With our dedication to academic and clinical excellence and our historic commitment to diversity, Drexel has earned national recognition as an innovator in medical education.
Students acquire a firm foundation in the biomedical sciences and clinical medicine. Within the rigorous academic program, students have a choice of two curricular tracks based on different learning styles — 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. 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. We are committed to preparing "physican healers" — doctors who practice the art as well as the science and skill of medicine.
View course descriptions.
Meet M.D. program graduate Amber Bird.
Learning to Think Like a Physician
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.
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 Assessment Center (CEAC) and in the new Independence Blue Cross Medical Simulation Center. Students work with standardized patients and high-tech simulated 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.
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."
Our Innovative Approach
Year 1 and 2 – Choosing a Track
Recognizing that students have different learning styles, Drexel offers two distinct tracks during the first two years – IFM (Interdisciplinary Foundations of Medicine) and PIL (Program for Integrated Learning).
Learn more about Year 1 and 2.
Year 3
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.
Learn more about Year 3.
Year 4
In the fourth year, the Pathway program lets students gain career experience in a general professional or a discipline specific Pathway of their choice.
Learn more about Year 4.
View course descriptions.
Back to Top