The Duke University School of Medicine curriculum is unique. Students here learn the core basic sciences in the first year and complete core clinical clerkships in the second year. They devote 10 - 12 months to scholarly investigation and fulfill elective rotations in the third and fourth years. By condensing the traditionally structured training from four years into three, we provide students ample opportunity to pursue their own independent interests.
The goal of this curriculum is to encourage and entice students to pursue any of a wide range of careers – to become outstanding practitioners, medical educators, investigators, pioneers in global health, or healthcare administrators. The common theme is that we expect our graduates to be leaders. Our mission is to educate and empower students to succeed in their careers.

Innovations
We call our current education model The Foundation for Excellence Curriculum (click on the image to see the four-year curriculum). It’s the result of more than 40 years of innovative thinking about how to design the very best medical education.

In the 1960s, faculty leaders here at Duke began a bold experiment to increase the opportunities for medical students to tailor their education to serve students’ personal interests and career goals. That’s how we came to devise the first year’s four integrated basic science courses that are taught around organ systems, and to devote 10-to-12 months in scholarly experiences in biomedically related research.

Our students have patient contact early on – you’ll practice history-taking and physical exam skills on patients in the Duke Hospital wards, shadow physicians during the second half of the first year, and begin your clinical clerkships a full year earlier than your colleagues in other medical schools.

YEAR 1
Year 1 consists of four integrated basic science courses and the Practice course:

• Interprofessional Introduction to Prevention (attended together by students of medicine, physician assistant, and physical therapy) - 16-hour course
• Molecules and Cells (integration of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Cell Biology) – 6.5 weeks
• Normal Body (integration of Gross Anatomy, Micro Anatomy, Physiology) - 12.5 weeks
• Brain and Behavior (integration of neurobiology and Human Behavior)- 4 weeks
• Body and Disease (integration of Microbiology, Immunology, Pathology, and Pharmacology) – 20 weeks
• Practice – Doctor/patient relationships, interviewing, physical exam, basic counseling skills (4 hours/week for entire year

YEAR 2
The second year consists of an Orientation to Patient Safety and the Clinical Year (OPSCY), eight core clerkship rotations, a Health Policy/Global Health course, two Selective periods, the Practice course, and a summative Clinical Skills assessment.

The goals of the core clerkships include developing students’ skills in accurate patient-based problem-solving and appropriate use of resources to diagnose and treat patients. The core clerkship rotations include:

• Medicine (8 weeks)
• Surgery (8 weeks)
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (6 weeks)
• Pediatrics (6 weeks)
• Family Medicine (4 weeks)
• Psychiatry (4 weeks)
• Neurology (6 weeks)
• Radiology (6 weeks)
• Practice (4 hours every other week for entire year) – Advanced clinical themes (ethics, professionalism, end-of-life, etc.)

Elective periods include two two-week Selectives. These Selective periods provide an opportunity before the fourth year for students to learn about clinical subspecialties that are not covered by clerkships.

YEAR 3 and YEAR 4
During the third and fourth years, students spend 10 – 12 months of scholarly investigation and complete their clinical electives. Students have several options for completing these requirements.

12-month Scholarly Experience/Dual Degree

• 1 week of vacation at the end of the second year before starting
• 12 consecutive months of Scholarly Experience beginning according to the parameters of the scholarship/program; thesis/written summation required (student may request to interrupt the Scholarly Experience for one month to take a clinical elective, thereby extending the completion deadline for the Scholarly Experience by one month)
  • Preparation for and completion of Step 1 will occur on student’s own time and as allowed under parameters of scholarship/program
• Followed by 7 clinical electives and Capstone course (total of 32 credits of fourth year coursework)

11-month Scholarly Experience

• 1 week of vacation at the end of the second year before starting
• 4 weeks of Independent USMLE Step 1 Preparation; completion of Step 1 is recommended by the end of the Independent USMLE Step 1 Preparation period
  • If a student opts out of the Independent USMLE Step 1 Preparation, the student begins Scholarly Experience; and, preparation for and completion of Step 1 will be done on student’s own time and as allowed under parameters of scholarship/program
• The student may opt to complete 1 clinical elective before beginning the Scholarly Experience (completion of more than one clinical elective before the beginning of the Scholarly Experience would not allow time to complete any further clinical electives before the MSPE is finalized in the fourth year)
• 11 consecutive months of Scholarly Experience beginning according to the parameters of the scholarship/program; thesis/written summation required (student may request to interrupt the Scholarly Experience for one month to take a clinical elective, thereby extending the completion deadline for the Scholarly Experience by one month)
• 6 additional clinical electives (7 if none already completed) and Capstone course (total of 32 credits of fourth year coursework)

10-month Scholarly Experience

• 1 week of vacation at the end of the second year before starting
• 4 weeks of Independent USMLE Step 1 Preparation; completion of Step 1 is recommended by the end of the Independent USMLE Step 1 Preparation period
  • If a student opts out of the Independent USMLE Step 1 Preparation, the student begins Scholarly Experience; and, preparation for and completion of Step 1 will be done on student’s own time and as allowed under parameters of scholarship/program
• The student may opt to take 1, 2, or 3 clinical electives (Note: It is not recommended that students begin their Scholarly Experience in November unless the mentor confirms that the student will be actively engaged through the holiday season.)
• 10 consecutive months of Scholarly Experience; thesis/written summation required
• 4, 5 or 6 clinical electives (depending on how many are already completed) and four-week Capstone course (total of 32 credits of fourth year coursework)

Clinical Skills Assessment

• Clinical Skills Assessment will be integrated in the Fall following the completion of the second year. Students studying away for their Scholarly Experience will complete this requirement in the Fall of their fourth academic year.

Continuity Clinic

• Continuity Clinical will still occur within the Scholarly Experience unless the parameters of the student’s program do not allow for it, in which case the Continuity Clinic requirement must be met in the fourth year.

Medical Statistics

• Students will complete the classroom-based Medical Statistics course in January and February of their Scholarly Experience. Students who are studying away will complete online modules and exams during the same time frame. Students may request a waiver from Medical Statistics by presenting the course director the syllabus of a similar course already completed for her approval.

Sub-Internships

• Completion of Step 1 is recommended before beginning sub-internships for Academic Year 2011-2012, and will be required beginning Academic Year 2012-2013.

Additionally, students participate in a four-week required Capstone course in March that coincides with Match Day. The Capstone course provides an opportunity to bring the whole class together to cover topics such as:

• Clinical skills for internship
• Ethical issues
• Professionalism
• Communication Skills
• Advanced basic science principles
• Medical/legal issues
• Health systems
• Patient Safety
• Self-care