1st Year Course Overview

Fundamentals of Patient Care

The College of Medicine is organized around an Integrated Curriculum that is designed to help students learn preclinical medicine in a way that will better prepare them for patient care. Students study systems of the human body from molecular processes to macroscopic structure in year-long themes that include Structure & Function, Homeostasis & Regulation, Food & Fuel, and Fundamentals of Patient Care. The Fundamentals of Patient Care (FPC) theme is directed by faculty from the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and focuses on several areas of professional training and physician development:

  • Medical Interviewing
  • Physical Diagnosis
  • Medically-Relevant Behavioral Science
  • Professionalism and Career Planning

Content within each theme is organized around the bodily system being studied within a particular block. For example, during the Musculoskeletal Block, FPC topics include physical examination of the limbs and introduction to acute and chronic pain.

The FPC theme uses a combination of lectures, small group seminars, Simulation Center activities, mentoring by community physicians, interaction with standardized patients, and clinical demonstrations to facilitate student learning. In addition, students begin their participation in the Senior Mentor Program during the second semester of FPC.