Boston University School of Medicine

Boston University School of Medicine Academics

4-year semimodern. First year: The first-year curriculum presents a study of man in a biopsychosocial model. Courses are offered in the traditional biologic disciplines that lead to an understanding of normal structure and function of the human body. A first semester course in psychiatry and second semester courses in sociomedical sciences, biostatistics, and epidemiology are given. Second year: The first semester is devoted to an interdisciplinary course, Biology of Disease, a systems-based pathophysiology course in which emphasis on the clinical sciences is closely integrated with the basic sciences. Two courses, Integrated Problems and Introduction to Clinical Medicine, are given throughout the first 2 years of the curriculum. In the second year of Introduction to Clinical Medicine, communication skills are reinforced and techniques of physical examination are introduced. Third year: This clinical year is composed of the traditional clerkships. Fourth year: The fourth year is composed of required 4-week courses on the home medical service (geriatrics), neurology, radiology, ambulatory medicine (primary care), and a subinternship. The remaining 20 weeks of electives are scheduled at each student’s discretion.