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Doctor of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine Program

PROGRAM MISSION

The Doctor of Medicine program will recruit, support, and develop a diverse and representative healthcare and research workforce from East Texas, focused on reducing health disparities in East Texas.

PROGRAM VISION

The School of Medicine's vision is to improve the quality of life and reduce health disparities in our rural region by training diverse, committed and culturally competent physician leaders who work cooperatively with interprofessional teams to develop innovative, value-based healthcare systems; provide the highest quality care; discover novel treatments and improve processes; and partner with the community to address social determinants of health.

CORE VALUES

  • Perseverance - Persisting in pursuit of success, despite any obstacles
  • Excellence - Refusing to accept anything but the best in all we do
  • Respect - Remembering due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights and traditions of all
  • Community - Promoting a feeling of fellowship with others by focusing on our common attitudes, interests and goals
  • Creativity - Using our imagination to generate novel ideas to solve the health disparities of East Texas
  • Service - Transformational, service-focused leadership in achieving daring goals

PROGRAM GOALS

Graduates of the MD program will be committed and culturally competent physicians who will work cooperatively to improve the quality of life and reduce health disparities in our rural region. 

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES (PLO)

Link to learning outcomes.

PROGRAM ADMISSION PREREQUISITES 

Program perquisites for the MD program are:

Biology 11 semester hrs. required, 2 of which must be labs
Physics 8 semester hrs. required, 2 of which must be labs
Chemistry

12 semester hrs. to include one of the following course combinations:

  • 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry and 1 semester hour of General Inorganic Chemistry (for a total of 9 semester hrs with three labs)
  • 2 semesters of General Inorganic Chemistry and one semester of Organic Chemistry (for a total of 9 semester hrs with three labs)
Biochemistry 3 semester hrs. of Biochemistry
English 3 semester hrs. of composition-based English
Math 3 semester hrs. of Statistics
  • Prerequisite courses must be completed with a “C” or better.
  • All prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university.
  • AP and online credit and/or coursework for prerequisite courses is accepted.  We encourage students to take traditional coursework. AP Credit will be accepted only if the school granting the credit lists the specific course(s) and number of credit hours granted per course on an official transcript. Online coursework must be from an accredited institution. 
  • Prerequisites must be completed prior to matriculation.
  • Pass/Fail Coursework will be accepted for prerequisites courses taken during Spring 2020 to Fall 2021 semesters.

PROGRAM ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To be admitted to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program, a student must meet the following criterion and receive voting approval from the Admissions Committee. 

  1. Submit completed application through the Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Services (TMDSAS). 
  2. College transcripts: minimum of 3.0 in last 30 hours of BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math) courses.
  3. MCAT: minimum score of 492 using the confidence cut-off from the past 5 years will be used in the evaluation process.
  4. Essays
  5. Letters of recommendation: minimum of 3 letters or 1 Health Professions Committee Letter/Packet with the option to submit one additional letter. 
  6. Submit completed secondary application.
  7. Completion of the CASPer Situational Judgment Test (SJT) through Acuity.
  8. Completion of the Duet profile through Acuity. 
  9. Prerequisite Courses (see Program Prerequisites section).
  10. Candidates chosen for an interview will participate in two distinct interview types: multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) and a group exercise.  

DESCRIPTION OF COURSE OFFERINGS 

The School of Medicine (SOM) integrative curriculum design focuses on training future generations of physicians to address issues of health equity and associated public health disparities in rural communities. From the case-based and team-based learning to the distinction pathways, every element intends to focus students on the distinct challenges of 21st-century health in rural communities and to engage students’ creativity in solving those challenges. Student learning is enhanced and reinforced through interprofessional education/experiences spanning the four-year curricular continuum and opportunities to pursue individualized pathways reflecting student interest. This pioneering integrated educational program incorporates guided, self-directed learning, education on health care delivery systems, and emphasis on health: community, occupational and preventive.

Curriculum Overview by Year

Phase 1 - Scientific Foundations

65 weeks: instructional plans focus upon the foundational scientific and clinical knowledge scaffolding essential to the clinical practice of medicine. 

Phase 2 - Clinical Experiences

Phase 2 consists of 49 weeks of clinical instruction and a transition week, 36 weeks of core requirements, and eight weeks of specialty selective course options 4 weeks in IM and 4 weeks in Surgery.

Phase 3 - Clinical Practice and Scholarship

59 weeks: 16 weeks of clinical rotation requirements, 16 weeks of clinical or research electives, 12 weeks of individualized pathway experiences, 10 weeks independent study, two-week transition to Phase3, and a two-week intensive residency preparation experience.

Teaching Outstanding Physician Skills (TOPS)

The Teaching Outstanding Physician Skills curriculum provides an understanding of the physician's role in the clinical setting and the community through mentored 4- year longitudinal small group and clinical learning experiences. During phase1, the course focuses on patient/physician relationship, history taking, physical exam, patient write-ups and presentations, clinical reasoning, and developing as a professional, patient-centered, empathetic, and inclusive physician. 

Interprofessional Education (IPE)

The IPE curriculum will fulfill the school’s vision by producing physicians with interprofessional collaborative practice preparation. The longitudinal curriculum immerses learners in interprofessional inquiry, application, and leadership to yield measurable impact and outcomes. Core competencies guide the learning activities in Values/Ethics for Interprofessional Practice, Roles/Responsibilities, Leadership, Communication and Teams, and Teamwork. The focus will be on achieving maximum effectiveness and efficacy from the synergy of interprofessional team members who bring complementary skills and perspectives to the problems associated with improving population health. During year one, medical students learn with an interprofessional team of students from nursing, pharmacy, and Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Health Administration (MHA) students. During phase 2, plans are for students to complete the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) modules and interprofessional project work associated with each clerkship. Years three and four are under development. 

Population Health and System Science (PHSS)

Population Health and System Science (PHSS) is a longitudinal course during Phase 1 that will include the following components: Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, Health Policy, Administration and Management, Social & Behavioral Aspects of Community Health, as well as Environmental and Occupational Health. The certificate program will offer most of the instruction (85% to 100%) via a blend of live video conferencing and online learning and may include occasional face-to face meetings (no more than 15% of instruction) at the HSC for hands-on experiential learning activities. The credit hours would be allowed to transfer into the MPH degree program should students subsequently wish to complete the full MPH degree.

The Phase 1 scientific foundations curriculum consists of seven sequential courses and three longitudinal courses spanning the first 18 months of the medical education program - Seasons (9 weeks), Balance (10 weeks), Nutrition (9 weeks),  Regulation (10 weeks), Defense (10 weeks), Invaders (10 weeks) and Uniqueness (7 weeks) plus PHSS, TOPS, and IPE (see below). The Phase 2 Clinical Experiences consists of four 12-week blocks. Phase 3 Clinical Practice and Scholarship is 16 months in duration and begins with a 10-week designated period for study and consolidation of learning, preparation, and sitting for licensure examinations.  Phase 3 will complete the medical education program's goals and objectives and includes 16 weeks of required clinical rotations, 16 weeks of clinical or research electives, 12 weeks for scholarly pursuits, a two-week residency preparation experience, and residency interviews.

MD Curriculum

Link to curriculum schematic.