Three Rivers Curriculum
At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM), students in the MD curriculum participate in a learner-centered, active, integrated, competency-based medical education supported by faculty, staff, and other students who genuinely care about everyone’s success. In the foundational science segment, students primarily utilize small group, case-based learning experiences with longitudinal educators and clinical skills preceptors who they work with for months, with content integrated both horizontally and vertically, frequent low-stakes assessments, and “flex weeks” to allow for enrichment.
Our clinical learning experiences utilize cutting edge teaching sites at our clinical affiliates, particularly UPMC, with an early entrance to clerkships and hundreds of elective opportunities. Every student completes a longitudinal research project and a community engagement experience, and key threads (social medicine, leadership, clinical reasoning, interprofessional education) help prepare our students to practice the medicine of the future today.
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Mission of the MD Curriculum At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, we want to develop physician leaders and agents of change. Recognizing that our students are a diverse group with multiple talents and backgrounds, we commit to helping them flourish in varied careers in interprofessional teams. We foresee leaders in science, education, clinical care and administration. We expect to see our students improve patients’ health and quality of life and promote the health of communities. They will develop scientific breakthroughs, teach future physicians, make health care more equitable and accessible for patients, and eliminate health disparities. To that end, we will create active, self-directed and lifelong learners with excellent foundations in health sciences and clinical medicine. |
Foundations (1.5 years)
- Keystone Fundamentals: (Fall MS1) - core knowledge and clinical skills that are important to being a physician and with deep connections to society. Course content builds knowledge complexity as students grow their conceptual framework and clinical exposure.
- Organ Systems: (Spring MS1 & Fall MS2) The second and third semester organ block cultivate a deeper recognition of the interconnectedness of the body’s biological systems with a focus on normal physiology and pathophysiology.
- Patient Centered Care: (Fall MS1, Spring MS1, Fall MS2) This longitudinal course focuses on growing students’ clinical skills including patient interviewing, exam skills, and medical procedures. Settings include hospital/clinic sites and classroom sessions.
- Community Alliance Program (CAP): CAP is an innovative program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) which aims to value community centered engagement.
- Longitudinal Alliance Program (LAP): LAP involves students building individual relationships with patients living with chronic illnesses over a period of years
Clerkships (1 Year)
Provides students with essential experiences to apply knowledge as you develop competence in the care of patients. These rigorous and valuable clinical experiences provide the clinical knowledge and skills for STEP2CK and prepare students for success in residency. Numerous elective clerkships enable students to tailor the educational experience in alignment with your individual professional and personal goals.
Bridges (1.5 Years)
Differentiation and depth of knowledge are the unique features of this advanced phase of the clinical curriculum. Students dedicate more time to the transition to residence including specialization, clinical skills, scope of experience, and areas of concentration unique to an individual’s interest.
Flex Weeks (6 Weeks)
The overarching commitment of the Professional Development course Flex Week program is to provide dedicated time for students to deepen existing skills, discover new strengths, and build the experiential capabilities that will propel them forward in their medical career progression. Students have the opportunity to choose from structured activities or to create their own customized experiences spanning professional enrichment, research, shadowing, academic remediation, and wellbeing.
Programs
Community Alliance Program (CAP)
The Community Alliance Program (CAP) is an innovative program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) that aims to value community-centered engagement. CAP partners with community organizations to engage students and faculty in communities of practice that center on community strengths and community-directed goals. Each group of 4-10 students will forge an alliance with a community partner organization to learn and support the work of the partner during the first 15 months of their medical school experience.
CAP hopes to facilitate the development of our students’ professional identity which highlights trustworthiness, cultural responsiveness, restorative practices, and a strength-based mindset to carry throughout their careers.
Longitudinal Alliance Program (LAP)
The Longitudinal Alliance Program (LAP) involves students building individual relationships with patients living with chronic illnesses over a period of years. Students get to know their LAP patients in clinical and non-clinical settings to hear about patient perspectives on health and health care and see how health conditions evolve over time. Students debrief their LAP interactions during small group meetings with a Faculty Facilitator. The program also involves hearing from non-physician health care professionals to deepen our knowledge of interprofessional roles in patient care.
Longitudinal Professional Enrichment Courses (PECs)
A Professional Enrichment Course provides well-structured, rigorous and high-quality experiences in areas not typically available to students. While the majority of PECs are offered during the Flex Weeks, there are a few opportunities to take a longitudinal course.
Streams
Streams are like “minors” for students who are “majoring” in medicine but want an in-depth experience in specific content or skill areas to round out their training.These programs are flexibly designed to allow students to complete requirements around the regular curriculum, culminating in a mark of distinction on their academic record.
Threads (1.5 Years)
Threads are prioritized themes that are integral to cultivating physicians who are devoted to practice and with deep connections to society. Threads include clinical reasoning, interprofessional education (e.g., clinical team management), social medicine, and leadership (including self-awareness and self-management skills). Longitudinal integration of Threads across three semesters allows student to engage with content and skillset both regularly and with increased nuance as a student’s clinical experience and life experience grows.
Certificate Programs
The Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) and Community Service Certificate are the two primary certificates offered through OMED.
Dual Degree and Research Training Programs
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine offers a range of dual degree programs and structured research training programs that allow students to integrate medical education with advanced scholarly training and pursue careers in research, leadership, and academic medicine.