
The Clinical Applications phase, which is 12 months in duration, provides students with extensive clinical learning experiences in six of the core disciplines of medicine. In these clinical experiences, students begin to apply the knowledge and skills learned from the first phase toward formally caring for patients in both the hospital and ambulatory clinic settings. Clinical rotations range from 6-12 weeks in length over the course of Phase 2. Phase 2 begins with the Acute Care & Clinical Transitions block is followed by the required clinical clerkships. We schedule clerkships via a lottery system and students will be given the opportunity to give input as to the order they wish to complete these clerkships. More about Phase 2.
Phase 2 Director: Amy Cutright, MD
Phase 2 Coordinator: Alex Shull
Phase 3 is the final phase of the curriculum and takes place over 13 months. This phase provides individualized training for students in their career specialty choice with the goal of preparing students for success in residency training and beyond. After enrolling in a self-selected Specialty Track, students will work with faculty from that specialty to create individualized learning experiences based upon the students’ backgrounds, anticipated plans, and other interests. More about Phase 3.
Phase 3 Directors: Justin Siebler, MD and David O'Dell, MD
Phase 3 Education Coordinator: Vanessa Larson
Information: Geoff Talmon, MD, associate dean, Office of Medical Education
Foundational Principles
These foundational principles guide the work of the curriculum oversight committees.
- Integrated Learning Experiences: Students acquire, practice, and continuously apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills via varied learning modalities, such as lecture, small group interactions, simulation, virtual reality, and patient encounters to achieve collaborative, critical thinking expertise.
- Facilitate Clinical Reasoning: Students become masters at clinical reasoning through a curricular structure incorporating ongoing inquiry with self-driven learning.
- Enhance and Improve Patient Care: Faculty, residents, fellows, and staff create and continuously improve learning environments and activities that elevate patient care and support students’ development as physicians.
- Interprofessional Learning: Students value, practice, and demonstrate effective interprofessional collaborative practice to meet the modern medical environment’s demands.
- Professional Growth and Development: Students assume the identity of the 21st Century physician, continuously developing and applying unique skills, contributions and leadership while being supported by dedicated advisors and mentors.
- Engagement with Health Care Delivery Systems: Students are prepared to add value to and learn from healthcare systems while enhancing faculty and staff experiences during educational workplace interactions.
- Outcomes and Demonstrated Competence: Students have opportunities to pursue individualized and specialized tracks of study through the admissions process (MD/PhD) and following the start of training (e.g., Career Launch Tracks).
- Reliance on Technology and Sound Pedagogical Principles: Students and faculty employ emerging technology to complement instruction, learning, and assessment of performance using educational research methods to select, implement and study instructional and assessment strategies.
The curriculum incorporates the following to accomplish the outlined vision and goals:
- Incorporation of Health Systems Sciences: Incorporates purposeful learning experiences with appropriate assessments in new and emerging competencies (e.g., quality improvement, population health, patient safety, health systems, etc.) required of 21st Century physicians.
- Integration throughout Curriculum: Facilitate student learning and apply basic science in the clinical environment, basic sciences, and clinical skills taught longitudinally, interweaving essential information throughout the four-year curriculum.
- Enhanced Final Year: An enhanced structure to the final year provides a more robust learning experience, facilitating a seamless transition to residency in a chosen field.