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Educational Objectives of the School of Medicine

Broadly stated, the educational objectives of the School of Medicine are:

• To educate students intensively and broadly in the clinical and scientific aspects of medicine.

• To prepare students to engage in a lifetime of learning in order that they may successfully adapt to the changing world around them.

• To achieve a high level of professional competence and social awareness.

• To provide opportunities for students at every level of training to pursue areas of special interest for intellectual stimulation and/or career advancement.

• To encourage the development of highly competent primary care physicians, clinical specialists and scholars in basic and clinical research, teaching and academic administration.

Graduate programs are offered at the master’s and doctoral levels in the basic sciences. There is a baccalaureate program in medical and research technology, a master’s program in physical therapy, a master’s program in genetic counseling, as well as a number of interdisciplinary programs with both service and research components.

In an effort to nurture more interest in basic research and to meet the increasing demand for physician-scientists, the school offers a combined MD/PhD program in 10 medical disciplines and an MD/MS program in preventive medicine. Although the schedule can be flexible, MD/PhD students typically complete the freshman and sophomore years of medical school, enroll as graduate students until PhD completion, and then begin their clinical clerkships. Combined MD/PhD degree studies can be completed within six-to-eight years.

Medical students in the track leading to the MD/MS in preventive medicine may complete the dual-degree program in five years. The fifth year is counted fully as one year of preventive medicine residency training by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. A new MD/MPH program has been approved and details about that program can be found at this link. (PDF)

Continuing education programs are sponsored for practicing physicians throughout the region.

The ties between the medical school and affiliated hospitals enrich and enhance both medical education and health care. All physicians practicing at the University of Maryland Medical System and at the Faculty Professional Building have School of Medicine faculty appointments and are actively involved in the educational process in addition to supervising residency training for more than 600 postgraduate positions at the University Hospital and affiliated hospitals. The Medical System includes a 669-bed teaching hospital, the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center and R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center on campus, as well as the James Lawrence Kernan and University Specialty Hospitals off campus.

Medical care and education are further enhanced by the location of the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center on this campus in a new state-of–the-art hospital adjacent to the School of Medicine and the University Hospital. Together, these facilities serve as the major clinical training sites as well as a source of comprehensive health care for the local community and the state. The school also has established clinical affiliations throughout the region, giving students unusual flexibility in clinical experiences.

The School of Medicine offers students an excellent spectrum of resources and field experiences. Located along the Baltimore-Washington corridor, the school is in the midst of a great concentration of health care institutions, research centers, government agencies and professional associations.

 

Last Revision: August 26, 2008