Rush University (Rush Medical College)

At Rush, learning is an active process in which each student is given opportunities to achieve the highest potential. The interaction between student and faculty member mirrors the interaction between patient and physician: an open dialogue and mutual concern for problems. A Rush medical education is the first step in a lifetime pursuit of knowledge and achievement of the highest quality patient care.

The process of becoming a physician is unique for each student who enters Rush. Each brings to his/her medical school experience a distinct educational, psychological and social background. As students define career goals, each develops personal ways of coping with the demands imposed by the physician’s role. The Rush Medical College curriculum encourages pursuit of individual interests by emphasizing a solid foundation in the basic sciences and by offering a wide range of elective opportunities in the Medical Center and in a network of affiliated and associated hospitals. Throughout the program, students are encouraged to develop habits of self-education and enthusiasm for the life-long study of medicine according to specific interests and objectives. Upon matriculation, students are assigned academic advisors whose primary responsibilities are to provide guidance and to serve as resources for students as they define professional goals, select courses, and deal with a variety of issues during their progress through medical school. Long after students have taken their last medical school examinations, the sense of responsibility for the welfare of their patients remains the most important stimulus to maintaining the highest level of professional performance. The Rush faculty seeks to provide educational opportunities and to create an environment that will foster the ability to meet these responsibilities with competence and compassion.

Prior to graduation from Rush Medical College, all students will have satisfactorily demonstrated acquisition of the following knowledge, behaviors, skills, and attitudes/values:

Knowledge
* Familiarity with the functional principles and methods of the scientific disciplines basic to medicine
* Understanding of the normal function of the organ systems and the human organism as an integrated whole
* Understanding of the etiology, pathophysiology, epidemiology, and clinical significance of disease processes
* Knowledge of the range of normal physical, cognitive, affective, and social growth and development of the human, and of common developmental disorders
* Familiarity with the concepts and methods of epidemiology and statistics as they relate to disease distribution in populations and to management of individual patients
* Awareness of the legal and ethical issues and controversies associated with the practice of medicine
* Effective application of knowledge of basic science and pathophysiology of disease to evaluation, diagnosis, and management of patients in various clinical settings

Behaviors
* Display of appropriate professional conduct and demeanor required for effective interaction with patients, families, and all members of the health care team
* Demonstration of appropriate participation, initiative, and cooperation as a member of the health care team
* Ability to interact collegially and effectively with physicians of other disciplines for the benefit of the patient whose care is shared
* Development of rapport with patients and their families by interacting in a clear, precise, sensitive, humane, and informative manner

Skills
Development of essential skills in problem solving (information gathering and analysis, synthesis of hypotheses, construction of management plans) applicable to clinical medicine to include the following:

* Ability to perform an accurate and complete history and physical examination of patients of all ages
* Ability to record the history and physical examination data in an organized, accurate, and legible manner
* Ability to present clinical information verbally in an organized, accurate, and succinct manner
* Ability to select diagnostic studies in an efficient and cost-effective manner
* Ability to identify a clinical problem, assess the problem, and develop sound diagnostic hypotheses
* Ability to develop initial management plans to include therapy of disease, preventive/screening interventions, education of patients and families, and follow-up/continuing care
* Ability to perform basic common clinical procedures, with understanding of indications, yield, risks, and techniques
* Ability to recognize and institute initial management of patients with serious and life threatening conditions
* Ability to critically read medical and clinical research literature to understand study design, results, limitations, and implications for causation, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment

Attitudes/Values
* A commitment to ongoing learning, recognizing one’s limitations of knowledge and skills and effectively addressing these learning needs
* A commitment to treating all patients with dignity, respect, and confidentiality
* A commitment to being culturally aware and sensitive, open-minded, and nonjudgmental
* A commitment to caring for patients regardless of ability to pay and to facilitate access to care for underserved individuals and families
* A commitment to ease suffering and provide comfort and support to dying patients and their families
# A commitment to serving as the advocate of each patient

Rush University provides opportunities for medical students who wish to enroll concurrently in a Graduate College basic science division to pursue a Ph.D. or M.S. degree. Such programs provide the foundation for careers in academic medicine and research. Students interested in these opportunities are encouraged to contact Graduate Program Directors prior to their second year and explore the options for a course of study tailored to their interests and backgrounds. Ph.D. programs are offered in The Graduate College divisions of Rush University as follows: anatomical sciences, biochemistry, immunology, medical physics, neuroscience, pharmacology, and physiology/molecular biophysics. Students engaged in concurrent degree programs must meet the full requirements of The Graduate College Division in which they are enrolled as well as those of Rush Medical College. If properly coordinated there is some economy of time when medical school courses meet division requirements. A typical M.D./Ph.D. plan would extend across seven years, i.e., a student completes the two-year pre-clinical curriculum in the medical college, a three-year program of graduate coursework and dissertation research in The Graduate College, followed by the two-year clinical phase of the medical curriculum.

The four-year Rush curriculum provides an appropriate background for individuals with a diversity of professional career goals. The curriculum is based on establishing a solid foundation in the basic sciences and clinical medicine through a core of required pre-clinical and clinical courses.

Physician-Scientist Program : This program, leading to the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, has been established for outstanding applicants to Rush Medical College who seek careers in academic medicine or as physician-scientists. Two openings are available each year in this program for students who seek doctoral training as laboratory scientists in disease and health related research. Inquiries about this special program should be directed to the Associate Dean of Medical Student Programs or to the Dean of The Graduate College. Applicants must be admitted to both Rush Medical College and The Graduate College. Students, in most circumstances, will receive tuition scholarships and stipend support for the Ph.D. phase of their studies. Having satisfied the requirements for progress in the graduate study phase, the student will also receive a tuition scholarship for the fourth year of medical school. Students in the Rush Physician-Scientist program are accepted ordinarily at large to The Graduate College, which means they are able to defer selection of a specific graduate division to their second year of medical school, pending exposure to lines of investigation through laboratory rotations.

The Academic Advisor Program consists of specially selected faculty members for each class who provide counseling and guidance for cohorts of approximately fifteen students each throughout the four years of medical school. The advisors are informed of current policies, procedures and trends affecting students’ participation in curricular and non-curricular aspects of medical school by the director of the academic advisor program, who is responsible for program planning, coordination, and evaluation. Advisors provide counseling in three interrelated areas: academic (regarding the acquisition of the knowledge and skills for becoming a competent physician), personal (regarding the growth and development of the person), and professional (regarding the selection of a career and graduate training program for which the individual is best suited).

Students are encouraged to have some research experience while they are in medical school. The opportunities range from laboratory experiences in the biomedical sciences to clinical investigation and fieldwork in epidemiology, preventive medicine, and primary care. Such research can be carried out during summers or during time allotted for elective experiences. The student’s academic advisor and the Office of Medical Student Programs will assist in arranging for research experiences.

---

Rush Medical College Medical School Location

Rush Medical College Courses

FIRST AND SECOND YEARS

The primary objective of the first year is to provide students with exposure to the vocabulary and the fundamental concepts upon which the clinical sciences are based. The first year is comprised of three quarters of basic science material organized by discipline, that emphasize the structure, function, and behavior of the normal person. The curriculum utilizes a variety of educational formats that include lecture, laboratory, small group discussions and workshops. In addition to the preceptor experience, introduction to interviewing, history taking, and physical examination are offered in a unique series of three courses that continue into the second year. Descriptions for the other courses listed below may be found in the section on courses.

FIRST YEAR COURSES :

* Histology
* Human Anatomy I, II
* Biochemistry, Intro, I, II
* Fundamentals of Behavior
* Behavior in the Life Cycle
* Ethics in Medicine I, II
* Basic Immunology
* Medical Neurobiology
* Introduction to the Patient
* Interviewing and Communication
* Shared Medical Decision Making I, II
* Preceptorship I, II, III
* Health of the Public I, II
* Physiology I, II

SECOND YEAR

During the second year, students are concerned with the study of the causes and effects of disease and therapeutics.

COURSES :

* Clinical Immunology
* Clinical Pathophysiology I, II, III
* Microbiology Concepts I, II
* Physical Diagnosis V
* Introduction to Clinical Skills I, II
* Interviewing and Communication IV
* Shared Medical Decision Making IV, V
* Preceptorship IV, V, VI
* Medical Pharmacology I, II
* Pathology I, II, III
* Introduction to Psychopathology
* Epidemiology/Biostatistics

THIRD AND FOURTH YEARS
The curricula of the third and fourth years provide students with training in clinical skills, diagnosis, and patient management in a variety of patients care settings. Students must take and pass Step I of the examinations offered by the United States Medical Licensing Examination/National Board of Medical Examiners (USMLE/NBME) before beginning core clerkships. Prior to the start of the third year, students participate in the CRASH Course, a four day intensive orientation to clinical skills to be used during the clerkships.

The clinical curriculum includes required third year core clerkships in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics/gynecology, surgery totaling 42 weeks. There is a required four week rotation in neurology that can be taken in the third or fourth years and a required four week senior sub-internship that can be taken in internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, or surgery. A required four week Capstone course in the senior year will readdress basic science concepts in combination with advanced clinical topics. In addition, students will do 18 weeks of elective study in areas of special interest to each student and six weeks of recommended elective requirements. The academic requirements of the third and fourth year total 78 weeks.

With few exceptions, the required core clerkships are taken at Rush University Medical Center, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, or another Rush network institution. Students will not be allowed to be considered a senior student until they have successfully completed the basic 42 weeks of required core clerkships. Of the 18 weeks of required student chosen electives, up to ten weeks may be carried out at other LCME or ACGME accredited institutions. Additional elective study may be taken but it will not count toward the degree. Students may take no more than eight weeks of elective rotations in any particular subspecialty area. Students participate in assignment of required core clerkships through a lottery system although the final decision concerning core and elective clerkship rotations rests with the Director of Clinical Curriculum. Additionally, third year students are provided with a clinical skills assessment experience with standardized patients (in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago 's Clinical Performance Center ). This experience is designed to aid in self-evaluation of one's clinical skills (communication and interpersonal skills, attitudes, and procedural skills) and is coordinated by Andem Ekpenyong, M.D. and Toshiko Uchida, M.D.

Other translation schools in Chicago

University of Illinois at Chicago (College of Medicine) FIRST YEAR M-1 During the M-1 year, students build on the basic concepts in chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and the behavioral sciences m... Address: 1853 West Polk Street

University of Chicago (Pritzker School of Medicine) FIRST YEAR COURSES * Clinical Skills 1A : is the initial communication course that introduces students to the basics of doctor/patient communicatio... Address: 5841 S. Maryland Ave.

Northwestern University (Feinberg School of Medicine) FIRST AND SECOND YEARS Students begin their medical education with 2 years of basic sciences instruction, and then proceed to the 2 clinical years.... Address: 303 East Chicago Avenue