Course Descriptions
BMB-610. Molecular Basis of Medicine. This inter-disciplinary course introduces students to fundamental concepts of cell structure and function with an emphasis on aspects relevant to clinical medicine. The major metabolic pathways and their regulation by hormonal, allosteric, and genetic mechanisms are discussed in relation to nutrition and to a variety of diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and enzyme defects. Basic aspects of DNA chemistry, and the structure, function, and regulation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genes are taught using clinically relevant examples. Students actively participate by performing a nutritional evaluation on themselves, by evaluating their own lipoprotein profiles, and by leading a small group discussion on a topic of their choosing. Course activities include lectures, laboratories, independent problem-solving, and small group conferences. Prerequisites: enrollment in the M.D. degree program.

CELL-609: Medical Histology and Embryology. This course presents the development of the human from conception to birth and the microscopic architecture of the adult human body. There are two major goals in this course: one is for the student to gain a working knowledge of developmental processes and terminology with an awareness of when and where developmental malformations occur; the other goal is to gain a level of knowledge of microscopic architecture such that the student will be able to visualize the architecture of each tissue and organ system down to the cellular and subcellular level. The knowledge of normal microscopic structure/patterns and function (histology), will prepare the student for the study of higher levels of function and regulation of function (physiology) and abnormal microscopic patterns (histopathology). Presentation of course content is by lecture and hands-on laboratories during which students use microscopes, videodisc players and computer based interactive lessons. Much of the practical work in this course can be accomplished independent of instructors. Regular laboratory times are scheduled to meet with instructors in a small group setting to refine what is learned by independent study and to assist the student to fit the course detail into major concepts and principles of structure-function design. Prerequisite: enrollment in the M.D. degree program.

CELL-610. Anatomical Basis of Medicine. Provides the student with a good understanding of the structure and function of the human body and a three dimensional concept of its parts. The clinical importance of the study of anatomy is stressed. Presentation: lectures (mostly on basic anatomy, but also on radiographic and clinical anatomy) and laboratory study (cadaver dissection and study of cross sections, prosections, skeletal material, models, and radiological images). The body is studied by regions rather than by systems. Prerequisite: enrollment in the M.D. degree program.

FAMMD-861. Family Medicine/Rural Clerkship. The MUSC Family Medicine and Deans’ Rural Primary Care Clerkships have merged to form the Family Medicine/Rural Clerkship. The purpose of the Family Medicine/Rural Clerkship is to foster student development of a strong understanding of the clinical issues and professional role of a primary care physician and to further broaden the focus of student learning from providing care to individual patients to improving the health of defined population health perspective. The perspective “encompasses the ability to assess the health needs of a specific population; implement and evaluate interventions to improve the health of the population; and provide care for individual patients in the context of the culture, health status, and health needs of the populations of which that patient is a member.” (Population Health Perspective Panel Report, Academic Medicine. 1999;74:138). The partnership formed between the MUSC College of Medicine and USC School of Medicine through the Deans’ Rural Primary Care Clerkship will continue through the Family Medicine/Rural Clerkship in its dedication toward improving the health of the citizens of South Carolina. Prerequisite: successful completion of second year courses and a passing score on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam.

MBIM-615. Infection and Immunity. This course introduces the basic concepts of molecular and medical microbiology and the major concepts in modern basic immunology and exemplifies the application of those concepts to the understanding of human diseases. Lectures on selected topics in clinical immunology and infectious diseases are integrated with a variety of small group activities designed to stimulate the development of clinical problem-solving and self education skills. The course emphasizes the importance of basic science information in understanding the mechanisms of disease and applying that understanding to the diagnosis and management of immunological and infectious diseases. Presentation: lectures, small group exercises, computer-based instruction, and problem-based learning. The students are also required to write an essay on a topic of their choice. Lectures given as PowerPoint presentations, general information, and useful links to other sites are available through a course Web site. Prerequisite: successful completion of first year courses.

MDCOR-605 Doctoring Curriculum I. The course goals of Doctoring Curriculum I are t 1) prepare students for their third-year clinical clerkships with medical interviewing, oral, and written presentation skill development; 2) provide students early and meaningful patient contact; 3) increase students’ knowledge about behavioral sciences concepts relevant to medical practice; 4) develop and refine students’ knowledge and skills of medical informatics; 5) foster students’ acquisition of life-long, self-directed learning skills; 6) foster students’ professional and cross-cultural development as future clinicians; and 7) introduce students’ to issues related to the practice of medicine.  The course is composed of several blended segments and content has been developed to increase conceptual integration across these segments.  During the course, students participate in a clinical preceptorship in a community-based physician’s office. Presentation:  lectures, small group discussions and standardized patient interviews, small group exercises, self-directed learning experiences.

Prerequisite:  enrollment in the M.D. degree program

The DC I course is composed of 5 coordinated segments in which learning content has been developed to increase conceptual integration across segments and learning activities have been selected to complement one another and maximize active, self-directed learning principles. These segments are:

• Longitudinal Patient Care Experience (LPCE) - students acquire and practice medical interviewing, oral and written presentation skills in small-groups and visit community-based primary care physicians’ offices.
• Behavioral Sciences in Medical Practice (BSMP) - using a problem-based learning (PBL) format, students develop self-directed learning skills and acquire information regarding the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that influence and explain patients’ and health-care providers’ behavior in medical practice.
• Physical Examination - students acquire basic physical examination skills in specific anatomical regions (e.g., head and neck, abdomen, musculoskeletal, male genitourinary systems).
• Basic Science Integration - students integrate knowledge acquired in the basic science courses with the practice of medicine.
• Medical Informatics - students develop and refine computer skills through self-directed learning experiences.

Prerequisite: enrollment in the M.D. degree program.

MDCOR-607 Doctoring Curriculum II. The course goals of Doctoring Curriculum II are to provide students continued experience with a clinical preceptorship in a community-based physician’s office, and to evolve and refine their medical interviewing and patient presentation skills, their knowledge of behavioral sciences in medical practice, and self-directed learning skills (building on knowledge and skills developed in Doctoring Curriculum I).  Students are also introduced to physical diagnosis and learn how to perform a physical exam of the normal person.  Presentation:  lectures, small group discussions and standardized patient interviews, small group exercises and sessions, self-directed learning experiences. Prerequisite: enrollment in the M.D. degree program

MDCOR-610. Doctoring Curriculum III.  Doctoring Curriculum III consists of Physical Diagnosis and Introduction to Clinical Ethics.  Physical Diagnosis builds upon students’ knowledge and skills of the normal physical exam, and provides students continued experience with basic skills in developing rapport with patients, taking a detailed medical history, performing a complete physical exam, and making verbal and written presentations of medical information.  Emphasis is on the practice of physical diagnosis skills on actual patients.  Presentation:  lectures and small group sessions.
 
Introduction to Clinical Ethics provides students with the basis for identifying the major ethical problems involving patients that clinicians face most frequently in their training and future practices.  This course helps the student to understand the history of these problems, and see them as opportunities to provide optimal care for patients and families whose lives have been disrupted by illness, pain and suffering; and to use a method of case study that a) enhances planning for the optimal care of patients and prevents disruption of care by ethical problems or helps resolve a complex or novel ethical problem; and b) helps clinicians to bring major ethical considerations and principles to bear upon these issues and problems.  Presentation: small group sessions.  Prerequisite: successful completion of first year courses.

MDCOR-612. Doctoring Curriculum IV.  DC IV consists of Physical Diagnosis, Introduction to Clinical Reasoning/Evidence-based Medicine, and Psychopathology.  Physical Diagnosis provides students continued experience in developing rapport with patients, taking a detailed medical history, performing a complete physical exam, and making verbal and written presentations of medical information.  Emphasis is on the practice of physical diagnosis skills on actual patients.  Presentation:  lectures and small group sessions.

Introduction to Clinical Reasoning/Evidence-based Medicine introduces students to skills of clinical reasoning and the model of evidence-based medicine for answering questions that arise during patient care.   Students learn the deductive reasoning process which reduces the patient’s problem into a differential diagnosis.  The student learns to 1) define the patient’s complaint, 2) develop a patho-physiological mechanism that explains the complaint, and 3) generate a list of probable causes for the complaint.  Basic statistical and quantitative epidemiological concepts are presented as students develop skills to critically evaluate and translate to clinical practice the medical and scientific literature.  Presentation:  lectures and small group exercises.

Psychopathology provides students with an introduction to the phenomenology of the major categories of psychiatric diseases, including affective disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, organic mental disorders, somatoform disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, and disorders of childhood and adolescence.  For each diagnostic group, information is provided regarding the characteristic features, epidemiology, prognosis, and treatment of the disorder.  Information introduced in the course will be expanded during the Psychiatry Clerkship.  Presentation:  lecture and a small group interview.  Prerequisite: successful completion of first year courses

MDCOR-875, 876 and 877. Geriatric Mentor Course. This is a longitudinal course that pairs two medical students with an active elderly, "senior," person in the local community. Each medical student pair meets periodically with the senior mentor to interview the senior and complete a specific assignment designed to foster the students' learning of geriatric issues in health care.

MED-801. Internal Medicine Core. Introduces the principles of patient diagnosis in the clinical setting. Students are expected to develop effective communication and technical skills which enable them to obtain a history and perform a physical examination on hospitalized patients, and to develop problem-solving skills which permit them to interpret the data that they have collected. Presentations emphasize student-patient encounters followed by written and verbal presentations to a resident and an attending-physician during rounds. The student will be expected to concentrate on pathophysiology of disease, requiring inte-gration of basic and clinical sciences. A series of didactic conferences and preceptorships complement the “hands-on” experience. Prerequisite: successful completion of second year courses and a passing score on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam.

MED-980. Independent Study. This course provides an opportunity for a student to engage in individualized learning experiences under the direction of a faculty member. Independent study is designed to supplement required course work as an extension of that course, or to introduce the student to knowledge not associated with any existing course, or to provide an opportunity for research in an area of special interest to the student. This course is repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the Dean.

OBGYN-801. Obstetrics and Gynecology Core. Introduces the basic knowledge and clinical problems as encountered in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. Students are taught to acquire and develop their clinical skills in the care of patients. Emphasis is placed on obtaining experiences in routine obstetrics delivery, outpatient gynecologic management, and common gynecologic surgery. Presentation: didactic lectures, morning conferences, and ward rounds. Under supervision, students take histories and perform physical examinations. Prerequisite: successful completion of second year courses and a passing score on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam.

PATH-602. Mechanisms of Disease (MOD) I. The purpose of MOD I is to enable the student to understand the pathogenesis of disease and to further develop a medical vocabulary. MOD I provides insight into the morphologic changes in cells and tissues of the body in various disease states. These morphologic changes and their underlying pathophysiology will be applied to the understanding of diseases of nutrition, pediatrics, autoimmunity, genetics, the environment, arteriosclerosis, infectious agents, transplantation, blood, and coagulation components. Presentation: lecture/demonstrations, group laboratory exercises, small group sessions, self-instructional computer-assisted learning programs and museum observation. Prerequisite: successful completion of first year courses.

PATH-606. Mechanisms of Disease (MOD) II. Enables the student to understand specific disease processes of individual organ systems. Provides insight into the clinical, morphologic, pathophysiologic, and laboratory changes resulting from specific disease processes of the individual organ systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, neural, alimentary, genitourinary, endocrine, skin and skeletal). Clinical and pathophysiological aspects of lab medicine are also encompassed. Presentation: lecture/demonstrations, group laboratory exercises, small group sessions, and self-instructional computer-assisted learning programs and museum observation. Prerequisite: successful completion of first year courses.

PCOL-610. Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Provides a working knowledge of pharmacologic principles and their practical application in the therapeutic use of drugs. Emphasis is placed on understanding the disposition, effects, efficacy, and relative toxicity of all major drug groups in light of their biochemical and physiological mechanisms. Focuses on the application of this knowledge in the use of therapeutic agents. Presentation: an evidence-oriented approach; material is presented through a series of lectures, small group discussions, laboratory demonstrations, clinical pharmacology conferences, and self-study modules. Prerequisite: successful completion of first year courses.

PEDS-801. Pediatrics Core. Introduces common and unique pediatric pathologic processes; further develops clinical skills and experience in handling and managing both healthy and ill infants, children and adolescents, and their families, and encouraging application of basic science knowledge to patient care. Approximately half of the rotation is devoted to inpatient care with experiences both in acute, undiagnosed illnesses and chronic illnesses (subspecialty care). A portion is devoted to the newborn nursery and the remainder to ambulatory care (general clinics, specialty clinics, acute care clinics, and community resources). Presentation: direct patient/parent contact with house staff and faculty supervision. Experiences are supplemented with conferences and lectures. Prerequisite: successful completion of second year courses and a passing score on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam.

NSCS-601. Medical Physiology. This course is a general survey of human physiology in which an emphasis is placed upon discussion of basic physiologic principles and on how cellular and organ system functions are integrated within the intact organism. Considerable attention is paid to the etiologies and clinical consequences of disturbed physiologic function. Lectures are reinforced by laboratories, clinical conferences, and small group projects. During the course, the students will learn the basic elements of the clinical examination of the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Prerequisite: enrollment in the M.D. degree program.

NSCS-606. Neuroscience. An interdisciplinary course in which contemporary concepts of the structure and function of the nervous system are explored. Discussion of the function of the normal adult nervous system is coupled with consideration of both its structural and functional development, and the functional consequences of various types of pathology and injury. Lectures cover neuronal function; molecular and cellular mechanisms of interneuronal signaling; the integrated function of neuronal systems responsible for sensation, motor control, cognition, and emotion. Lectures are reinforced by laboratories, clinical correlations, and small group discussion and projects. During the course, the students will learn the basic elements of the clinical neurological examination. Prerequisite: enrollment in the M.D. degree program.

PSYCH-801. Psychiatry Core. Introduces the student to the care of psychiatric patients. Learning objectives are to increase the students’ ability to recognize psychopathology, use interview techniques, correctly diagnose psychiatric disorders, appropriately use psychopharmacological agents, establish a supportive therapeutic relationship with patients, document and present verbally a psychiatric history and mental status examination, and work with health care personnel. Presentation: direct patient responsibility with close supervision from house staff and faculty.  Experiences are supplemented with conferences and lectures. Prerequisite: successful completion of second year courses and a passing score on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam.

SURG-801. Surgery Core. Introduces the students to the care of surgical patients. Emphasis is placed on establishing the diagnosis, learning the pathophysiology of surgical diseases, participating in the treatment of surgical patients, understanding the means to support patients before, during, and after surgery, and understanding the impact of surgical illness on the patient and family. Presentation: direct patient contact with house staff and faculty supervision. Experiences are supplemented with small group discussions. rerequisite: successful completion of second year courses and a passing score on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam.

Junior Selectives
For a complete listing of senior elective courses, see the Catalog of Selectives at http://www.musc.edu/comelectives/SELECTIVES/index.html.

Senior Electives
For a complete listing of senior elective courses, see the Catalog of Electives at http://www.musc.edu/comelectives/index.html.