Curriculum

B.A./M.D. and M.D. Curriculum

Medical students at the UMKC School of Medicine, enter the school through two programs – a 6-year combined B.A./M.D. program and a traditional 4-year graduate M.D. program. The programs merge during the Spring Semester of Year 2 of the B.A./M.D. program. 

Year 1 

Students in the B.A./M.D. program enter as college freshmen and spend the majority of their time on the Volker campus, completing a significant portion of the baccalaureate degree while being introduced to the basic medical sciences.

Didactic coursework

  • Fundamentals of Medicine series (I-IV): Introduces and builds on communication skills and learning to perform a patient-centered interview. These courses provide students with opportunities to learn more about themselves, their profession and further develop effective interviewing skills.
  • Lectures and activities are provided by specialists and/or medical docents (teaching physician) to guide students through professional identity formation and expand students’ knowledge and confidence when interacting with diverse patients and the patients’ loved ones.
  • Presentations on various medical symptoms and clinical findings are provided to integrate foundational medical concepts with medical history-taking and provide a format for learning about developing a differential diagnosis based on the patient’s history.

Clinical experiences

Clinical experiences begin immediately through the Year 1 and 2 docent team experience.
  • During docent team, students work with a team of 10-12 students from their cohort that meets for two hours each week with the docent at one of our partner hospitals located throughout the Kansas City area.
  • Information learned in the classroom is integrated throughout this clinical experience.

Additional learning

  • Interprofessional learning: Between years 1 and 2, students in the B.A./M.D. program participate in an online, asynchronous experience to learn more about the roles of non-physician professionals in the healthcare setting.

Year 2 B.A./M.D. and Year 1 M.D.

In the summer and fall of Year 2, B.A./M.D. students continue coursework to complete their undergraduate requirements and participate in the continuation of the Fundamentals of Medicine course series and Docent experience.

B.A./M.D. and M.D. integration

In the spring of Year 2, students in the B.A./M.D. program are joined by the M.D. students from the Kansas City Health Science District and St. Joseph campuses.
  • Together, they start the Human Structure Function Series. This is a four-course series that provides the basic science core curriculum for the medical program.
  • M.D. students also participate in Fundamentals of Medicine IV and a unique docent experience with their B.A./M.D. program peers.

Year 3 B.A./M.D. and Year 1 M.D.

Pre-clinical medical curriculum

Year 3 students complete a rigorous pre-clinical medical curriculum during this year, including:

  • Clinical neuroscience
  • Pathology course series
  • Medical microbiology
  • Clinical Practice of Medicine course series

Docents

At the Kansas City campus, students in the B.A./M.D. program (years 3-6) and M.D. program (years 1-4) form new docent teams of 12 students, led by a docent.

The docent experience features:

  • Continuity clinic clerkship: In the continuity clinic clerkship series, students will spend one-half day per week assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of patients in outpatient primary care clinics at an affiliate hospital. The clinical assignment provides continuity of patient care, as well as a wealth of clinical experience.
  • Mentorship: Year 3 B.A./M.D. and Year 1 M.D. students are partnered with a senior student who provides mentorship and guidance during years 3 and 4.

Year 4 B.A./M.D. and Year 2 M.D.

In Year 4, students transition from the traditional semester-based format to a block-based schedule, consisting of 13 four-week blocks.

Pre-clinical medical curriculum

Students will complete courses in the pre-clinical curriculum, including:

  • Pharmacology
  • Behavioral Sciences
  • The Patient, Physician and Society course series

Clinical clerkships

Students also begin clinical clerkships in Year 4, including:

  • Docent rotation: A 2-block clinical experience in inpatient medicine with the docent group
  • Family Medicine

Additional learning

  • Undergraduate requirements: Students in the B.A./M.D. program also complete their final undergraduate requirements this year.
  • Academic enrichment: Often, students use the additional time in Year 4 to pursue academic enrichment activities, such as service learning, quality improvement projects, and research experiences.
  • Continuity clinic clerkship: Students continue in the continuity clinic clerkship with their docent in Year 4.
  • USMLE Step 1: Students take Step 1 of the USMLE during Year 4 after completing the pre-clinical curriculum.

Year 5-6 B.A./M.D. and Year 3-4 M.D.

For the Kansas City campus, in the last two years, students participate in the core clinical curriculum. 

Required clerkships

  • General Surgery | 2 blocks
  • Internal Medicine (Docent Rotation -2) | 2 blocks
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology | 2 blocks
  • Pediatrics | 2 blocks
  • Psychiatry | 1 block
  • Emergency Medicine | 1 block
  • Internal Medicine (Docent Rotation – 3) | 2 blocks

Electives 

Students experience different medical specialties through elective experiences, including a required rotation in critical care.

Additional learning

  • Humanities selective
  • Continuity clinic clerkship: Students continue to participate in the continuity clinic clerkship.
  • USMLE Step 2: Students take Step 2 of the USMLE after completing the required core clerkships outlined above.

St. Joseph Regional Campus M.D. Curriculum

The St. Joseph curriculum aligns closely with the Kansas City curriculum in years 1-2 but incorporates a stronger emphasis on rural healthcare in years 3-4. Explore the unique curriculum differences. 

St. Joseph curriculum