Responding to the challenges of medical education, the College of Medicine embarked on a new strategy, the Problem Based Learning approach. This is an innovative approach in which students tackle problems in small groups under the supervision of a tutor. Once presented with a problem, the student is expected to undergo the following processes: hypothesis generation, inquiry, data analysis and decision-making. By observing a scientific process of reasoning, the student will learn in context and integrate the subject matter around professionally relevant problems. Being student-centered, this self-directed learning strategy aims to:
a. enhance the individual’s intrinsic motivation to learn
b. enable the student to acquire the following:
problem solving skills
interpersonal skills
There will be learning blocks, with the following schedule:
YEAR I
BLOCK I: MEDICINE: SCIENCE, ART, CAREER – 2 weeks
BLOCK II: UNDERSTANDING HEALTH AND DISEASES – 2 weeks
BLOCK III: BASIC PRINCIPLES – 7 weeks
BLOCK IV: MUSCULOSKELETAL / INTEGUMENT – 4 weeks
BLOCK V: NEUROSCIENCE – 4 weeks
BLOCK VI: CVS / RESPIRATORY INTEGRATION – 7 weeks
BLOCK VII: DIGESTIVE / NUTRITION/METABOLISM – 5 weeks
BLOCK VIII: GENITO-URINARY AND ADRENALS – 3 weeks
COMMUNITY WORK COMMUNITY BASED LEADERSHIP PROGRAM I
RESEARCH I
This is a course on research methodology. Topics include ethical and legal considerations of research, research problem formulation and variable identification, study designs, review of literature, sampling and sample size estimation, data collection and presentation, and research work plan preparation. Hands-onexperience on commonly used software programs (EPI-Infor and SPSS) are provided. At the end of the academic year, the students in groups, present for approval one pharmacology-based and one community-based research protocol.
YEAR II
BLOCK IX: GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT – 7 weeks
BLOCK X: INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM – 3 weeks
BLOCK XI: DIGESTIVE SYSTEM – 7 weeks
BLOCK XII: CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM – 5 weeks
BLOCK XIII: RESPIRATORY SYSTEM – 5 weeks
BLOCK XIV: REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM – 7 weeks
COMMUNITY WORK
COMMUNITY BASED LEADERSHIP PROGRAM II
RESEARCH II
This is a course on tools for data analysis, evaluation of diagnostic procedures, and reading and critical evaluation of medical literature. The students conduct the approved group research protocols and present the research paper in a year-end research forum.
YEAR III
BLOCK XV: THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM – 4 weeks
BLOCK XVI: ENDOCRINE SYSTEM, GENETICS – 5 weeks
BLOCK XVII: NEURO-PSYCHIATRY – 8 weeks
BLOCK XVIII: HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM – 5 weeks
BLOCK XIX: URINARY SYSTEM – 6 weeks
BLOCK XX: SPECIAL SENSES – 5 weeks
COMMUNITY WORK COMMUNITY BASED LEADERSHIP PROGRAM III
COMMUNITY WORK LEGAL MEDICINE
RESEARCH III
This is a course on clinical based research. Students in groups present protocols for approval, conduct community based or hospital based clinical researches, and present the completed research studies in a year-end forum.
YEAR IV
Rotating Clinical Clerkship 365 days