General Information
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is committed to creating physicians who are empowered to transform lives and inspired to serve our global community. Our program is thoughtfully crafted to provide students with the comprehensive knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to succeed and become transformational leaders in the vibrant and constantly advancing field of health care.
Accreditation
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is the official accrediting body for medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States and Canada. It is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). The Miller School of Medicine is fully accredited by the LCME.
Curriculum Requirements
The NextGenMD curriculum is divided into 3 phases. Phase 1 is the pre-clerkship curriculum, Phase 2 is the clerkship curriculum, and Phase 3 is the advanced post-clerkship curriculum.
Phase 1 provides a grounding in foundational and clinical science, health systems science, social determinants of health, core clinical skills, and professionalism. Phase 1 is completed over 14 months, inclusive of 2 months of summer capstone work. Phase 1 includes the Introduction to the Medical Profession (IMP) course, which includes a series of online modules and readings to prepare for in-person instruction and two weeks of an in-person introduction to the basic clinical skills, foundational principles, and professional behaviors relevant to the medical student. Biomedical Principles of Health (BMPH) is a multidisciplinary 9-week course which provides an overview of key concepts in genetics, cell physiology, pharmacology, autonomic nervous system, pathology, microbiology, and immunology. BMPH provides a foundation of basic science understanding supporting the organ system physiology and pathophysiology courses which follow. There are five Symptoms and Signs of Disease (SSD) courses, each focusing on two or more complementary disciplines in organ system anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and disease.
SSD1 Disciplines: Cardiovascular and Respiratory
SSD2 Disciplines: Respiratory and Renal
SSD3 Disciplines: Hematology and Gastroenterology/Hepatology/Nutrition
SSD4 Disciplines: Neurology, Psychiatry, Otolaryngology/Special Senses, and Dermatology
SSD5 Disciplines: Endocrinology, Reproductive Medicine, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal System
There are three Medicine as a Profession (MAP) courses in Phase 1 which focus on basic clinical skills, communication skills, professionalism, and qualities expected in a physician. The two Scholarly Concentration courses provide opportunities to pursue a dual degree or a scholarly pathway of emphasis. The pathways represent topics important to medicine from the humanities to basic sciences. Students can elect to follow their interests, gain knowledge, and participate in mentored scholarly and research activities. Phase 1 also includes three Milepost weeks that allow students to meet with longitudinal clinical educators, undergo clinical skills assessments, and take customized or comprehensive NBME exams.
- Practice of Medicine (inpatient/outpatient Internal Medicine and its subspecialties, Family Medicine, and Palliative Care) - 12 weeks.
- ER to OR (Surgery, Anesthesia, Emergency Medicine) - 12 weeks.
- Obstetrics/Gynecology - 6 weeks.
- Pediatrics - 6 weeks.
- Neurology (including Ophthalmology and Physical Medicine/Rehabilitation) - 6 weeks.
- Psychiatry - 6 weeks.
Medicine as a Profession courses (MAP 201, 202 and 203) are delivered longitudinally at pre-determined sessions during the integrated clinical clerkships and during two Milepost weeks.
At the end of Phase 2, students are provided dedicated time to prepare for and take USMLE Steps 1 and 2CK.
Phase 3 occurs over 17 months and is dedicated to career exploration, integrated science selectives, advanced clinical experiences, electives, a critical care experience, a sub-internship, and preparation for internship. Phase 3 also allows all students to work on their scholarly concentration. All students must select a Pathway of Emphasis for their scholarly work or obtain a dual degree from existing 4-8-year dual degrees program options. A select group of students who meet defined competencies can enter residency early after 3 years. Students have opportunities to explore their interests through a variety of elective experiences both at the University of Miami and other accredited medical schools. Below are the required courses in Phase 3.
1) Sub-Internship: The sub-internship (sub-I) experience offered during Phase 3 is intended to provide a learning experience for the students that prepares them to serve as competent interns and effective members of an interdisciplinary team. The sub-internship is a 4-week inpatient experience.
2) Advanced Integrated Science Selective: Phase 3 students are required to choose one selective (4 weeks duration) from a variety of integrated science options that explicitly translate foundational science to clinical practice and allow students to reinforce important foundational science concepts taught in Phase 1 and 2. These selectives emphasize interactive teaching methods and explore basic science topics that are related to students’ career choices or academic interests. This is a 4-week experience.
3) Advanced Clinical Experience (ACE): The student will be given the opportunity to exercise critical clinical thinking and patient care skills (e.g., diagnosis, prognosis, and management) while under the direct supervision of attending physicians and residents/fellows. Students follow the care of assigned patients with the attending physician. The students must be able to work up and manage the medical or surgical care of selected patients under the supervision of residents and attending physicians. This may include both outpatient and inpatient experiences and is 4 weeks in duration.
4) Elective: These courses are similar to ACE courses but are 2 weeks in length and more formative and experiential in nature. Students must complete 18 weeks (about 4 months) of ACE or elective courses.
5) Critical Care Selective: All students are required to complete a 2-week rotation in a critical care setting of their choice (Surgical ICU, Medical ICU, Cardiac ICU, Neonatal ICU, or Pediatric ICU) to become comfortable with the basic tenets of the care of acutely ill patients.
6) Transition to Residency: In the final semester of Phase 3, all students take a longitudinal didactic and experiential course to review content necessary for becoming an effective intern, with generic content for all senior medical students as well as specialty-specific course content. The course culminates in a 4-week in person experience at the end of the final semester of Phase 3.
7) Medicine as a Profession (301 and 302): In Phase 3, the MAP courses provide content specific to preparation for residency application and one-to-one meetings with longitudinal clinical educators to receive individualized guidance on the application process.
The Scholarly Concentration houses formalized research pathways and the Dual and Joint degree programs. Each student is required to either complete a second degree or participate in a pathway program, culminating in a capstone research project. The goal is to create well-rounded, transformational leaders in academic medicine through a formalized program of topical study paralleling every medical student's clinical training. Every student will learn the basics in practical applications of population health and gain a fundamental understanding of research methodology. There are several pathways and dual degree programs available to student. The Scholarly Concentrations research project culminates in the generation of a scholarly concentration portfolio comprising a written report and a public poster presentation in the final Spring semester.
Students enrolled in a dual or joint degree program must complete the MD curriculum and that of their second degree for graduation and therefore are not required to participate in a Pathway. These degree programs generally require at least 30 credits, including 3-6 credits for research; such activities thus fulfill the requirements for scholarly concentration work required of students enrolled in Pathways of Emphasis. Research training and mentorship in NextGenMD are part of the formalized curriculum to both alleviate pressure on students as well as improving the quality of their research education.
Students in the three-year Accelerated Pathway to Residency (described below)participate in the same courses and have the same core credit requirements in Phases 1 and 2, but their schedule and credit requirements differ in Phase 3 of the curriculum as they have five months to complete their curriculum rather than 17 months. The table below shows the courses and credit hours for the 4-year MD course and the 3-year accelerated pathway.
MD Curriculum
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Pre-Clerkship | ||
| MDR 550 | Introduction to the Medical Profession | 3 |
| MDR 526 | Biomedical Principles of Health | 10 |
| MDR 520 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 1 | 5 |
| MDR 521 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 2 | 5 |
| MDR 522 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 3 | 5 |
| MDR 523 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 4 | 7 |
| MDR 524 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 5 | 5 |
| MDR 531 | Medicine as a Profession 101 | 4 |
| MDR 532 | Medicine as a Profession 102 | 4 |
| MDR 533 | Medicine as a Profession 103 | 1 |
| MDR 535 | Introduction to Scholarly Concentration | 2 |
| MDR 536 | Scholarly Concentration I | 1 |
| Phase 2: Integrated Clerkships | ||
| MDR 702 Transition to Clinical Rotations | 1 | |
| MDR 715 Integrated Clerkship Women and Children's Health | 12 | |
| MDR 716 Integrated Clerkship Emergency Department to Operating Room | 12 | |
| MDR 717 Integrated Clerkship Practice of Medicine | 12 | |
| MDR 718 Integrated Clerkship Mind, Matter, and Medicine | 12 | |
| MDR 720 | Medicine as a Profession 201 | 1 |
| MDR 721 | Medicine as a Profession 202 | 2 |
| MDR 722 | Medicine as a Profession 203 | 1 |
| Phase 3: Advanced | ||
| Advanced Clinical Experience (ACE) or Electives | 18 | |
| Sub-Internship (Sub-I) | 4 | |
| Integrated Science Selective | 4 | |
| MDR 1019 | Senior Boot Camp: Transition to Residency | 4 |
| Critical Care Selective | 2 | |
| MDR 1036 Medicine as a Profession 301 | 1 | |
| MDR 1037 Medicine as a Profession 302 | 1 | |
| MDR 1038 Scholarly Concentration II | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 142 | |
Accelerated Pathway
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Pre-Clerkship | ||
| MDR 550 | Introduction to the Medical Profession | 3 |
| MDR 526 | Biomedical Principles of Health | 10 |
| MDR 520 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 1 | 5 |
| MDR 521 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 2 | 5 |
| MDR 522 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 3 | 5 |
| MDR 523 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 4 | 7 |
| MDR 524 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 5 | 5 |
| MDR 531 | Medicine as a Profession 101 | 4 |
| MDR 532 | Medicine as a Profession 102 | 4 |
| MDR 533 | Medicine as a Profession 103 | 1 |
| MDR 535 | Introduction to Scholarly Concentration | 2 |
| MDR 537 Accelerated Scholarly Concentration I | 8 | |
| Phase 2: Integrated Clerkships | ||
| MDR 702 Transition to Clinical Rotations | 1 | |
| MDR 715 Integrated Clerkship Women and Children's Health | 12 | |
| MDR 716 Integrated Clerkship Emergency Department to Operating Room | 12 | |
| MDR 717 Integrated Clerkship Practice of Medicine | 12 | |
| MDR 718 Integrated Clerkship Mind, Matter, and Medicine | 12 | |
| MDR 720 | Medicine as a Profession 201 | 1 |
| MDR 721 | Medicine as a Profession 202 | 2 |
| MDR 722 | Medicine as a Profession 203 | 1 |
| Phase 3: Advanced | ||
| Advanced Clinical Experience (ACE), Electives, Integrative Science Selective, Critical Care Selective | 10 | |
| Sub-Internship (Sub-I) | 4 | |
| MDR 1019 | Senior Boot Camp: Transition to Residency | 4 |
| MDR 1036 | Medicine as a Profession 301 | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours | 131 | |
MD Curriculum for Dual/Joint Degree Programs
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Pre-Clerkship | ||
| MDR 550 | Introduction to the Medical Profession | 3 |
| MDR 526 | Biomedical Principles of Health | 10 |
| MDR 520 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 1 | 5 |
| MDR 521 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 2 | 5 |
| MDR 522 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 3 | 5 |
| MDR 523 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 4 | 7 |
| MDR 524 | Symptoms, Signs, and Disease 5 | 5 |
| MDR 531 | Medicine as a Profession 101 | 4 |
| MDR 532 | Medicine as a Profession 102 | 4 |
| MDR 533 | Medicine as a Profession 103 | 1 |
| Phase 2: Integrated Clerkships | ||
| MDR 702 Transition to Clinical Rotations | 1 | |
| MDR 715 Integrated Clerkship Women and Children's Health | 12 | |
| MDR 716 Integrated Emergency Department to Operating Room | 12 | |
| MDR 717 Integrated Clerkship Practice of Medicine | 12 | |
| MDR 718 Integrated Clerkship Mind, Matter, and Medicine | 12 | |
| MDR 720 | Medicine as a Profession 201 | 1 |
| MDR 721 | Medicine as a Profession 202 | 2 |
| MDR 722 | Medicine as a Profession 203 | 1 |
| Phase 3: Advanced | ||
| Advanced Clinical Experience (ACE) or Electives | 18 | |
| Sub-Internship (Sub-I) | 4 | |
| Integrated Science Selective | 4 | |
| MDR 1019 | Senior Boot Camp: Transition to Residency | 4 |
| Critical Care Selective | 2 | |
| MDR 1036 Medicine as a Profession 301 | 1 | |
| MDR 1037 Medicine as a Profession 302 | 1 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 136 | |
Note 1: For Accelerated Pathway, a total of 10 credits is required between Integrated Science Selective, Critical Care, and Electives at the discretion of the specific residency program.
Note 2: Dual/joint degree students do not get the 6 credits of Scholarly Concentration since they are getting distinct credits from a second degree, so their credit total is 136.
Note 3: MDR 1003 is a required 2-credit Elective for all MD/MPH students.
Mission and Goal
The NextGenMD curriculum strives to empower learners to transform lives and inspire learners to serve the global community. The curriculum will produce transformational leaders who will shape the future of medicine, direct health systems, and champion discovery and its translation into clinical interventions.
Student Learning Outcomes
PATIENT CARE
Graduates will apply established and evolving information and technology to provide patient-centered care that is safe, compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and for the promotion of health.
Graduates are expected to:
1. Gather relevant and accurate patient information by performing a history and physical exam and obtaining relevant clinical data.
2. Develop and prioritize differential diagnoses using history, physical exams, and the interpretation of common diagnostic and screening tests.
3. Create and execute integrated diagnostic and therapeutic plans for the acute and longitudinal management of health problems.
4. Integrate principles of disease prevention, health promotion, shared decision-making, and education into the health care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.
5. Perform the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures necessary for patient care.
KNOWLEDGE FOR PRACTICE
Graduates will demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences and their applications to patient care.
Graduates are expected to:
6. Explain the physiologic basis of human homeostasis and the diagnosis and management of human diseases.
7. Apply the principles of epidemiology and social sciences to the collection of public health data, and the analysis, treatment, and prevention of health problems and disparities in communities and populations.
PRACTICE-BASED LEARNING AND IMPROVEMENT
Graduates will evaluate their own patient care practices and appraise and assimilate new technology and scientific evidence to improve patient care throughout their medical careers.
Graduates are expected to:
8. Recognize personal strengths and limitations, identify academic and career goals, seek and assimilate feedback in daily practice, and execute a personal action plan.
9. Critically appraise and incorporate new scientific developments into patient care.
10. Identify and investigate problems in the natural, social, and health system sciences that influence patients, populations, and communities to improve health and well-being.
INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Graduates will demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange and teamwork with patients, patients’ families, and professional associates.
Graduates are expected to:
11. Demonstrate written and verbal communication that is effective, empathetic, and respectful in a manner that reflects the audience and clinical context.
PROFESSIONALISM
Graduates will demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to diverse patient populations and their families.
Graduates are expected to:
12. Exhibit and role model professionalism by demonstrating integrity, agency, humility, and responsibility.
13. Act ethically in the best interests of patients and society.
14. Demonstrate awareness of implicit and explicit bias, cultural humility, sensitivity, and responsiveness to diverse patient characteristics.
SYSTEMS-BASED PRACTICE
Graduates will demonstrate an awareness of the larger context and system of health care. They will effectively utilize system resources to provide optimal care as collaborative members of interprofessional teams.
Graduates are expected to:
15. Practice high-value care for the benefit of patients and health care systems.
16. Advocate for patients and address systems-level changes necessary to improve health outcomes and patient safety.
INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION
Graduates will demonstrate the ability to engage in an interprofessional team to optimize safe and effective patient- and population-centered socially accountable care.
Graduates are expected to:
17. Respect and utilize the expertise of colleagues and allied health professionals with complementary skills sets to enhance the care of patients.
18. Demonstrate the teamwork, leadership, and situational awareness necessary to support patient care across the spectrum of changing healthcare contexts.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Graduates will demonstrate the qualities required to sustain lifelong personal and professional growth and identity.
Graduates are expected to:
19. Demonstrate the teamwork, leadership, and situational awareness necessary to support patient care across the spectrum of changing healthcare contexts.
20. Maintain, monitor, and nurture mental, emotional, and physical health and take measures to promote personal wellbeing.
