Learning Objectives of the MD Curriculum

Curriculum Committee, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Revised October 2002

The curriculum for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is intended to foster the acquisition of those skills, areas of knowledge, and personal attitudes, values, and qualities that the faculty considers to be essential for attainment of the MD degree. These are as follows:

Skills

1. Conduct effective patient interviews and obtain a complete medical history using appropriate communication skills
2. Perform accurate general and organ system-focused physical examinations
3. Demonstrate interpersonal skills that build rapport and empathic communication with patients and their families. Address sensitive issues in an effective, compassionate, nonjudgmental manner
4. Select and interpret appropriate laboratory and diagnostic studies in evaluations of patients
5. Synthesize and analyze data from the history, physical examination, and diagnostic studies to formulate problem lists, working hypotheses, differential diagnoses, and plans for evaluation and treatment
6. Communicate data effectively to colleagues through organized and concise verbal and written presentations
7. Apply cost/benefit and risk/benefit information to patient-care decisions
8. Demonstrate competence in the performance of basic medical and surgical procedures
9. Effectively educate and counsel patients and families using sound principles for changing patients' behaviors in order to promote and improve their health
10. Work effectively in inpatient and ambulatory settings, including managed-care groups and with underserved populations
11. Function as a member of a healthcare team to deliver coordinated and continuous care
12. Recognize and triage emergency medical conditions
13. Effectively access, retrieve, manage, and utilize information resources
14. Critically evaluate published literature
15. Manage and organize time, and prioritize workload

Areas of Knowledge

1. Biologic principles and mechanisms of normal reproduction, growth, development, maturation, and aging
2. Cellular and organ systems structure, function, and organization
3. Molecular and cellular mechanisms as they relate to disease
4. Human behavior as it relates to wellness and disease
5. Etiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and natural history of disease
6. Interpretation and scientific basis of diagnostic modalities, including their limitations, cost/benefit and risk/benefit aspects
7. Principles of and the relative advantages and disadvantages of various therapeutic modalities, including surgery, pharmacology, physical rehabilitation, mental health care, behavioral modification, and complementary and alternative practices, as applied to common clinical situations
8. Principles and practice of preventive medicine
9. Principles of public health and community medicine
10. Medical ethics
11. Medical-decision analysis
12. Medical/social economics
13. Healthcare delivery systems
14. Medical information systems
15. Quality improvement

Personal Qualities, Values, and Attributes

1. Personal integrity, dependability, and responsibility
2. Intellectual curiosity and commitment to lifelong learning
3. Appreciation of the importance of scientific inquiry, scientific methods, and scholarship as routes to new knowledge
4. Appreciation of and ability to deal with uncertainty
5. Willingness to re-examine existing premises and assumptions
6. Commitment to teaching students, peers, and patients
7. Understanding of the primacy of physicians' responsibility to and concern for the welfare of their patients
8. Awareness of potential conflicts between physicians' responsibilities to the patient and to society
9. Respect for patients' rights and privacy concerns
10. Respectful and compassionate attitude toward patients, families, and health professionals, with sensitivity to cultural, economic, gender, and ethnic differences.
11. Commitment to involve patients and their families in the decision-making process
12. Collegial acceptance of scrutiny of professional practice and of quality-improvement processes
13. Commitment to dealing with professional mistakes openly and honestly in ways that promote patient trust and self-learning
14. Awareness of and concern for the costs of practicing medicine with a commitment to minimizing costs without compromising patient care