Message from the Dean

The practice of medicine has always been demanding; the 21st century promises
to increase the challenges facing physicians. Drexel University College of
Medicine embraces these challenges as it strives to provide its students with
an outstanding educational experience in the science and art of medicine. Our
graduates are prepared to become lifelong learners ready to apply their clinical
knowledge and skills, cutting-edge technology, humanism, and professionalism
to the care of individual patients and community populations.
Our recent Liaison Committee on Medical Education eight-year reaccreditation
report provided external confirmation of the strengths of our medical education
programs. Positive citations from that accreditation process included our
“exceptional concentration of committed, student-centered educators”; our
educational leadership that creates a “unique, vibrant culture of educational
excellence”; our “innovative, comprehensive career counseling”; our “exceptional”
student support services; the use of technology to support “innovative” medical
education; and our strong, collaborative growth in research — including
synergies with our parent University — that has “produced a most competitive
and exciting culture of scholarship, innovation, and opportunity.”
Drexel University College of Medicine is committed to meeting the challenges
of the future while building on our past values and strengths. We encourage
you to become a part of that future. I welcome your interest in our medical
school and encourage you to explore all the opportunities that we offer
Richard V. Homan, MD
Annenberg Dean
Senior Vice President of Health Affairs
Drexel University College of Medicine
The College of
Medicine Tradition

The Drexel University College of
Medicine provides its students with an
outstanding medical education through
innovative curricula and state-of-theart
clinical sites supported by excellent
medical educators, early clinical exposure,
and advanced technology. Our
forward-thinking approach to medical
education draws from the rich history
of our pioneering predecessors at
Hahnemann University and the
Medical College of Pennsylvania.
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In 1848 the founders of Hahnemann University, then named
the Homeopathic College of Pennsylvania, believed there were better ways
to treat patients than the harsh medical practices of the time. Two years
later in 1850, the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania shocked
the medical community by starting the nation’s first medical school
for women. |
Both institutions recognized the need for
a strong, scientific foundation in the
practice of medicine. The quality of
medical training improved as medical
schools, such as Hahnemann University
and the Medical College of Pennsylvania,
developed departments of basic biomedical
sciences, employed full-time research
scientists, and incorporated basic sciences
into physicians’ training. These two institutions
continued to develop innovative
programs throughout the century; they
united in 1993 and were later known as
MCP Hahnemann University.
Today Drexel University continues this
tradition of innovation started over
150 years ago by offering undergraduate
and graduate programs in the biomedical
sciences, the health professions, medicine,
nursing, and public health.
At Drexel’s College of Medicine, students
pursue academic excellence in a
supportive learning environment and
develop a unique set of skills to succeed
in today’s ever-changing world. We
welcome all applicants, including
minorities, women, and those interested
in medicine as a second career.
Take a closer look and see why Drexel
University’s College of Medicine could
be right for you.
Our Approach to
Educating Physicians

At the College of Medicine we take a
distinctive approach to teaching
medicine. Our supportive educational
environment emphasizes collaboration
and gives students a comfort level that
lets them learn and thrive. Faculty members
are concerned first and foremost
with teaching and helping students.
Within the rigorous academic program, students have a
choice of two curricular tracks based on different learning styles. The
faculty’s commitment and skill make the educational content and quality
first-rate. We have some of the newest and finest educational technologies
of any medical school in the nation, placing our facilities at the forefront
of medical education
Our location also confers significant benefits. In Philadelphia students
can take advantage of one of the nation’s leading centers of hospitals
and academic medicine. Students have the opportunity to live in attractive
neighborhoods near a myriad of activities in a thriving metropolitan
area. College of Medicine students benefit from:
- Early exposure to clinical practice
- Caring, supportive faculty members
- Innovative, challenging curricula supported by educational technology
- Community outreach activities and volunteer projects
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An Innovative
Curriculum

Learning to Think Like
a Physician
With our dedication to academic and
clinical excellence and our historic commitment
to diversity, we have earned
national recognition as an innovator in
medical education. We are committed
to preparing “physician healers” —
doctors who practice the art as well as
the science and skill of medicine. Our
medical students are trained to consider
each patient’s needs in a comprehensive,
integrated manner, taking into account
many more factors than the presenting
physiological condition.
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To learn how to think like a physician, first-year students
are introduced to clinical experience within their first few weeks. Students
practice their clinical skills in our Barbara E. Chick, MD ’59,
Clinical Education and Assessment Center (CEAC). Here, students work
with standardized patients to learn the skills necessary to be able to
think like a physician. Through active participation in and out of the
classroom and in community service experiences, medical students learn
to be problem solvers and to understand that medical practice is a process
of lifelong learning.
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Professionalism is stressed and is
expected in the classroom, in the clinical
setting, and in interactions with classmates,
faculty, and all encountered by
our students. Professionalism includes
participating in class; contributing to
the learning of others; academic
honesty; and appropriate behavior,
dress, and deportment in clinical experiences.
Treating everyone with integrity,
honesty, and respect is a cornerstone to
becoming a “physician healer.”
Choosing a Track
Students at the College of Medicine acquire a firm foundation in the biomedical
sciences and clinical medicine. How they acquire that foundation depends on
their chosen track. Recognizing that students have different learning styles,
we offer two distinct tracks during the first two years of study — the
Interdisciplinary Foundations of Medicine (IFM) and the Program for Integrated
Learning (PIL). Both options focus on professional medical education, preparing
students to pursue careers as either generalists or specialists. Both stress
problem solving, lifelong learning skills, and the coordinated teaching of
basic science with clinical medicine.
In the third year, students take required
clinical clerkship rotations in medicine,
surgery, pediatrics, family medicine,
psychiatry, and obstetrics and
gynecology. Academic, clinical, and
professional skills are emphasized
and integrated in both inpatient and
ambulatory clinical settings.
In the fourth year, the Pathway program
lets students gain career experience in
a general professional or a disciplinespecific
Pathway of their choice.
Years
One and Two: Two Distinct Paths

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Interdisciplinary Foundations of Medicine
(IFM)
Physicians face situations like the one
described above every day. They
don’t look at the patient’s anatomy,
physiology, and biochemistry in
isolation; they look at the whole
patient. Essentially, the approach
they take is interdisciplinary. Our
Interdisciplinary Foundations of
Medicine (IFM) curriculum takes the
same approach, presenting the core
content of the basic, behavioral, and
clinical sciences in interdisciplinary,
symptom-focused modules in years
one and two.
Each first-year module focuses on
clinical symptoms and features relevant
material from the perspective of several
basic and behavioral science disciplines.
Topics include abnormal amniocentesis,
suspicious lump, muscle weakness,
weight loss, chest pain, shortness of
breath, failure to thrive, abdominal
pain, missed menstrual period, and
gunshot wound.
The time and place:
1:34 p.m., emergency room at
Hahnemann University Hospital
The case:
A man arrives with a gunshot wound to the lower spine.His blood pressure
is dropping quickly; his pulse is thready. Within only a
few moments, his pupils become fixed and unresponsive.
The problem:
What basic science and clinical medicine does the medical team need
to know to stabilize this patient? |
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A traditional medical school curriculum
offers one course in anatomy, another
in biochemistry, and so on, and presents
them as separate, independent units at
set times of the year. Our IFM
curriculum integrates the material
presented by these courses into modules
of three to five weeks in length
throughout the year, using patient
symptoms as the organizing theme.
For example, the gunshot wound module
opens by presenting students with the
case of a patient wounded in the lower
spine by a gunshot. As the module
progresses, students learn the anatomical
issues pertinent to the lower spine,
neuroscience issues relevant to the
central nervous system, and approaches
to diagnosis and treatment of spinal
cord problems. They also learn about
related psychosocial issues, such as violence,
death and grief, sexual functioning
for patients with spinal cord injury, and
the necessary associated clinical skills.
By the end of the first year, the basic
and behavioral science courses have
presented their entire core content,
integrating it with related material in
other disciplines, rather than in separate,
compartmentalized units.
In addition to the basic science courses,
modules include clinical lectures and
small-group discussions on issues such
as medical ethics, communication
skills, cultural competence, nutrition,
occupational and environmental health,
disease prevention, professionalism,
women’s health, and geriatrics.
IFM students also spend time away
from campus at community- and
hospital-based clinical and volunteer
sites. In the second year, students study
basic and clinical sciences using an
organ-system approach structured in
clinically focused modules.
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Program for Integrated Learning
(PIL)
Students who choose the Program for
Integrated Learning (PIL) track learn
in small groups rather than through
traditional lectures. During their first
two years of medical school, students
analyze patient case descriptions along
with a faculty facilitator. Each case
enables students to identify a specified
set of learning objectives in focused
science disciplines emphasized in a 10-
week block. Each block is built around
a framework of discipline-specific learning
objectives assembled by the faculty.
The cases are derived from real patient
cases and serve as stimulus and context
for students to search out the information
they need to understand, diagnose,
and treat clinical problems.
There are seven 10-week blocks over
two years. Each block contains 10 case
studies detailing real patient issues
related to the topics of the block
(e.g., anatomy). The fourth block is
a primary-care practicum, allowing
students real-world experience with a
community-based physician and in a
community service project. Statistics,
ethics, law, basic sciences, behavioral
sciences, community medicine, and
clinical skills are integrated through
all of the blocks.
PIL students learn all the basic science
material their IFM classmates do, but
in a different way. They identify what
information they need to learn using
an interdisciplinary approach to the
facts of each case. Developing the
ability to identify the information they
need is critical to the PIL approach.
After determining the essential information,
PIL students independently
select resources from a preliminary list
provided by the faculty of the focused
discipline. Starting from the facultysuggested
resources, students are
expected to identify additional
resources that will assist in the learning
process. These include textbooks,
journal articles, electronic information
sources, faculty members, and
laboratory work. Students also attend
structured labs and faculty-presented
resource sessions that add to their
knowledge base and assist in the
selection of appropriate materials.
The time and place:
3 p.m., St.Christopher’s Hospital
for Children
The case:
A 9-year-old boy has been brought in
unconscious.The only information
provided to the medical team is an
advance phone call from the boy’s
mother who said,"Billy passed out
like before. I don’t know what’s
wrong with him. Please help me."
The problem:
Diagnose Billy's medical crisis and
explain why it happened based on
basic and clinical science knowledge. |
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Each small group is composed of up to
eight students and one faculty facilitator.
Group members and the faculty
facilitator change after each block to
allow for diversity of experience,
education, and personal background.
All PIL small groups work on the same
case at the same time. Faculty facilitators
ensure an equal educational experience
for each group while allowing each
group and individual to work at their
maximum potential.
Sharing information, concept mapping,
evaluation, and giving and receiving
feedback are essential facets of the
curriculum. The group experience gives
each student practice in working as a
member of a team and in collaborative
problem solving. At the completion of
the first two years, students will have
acquired important skills and gained
the knowledge that forms the foundation
of medicine.
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Years
Three and Four

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Year 3: The Clerkship Year
In the third year, students work with
faculty members in metropolitan
centers, working-class neighborhoods,
suburbs, inner city areas, and rural
communities.
This year — which starts with
Intersession I – Transition to the Clinical
Years — is devoted to required clinical
clerkships in medicine, family medicine,
obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics,
psychiatry, and surgery. Regardless of
where the clerkships take place, all
embody the following principles:
- Common curricular objectives at
all clinical sites – Students receive
comparable experiences on their
clinical rotations
- Ambulatory-care requirement –
Students spend a minimum of 30
percent of their clinical time in
expanded ambulatory-care
experiences on the six basic
clerkships. These experiences
include patient encounters in office
practice sites, clinics, outpatient
- Interdisciplinary teaching – Each
clerkship incorporates the concept
of interdisciplinary teaching by
facilitating interaction with
representatives of other departments
or service areas
- Basic science integration – Each
clerkship integrates the teaching of
basic sciences into clinical material
Each clerkship location has an associate
director on site who works closely with
a clerkship director at the College of
Medicine to ensure that the principles
are all being met and that students at
all clinical sites are receiving a comparable
educational experience. Clinical
faculty participating in the clerkships,
as well as clerkship directors at the
College of Medicine, are available for
student assistance and counseling. Each
clinical department maintains an active
faculty group for ongoing curriculum
review and revision. Our faculty
members have frequent contact with
third- and fourth-year students and visit
the various clinical sites regularly.
Third- and fourth-year students log
their patient and procedure experiences
into a PDA or Web-enabled cell phone
(which is required of all third- and
fourth-year students) for frequent
review by College of Medicine faculty.
Residency Match:
College of Medicine students are able
to realize their goals and attain successful
residency matches because of the
close consultation they share with their
Pathway advisors, the Career Development
Center, and the Dean’s Office.
Visit http://webcampus.drexelmed.edu/admissions/matchplacement.asp to view a list of typical residency placements. |
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Year 4: The Pathways
Year
The fourth-year curriculum is structured
in the form of Pathways — courses that
give students a well-rounded
educational experience with a focus
on potential careers. Many students
choose a discipline-specific Pathway.
Others who want a more broad-based
experience choose the General
Professional Pathway. All students
have an advisor who works closely
with them throughout the fourth year.
Each Pathway allows the student to
balance the structure and flexibility
of his/her learning needs, prepares the
student to enter postgraduate training
with confidence, and maximizes the
guidance and counseling available
from preceptors.
Pathways help students focus their
preparation for graduate medical
education and careers. They also give
students experience in fields of interest
other than the one that is likely to be
their career path as they continue their
medical education. The Pathway system
is structured so that students take both
required courses and electives. Four
course rotations are required: a
sub-internship in internal medicine, a
clerkship in neurology, an additional
course specific to the Pathway chosen,
and Intersession II – Transition to
Residency. Students also choose 22
weeks of elective courses in close consultation
with their Pathway advisors.
Fourth-year students have opportunities
to do up to 12 weeks of elective rotations
at hospitals and sites that are not
Drexel clinical affiliates, including international
rotations.
Examples of the College of Medicine’s
26 discipline-specific Pathways:
- Anesthesiology
- Emergency Medicine
- Dermatology
- Family Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Neurology
- Obstetrics/Gynecology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedics
- Otolaryngology
- Pathology
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Women’s Health
Students benefit from the counseling
and advice of their specific departmental
Pathway advisor in course selection.
The advisor is also critical in each
student’s planning leading up to the
residency match (see green box on the left side).
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Visit http://www.drexelmed.edu/Home/Admissions/MDProgram.aspx to
get to the Admissions to the M.D. Program website. |