Understanding the Curriculum

The 4 year MD program at SGU has two parts: the preclinical component, consisting of the first two years of medical school, and the clinical clerkship, which is done during years 3 and 4. The first of three medical board exams (USMLE Step 1) is taken after completion of year 2. The second board exam (USMLE Step 2) is taken after year 4. Finally, your third board exam, USMLE Step 3, is taken after your intern year, also known as post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1).

The preclinical curriculum at SGU is fairly straightforward and taught in a traditional systems-based format.

Preclinical Year 1

Term 1 (17 cr):

1. Human Gross and Developmental Anatomy (8 cr)
2. Medical Biochemistry (5 cr)
3. Histology and Cell Biology (4 cr)
4. Objective Structured Clinical Examination (0 cr)

Term 2 (17 cr)

1. Medical Genetics and Genomics (2 cr)
2. Bioethics and the Professional: Medicine in Society I (1 cr)
3. Immunology (2 cr)
4. Neuroscience (5 cr)
5. Physiology (6 cr)
6. Topics in Community and Preventative Medicine: Medicine in Society II (1 cr)

Preclinical Year 2

Term 3 (6 cr)

1. Behavioral Sciences in Medicine (6 cr)

Term 4 (23 cr)

1. Communication and Physical Diagnosis (3 cr)
2. Microbiology (5 cr)
3. Parasitology (1 cr)
4. Pathology (13 cr)
5. Medical Nutrition (1 cr)

Term 5 (23 cr)

1. Introduction to Clinical Medicine (3 cr)
2. Pathophysiology (12 cr)
3. Basic Science Foundation for Clinical Reasoning (2 cr)
4. Pharmacology (6 cr)

It's worth noting that these credit designations are not in line with emphasis on the USMLE. For example, the most important class from term 1 is biochemistry, although anatomy is given more emphasis on SGU's grading scale. By reputation, anatomy and pathology are the two most difficult academic courses at SGU.

Clinical Clerkships Years 3 and 4

The clerkships are comprised of 80 weeks of in-hospital medical training. These years are designed to acclimatize students with the rigors of working as physicians, as well as ingraining a sense of responsibility in treating patients. Every student is graded by their attending physician on clinical rotations. Students need to perform well in rotations that they are interested in specializing into, in order to gain letters of recommendations from their supervising physicians. 

Each MD student must complete 42 weeks of core rotations, which include: 

• Pediatrics (6 wks)
• Surgery (12 wks)
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (6 wks)
• Psychiatry (6 wks)
• Internal Medicine (12 wks)

After core rotations, students complete rotations in:

• Family Medicine (4 wks)
• Medicine Sub-internship (4 wks)
• Medicine Elective (4 wks)
• Pediatric Sub-internship or elective (4 wks)

To complete the remaining weeks of clinical requirements, students must complete elective rotations, at a minimum of 22 weeks. Most students do elective rotations after core rotations. The availability of electives vary with each hospital, and are also dependent on your personal preference of location. The order in which you complete each rotation is also dependent on each hospital.