Temple University School of Medicine
Curriculum
Years 1 & 2 (Basic Science)
The first two years of the Temple University School of Medicine at WPAHS curriculum are an organ systems-based learning experience. Teaching modalities include lectures, workshops, case seminars and independent learning experiences.
The first course of the first year is Anatomy, taught as a seven-week block course. The organ systems approach begins after the Anatomy course has been completed and is taught by basic scientists and clinicians. There is more emphasis on clinical aspects in the second year.
A Doctoring Course runs throughout the first two years. This course will be led by Donald Wilfong, MD. Dr. Wilfong currently heads the simulation program and is a general internist. The Doctoring Course is an introduction to the practice of medicine. It includes history taking, physical exam skills, case presentation, problem solving and treatment. In addition to working with patients in clinical settings, students in the Doctoring Course will have a full curriculum of patient simulation experiences involving actors and mannequins in the WPAHS simulation lab. Additional topics in the Doctoring course include Medical Ethics, Finance in Medicine, Medicine and the Law, Population-Based Medicine, Professionalism, and Healthcare Reform. The curriculum during the first two years will parallel day by day and hour by hour the curriculum of students at the Temple campus in Philadelphia.
Years 3 & 4 (Clinical)
The third and fourth years of medical school are composed of required clinical clerkships and electives.
In the third year, medical students complete seven required clerkships and one elective.
In the senior year, medical students complete four required clerkships and five electives. Two months may be used for interviewing and/or vacation. Of the five electives, two may be completed away from the Temple Healthcare Network of affiliated hospitals. Any electives completed at the Pittsburgh site or other Temple-affiliated hospital are considered in-house electives.
Each of the required clerkships has a written curriculum and is overseen by a Clerkship Director. Each clerkship director at the Pittsburgh campus functions similarly to the clerkship director on the main campus in Philadelphia. Allegheny General Hospital is the main academic site on the Pittsburgh campus and houses the following clerkships: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Neurology, Radiology, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, and Sub-Internships. The Western Pennsylvania Hospital houses the Obstetrics & Gynecology clerkships along with part of the Pediatrics clerkship (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Forbes Regional Hospital houses the Family Medicine and Psychiatry clerkships.
