McGill University Faculty of Medicine
http://www.mcgill.ca/medicine/
UGME Mission Statement
 The health-care professionals who are graduates and trainees of the Faculty will be wellprepared to address the present and future health needs of the Canadian population.
 They will be oriented to preserving health, technically competent, adept at solving problems,
capable of functioning as part of a multi-disciplinary team and committed to life-long
learning both for themselves and their patients.
 They will exhibit ethical behaviour and compassion in dealing with patients, restraint in
using health resources, and an inquiring attitude towards the mechanisms of health and
disease.
 Finally, programmes will be rooted in a scholarship of education designed to the
development and exploitation of modern pedagogical techniques.
Curriculum Framework
Preamble
The curriculum is based on a set of fundamental premises:
1. Basic sciences and scientific methodology are the fundamental pillars of medical
knowledge.
2. A physician fulfills two roles in service to the patient: that of a professional and that of a
healer. This is referred to as "physicianship". The program, which has a strong clinical
focus, is also designed to increase the integration of clinical and basic sciences and to
promote active learner participation in the education process.
The curriculum continues to evolve in response to new opportunities, developments in pedagogy,
increases in medical knowledge, and to changing requirements of governments, society and
accreditation bodies. The curriculum will almost certainly continue to be modified and enriched
over the course of the next four years.
Objectives
The curriculum objectives correspond to the Faculty of Medicine's mission and aim
 To equip the student to meet the most stringent standards of medical practice and
professionalism to ensure career-long excellence in whole-person care.
 Upon completion of the program, the graduate will be able to function responsibly, in a
supervised clinical setting, at the level of an "undifferentiated" physician.
1
 The program emphasizes the fundamental sciences and scientific methodology as pillars of
medical knowledge. It provides traditional lectures and small group teaching, as well as
laboratory and computer teaching
The Faculty of Medicine offers a four-year undergraduate medical program leading to an M.D.
degree
1. BASIS OF MEDICINE (BOM) - Year 1
Basis of Medicine (BOM) occupies the first 18 months of medical school. It provides a systembased, integrated approach to normal and abnormal function. Eight units, in blocks of three to
fourteen weeks, include basic sciences applicable to clinical practice.








Molecules, Cells and Tissues -4 wks
Gases, Fluids, and Electrolytes -9wks
Life Cycle -3.5wks
Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition -7wks
Musculoskeletal system & Blood -4wks
Nervous System and Special Senses -7wks
Host Defense and Host Parasite relationship -7wks
Pathobiology, Treatment and Prevention of disease-14wks
2. INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL MEDICINE (ICM) - Year 2
It provides a clinical experience, using both in-patient and ambulatory settings. The initial
segment of this component will focus on teaching
 The physical examination,
 Medical ethics and health law and
 Evidence based medicine, universal precautions, clinical biochemistry.
Subsequent to this are rotations in various clinical disciplines:
 internal medicine,
 pediatrics, neurology,
 family medicine,
 surgery,
 oncology,
 anaesthesia,
 radiology,
 ophthalmology.
3. CORE CLERKSHIP - Year 3
2
Core Clerkship begins with a one week required Introduction to Clerkship course that is
designed to prepare students beginning their clerkship. Principles learned during Basis of
Medicine and Introduction to Clinical Medicine are applied to practical clinical scenarios in
sessions referred to as Introduction to Hospital Practice. The role of the clerk on the medical
team and the principles of writing medical orders, ordering and interpreting laboratory tests, and
appropriate conduct with patients and other health professionals are addressed. The course also
includes a Physicianship session, dealing with sleep deprivation, a review of infection control
and prevention, and confidentiality and protection of patient records.
Core Clerkship is primarily composed of clinical rotations: 5 eight-week required rotations
(Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Pediatrics), 1
four-week required rotation (Surgery), 1 four-week elective and 1 four-week vacation. During
clinical clerkship rotations, students are an integral part of the health care team with direct
responsibilities for patient care.
For students participating in the Integrated Clerkship, the 3rd year clerkship consists of 3
required sixteen-week blocks (Santé mentale – Gériatrie, Médecine – Chirugie, Parents –
Enfants) and longitudinal (48 week) exposures in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine.
4. SENIOR CLERKSHIP - Year 4
Senior Clerkship consists of 3 four-week required clinical rotations (Surgery Subspecialties,
Geriatrics, Emergency Medicine), a mandatory four-week Physicianship 4 course (including
Medicine and Society, Public Health and Communication Plus), and 4 four-week electives
(either clinical or basic science seminar).
Students who were part of the 3rd year Integrated Clerkship will need to complete 7 four-week
electives and the Physicianship 4 course. The required rotations in Surgery Subspecialties,
Geriatrics, and Emergency Medicine will have been completed during year 3 of the Integrated
Clerkship.
Some students will have the opportunity to participate in Topics in Medical Science, thereby
replacing a clinical elective with a seminar in basic science. Seminars will be held during 2 twoweek blocks, other than Anatomy for Surgeons which runs for the entire four weeks. Although
the content of the options vary, all of them share a primary goal of reintroducing fundamental
principles in the basic sciences. Through these seminars, students gain a new appreciation of the
basic sciences as the pillars of medical knowledge and future scientific developments.
Physicianship 4 This component of the curriculum provides opportunities for self-reflection and
for reinforcement of principles that are the foundation for the practice of medicine. It is preceded
by a vacation / interview period. The Physicianship 4 course consists of four components: 1)
Medicine and Society Core, 2) Medicine and Society Electives (both offer topics focusing on the
non-biological aspects of medicine), 3) Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and 4)
Communication Plus. During this same period, sessions in Physician Apprenticeship 4 (INDS
422) also take place. Student attendance at all Physicianship 4 and Physician Apprenticeship 4
sessions is mandatory.
3
Overview of Senior Clerkship Components:
1. Clinical Rotations / Electives
2. Vacation / Interview Period
3. Physicianship 4
1. Medicine and Society Core
2. Medicine and Society Electives
3. Public Health and Preventive Medicine
4. Communication Plus
5. Professionalism
4. Topics in Medical Science (seminars) or Clinical Electives
5. LMCC Review sessions
6. LMCC (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam)
Points of interest:
Currently the curriculum is characterized by:












Systems-based and integrated instruction in years 1 and 2, in a coordinated series of units.
An opportunity, through Physician Apprenticeship, to explore issues related to
professional socialization and to the "physician as healer and professional" in a safe and
supportive environment over the entire four-year program.
Opportunity for small group activities in labs and discussion groups.
Independent learning activities, supported by computer-assisted instruction.
Formative and summative assessments throughout many units.
Early exposure to patients in ambulatory and in-patient settings in the pre-clerkship
rotations in the Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) component.
An emphasis on all aspects of the clinical method, starting in the first year with
observation and listening skills, communication and physical examination skills in the
second year and moving on to clinical reasoning, diagnostics, prognostics and
therapeutics during the second and third years.
Completion of all core clerkship rotations before students is required to make key
decisions on residency selection.
A mandatory clinical rotation in a rural site, including an opportunity for selected
students to participate in an integrated clerkship in Gatineau (French program).
An opportunity for research activity.
Elective opportunities, on a solid basis of clinical experience.
Active student involvement in curriculum evaluation and development.
4