Email this pageThe 'Double Helix' Curriculum
The Double Helix Curriculum captures the integrated strands of basic science and clinical medicine as they are woven throughout the four-year curriculum. Each element of the curriculum strengthens Rochester's biopsychosocial tradition by fostering knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors of the physician/scientist/humanist by combining cutting-edge, evidence-based medical science with the relationship-centered art that is Rochester's distinctive trademark. The new Rochester curriculum is uniquely designed to train lifelong learners of medicine. Special emphasis is placed on skills acquisition and use.
Double Helix Curriculum Map
Integration Across All Four Years
Every course is interdisciplinary: basic sciences are integrated with one another and basic and clinical sciences are woven together as the strands of the Double Helix Curriculum throughout the four years.
Biopsychosocial Model
Many of the applicants to the University of Rochester come because they have heard of the biopsychosocial model and they associate it with our medical school. The model was developed by Dr. George Engel who was a Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine. The biopsychosocial model takes into account the psychological, interpersonal and societal influences in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The components of the biopsychosocial model add to the purely biomedical model of clinical care which focuses on pathology and the mechanisms of disease and therapeutics. Rochester stands out by virtue of paying attention to the biopsychosocial aspects in conjunction with the biomedical principles in delivering clinical care, providing education, community service and conducting research.
Every Course Has Clearly Defined Objectives
Every course has learning objectives, a plan for enabling students to meet those objectives and appropriate assessment instruments to ensure that students have met the objectives. Emphasis is on integrated exams and evaluation formats that assess preparation, participation, critical thinking skills, knowledge application to problem solving, and professionalism.
Classroom Setting
Emphasis is on active student learning through the school-wide use of multidisciplinary PBL cases in all courses. Small group sessions consist of PBL, laboratories, conferences, seminars, and computer-assisted learning, which complement whole-class overview lectures.
Overall Educational Objectives
The curriculum is designed for students to acquire all the elements of a general medical education, providing them with strong foundations in the natural and social sciences basic to medicine, as well as professional attitudes and clinical skills -- all with a focus on launching a lifetime of continued learning.
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Clinical Setting
Clinical exposure begins during the first week of medical school. Students complete their Introduction to Clinical Medicine in the fall of year one and then participate in the Ambulatory Care Clerkship beginning their first spring semester. This experience, unlike any other in the country, includes the ambulatory components of family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, women's health, psychiatry, and ambulatory surgery, and is completed by the end of the second year.
Year three inpatient clerkships focus on acute care experiences in Adult Medicine (internal medicine and surgery), Women's and Children's Health (pediatrics and ob/gyn), Mind/Brain/Behavior (neurology and psychiatry),. There are three two-week Basic Science Blocks during the third year that reexamine basic science information and principles as they apply to the care of the patient.
Fourth-year students can choose from a wide variety of clinical electives. They also participate in the Community Health Improvement Clerkship, the Process of Discovery course, Emergency Medicine, a SubInternship and a Successful Interning course.
Electives
A wide variety of student enrichment programs complement the formal medical school curriculum. These experiences include:
- Community Outreach programs (educational tutoring, support, and volunteer activities)
- International medicine experiences (40 percent of Rochester students participate!)
- Student research (summer, elective, and year-out fellowships)
- Numerous Student Interest Groups
