University of Iowa (Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine)

The Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine is an integral part of The University of Iowa. It contributes to the education of several thousand University students, is home to ground-breaking research in a wide array of disciplines, and provides a statewide educational health care resource.

Ranked 9th among top primary care medical schools and 24 th among research schools by U.S. News and World Report Magazine. UI rural medicine, family medicine, physician assistant, physical therapy, audiology and speech pathology programs place among the nation’s top ten on U.S. News lists.
The UI is home to the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 50 centers in the country to receive comprehensive designation from the National Cancer Institute.

To succeed as an academic medical center and not just as health care providers, we must continue our deeply rooted commitment to our tripartite mission. We train tomorrow's doctors for tomorrow's cures, we seek knowledge and make discoveries for healing and we help our patients today. Only with constant, effective communication of our shared vision, a continuing trust and respect for one another and the abilities to adapt and be flexible, will we succeed.

Goals :
1. Provide outstanding educational programs for students in the health professions and in the biomedical sciences in order that our graduates will have appropriate knowledge and skills for the needs of society.
2. Develop new knowledge about human biology, and conduct health services research related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease.
3. Provide high-quality, cost effective and comprehensive health care to patients of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and their affiliated community programs.
4. Strengthen the faculty, facilities and management capacity of the College, its departments and programs, to achieve the collegiate mission.

Consistent with its academic mission and standards, the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine is committed to achieving excellence through diversity. As a community of faculty, staff and students engaged in research, patient care, scholarship, teaching and learning, the College of Medicine fosters an environment that is diverse, humane, and welcoming. Efforts are made to provide a supportive environment in which people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures may encounter each other in a spirit of cooperation, openness, and mutual respect.

The Carver College of Medicine is the only college in Iowa that offers a curriculum leading to the Doctor of Medicine. It also is home to the Division of Associated Medical Sciences, which provides programs of education and training for physician assistants, clinical laboratory scientists, nuclear medicine technologists, physical therapists, and radiation sciences professionals.

The college participates in the education of students in the Colleges of Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health, and in the life-sciences and health-related programs of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the Graduate College.

Health professionals from throughout the Midwest take part in the college's year-round program of continuing medical education. They update their knowledge and skills through refresher courses, clinics, and conferences.

Doctor of Medicine and other health science students have a number of opportunities to gain experience in private medical offices and community hospitals. M.D. graduates may pursue further training in the specialties of family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, and pediatrics at one of 10 University of Iowa-affiliated residence programs in six Iowa cities. They also have access to two transitional-year programs. The Carver College of Medicine also offers a variety of services in support of Iowa physicians and community hospitals.

In addition to its responsibilities for educating physicians, the college addresses broad public issues of distribution and organization of health care services. Its faculty members advise and serve on national, state, and regional health planning councils, health boards, and various health agencies; some faculty members also take part in the University's Center for Health Services Research.

Accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education of the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Carver College of Medicine meets the requirements of all state licensing boards. Its M.D. diploma admits the holder to all privileges granted to graduates of all medical colleges before such boards. All other professional programs administered by the college are accredited by their respective accrediting bodies.

Communities for Excellence in Learning and Leadership for Society (CELLS) are set up to manage curriculum and student affairs and to encourage community service.

Each medical student is assigned to one of four Communities, with M1s, M2s, M3s and M4s equally divided among them. Students are not limited to these groups but will belong to a designated Community for their entire medical school experience.
Students will continue to identify with their academic group, but with the added sense of being a member of a Community. Communities are staffed by a director, curriculum/ community coordinator, and secretary.

The Medical Education and Biomedical Research Facility, scheduled for completion in summer 2001, will house the CELLS in four, two-level “pods.” Each pod contains
small group rooms, examination rooms, study areas, and office space to support the activities of the Community.
The Communities offer additional opportunities for formal and informal learning, professional skills acquisition, wellness and service learning projects, and leadership
development activities. Students participate in a variety of peer activities, including mentoring, teaching and support.

From the first semester, Foundations of Clinical Practice acquaints medical students with the clinical skills necessary for becoming a practicing generalist physician. In the first semester, lectures, small case-based learning groups and small group skill-building sessions focus on communication
in the doctor-patient relationship, accessing and managing medical information, and applying basic biostatistics and principles of medical ethics.

Students shadow health care providers to gain a valuable introduction to clinical medicine. Principles of doctor-patient communication are reinforced
and the component parts of the general physical examination are taught and practiced. Multiculturalism, preventive medicine and health promotion, medical informatics and the social context of medicine are
emphasized. The course begins building clinical skills so students enter the second-year with more experience in clinical diagnosis.

Students experience early interaction with patients and focus on the necessary communication skills. Through problem-based learning, the course also fosters independent learning methods, including self-directed learning and analytical skills.

The fourth semester is a hands-on introduction to the clinical disciplines where students apply basic medical science knowledge to the care of patients. After completing this course, students are able to obtain a medical history and perform a thorough physical examination, and systematically apply their findings to formulate a diagnosis.

Foundations of Clinical Practice covers diverse topics including preventive and behavioral medicine, history-taking and physical examination skills and human sexuality. More than just a variety of topics rolled into
one course, it is a way to help students develop lifelong learning skills that are so vital to physicians in their practices and careers.

The College of Medicine’s strength in research offers our students many opportunities.
In fiscal year 1999, the College ranked 10th among public medical schools in support from the National Institutes of Health. A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found Iowa to be one of the nation’s most productive states in terms of biomedical research per capita. Three faculty members are Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators. The College’s research
excellence is reflected in the more than 20 centers funded by program project and core center grants and awards for specialized centers of research. These
include: the Iowa Cochlear Implant Clinical Research Center, the world’s largest center for cochlear implant research; the Diabetes and Endocrinology Research
Center, where an interdisciplinary group of investigators have been collaborating for more than 20 years; and the Iowa Specialized Center of Research in Pediatric
Cardiovascular Disease, one of only six centers of its kind in the U.S. The UI is one of only seven institutions in the country where medical students can receive hands-on clinical research training through the Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship.

The University of Iowa College of Medicine is part of the UI health sciences campus, which plays a major role in preparing health professionals for Iowa and the nation. In addition to Medicine, it includes the colleges of Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health, UI Hospitals and Clinics, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Its academic programs, clinical facilities and service agencies prepare students and practitioners to serve a wide spectrum of human health needs. The UI health sciences center is simultaneously a center of learning and of service, especially to rural areas of Iowa. It is one of the most advanced, comprehensive health sciences centers in the United States.

Medical Education and Biomedical Research Facility — Scheduled for completion in late 2001, this 214,000 square-foot facility will be the flagship building for the College of Medicine. Classrooms, meeting and conference rooms, and a four-story “Great Hall” in an atrium-like setting will foster interaction between
students, faculty and staff. Interdisciplinary research space will house the Roy J. Carver Molecular Science
Research Center, and the Roland and Ruby Holden Cancer Research Laboratories. It will also include the Sahai Medical Education Center, the Office of Student Affairs and Curriculum, and student communities and classrooms. Planning has begun for “Building B” which will add 110,000 square feet of laboratory and office space.

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics — University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious teaching hospitals, presents a variety of opportunities to health sciences students. Through a partnership with the UI College of Medicine known as University of Iowa Health Care, UI Hospitals and Clinics serves as the comprehensive tertiary care and referral center for Iowa and adjoining states. Three out of every five Iowa families have been served at UI Hospitals and Clinics during the past half-century. During a typical year, UI Hospitals and Clinics records more than 41,000 patient admissions and more than 680,000 visits to outpatient clinics.

Hardin Library for the Health Sciences — Serving the information and research needs of the University’s
health scientists and students, the library houses 236,000 volumes and 2,700 periodicals. The John Martin
Rare Book Collection contains 3,000 rare books, some dating to the 15th century. The Information Commons includes multimedia computer classrooms, as well as individual workstations for students.

Veterans Affairs Medical Center — Serving patients from 32 eastern Iowa and 16 western Illinois counties,
this facility is closely affiliated with all five health sciences colleges and offers a site for clinical training
for medical students and residents. Medical faculty make rounds and conduct research at the VAMC.

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Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine Medical School Location

Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine Courses

FIRST AND SECOND YEARS :

The first two years’ curriculum helps students identify and develop the skills, knowledge, awareness and sensitivities that physicians will need in the future.
This intertwining of knowledge, judgement, and intuition coupled with an abiding concern for one’s fellow human beings is the basis of medicine. A firstyear medical student at The University of Iowa will learn the factual and technical language of medicine, come to understand the structure and function of the body in health and disease and begin to apply this knowledge to clinical
problems.

The medical curriculum also seeks to orient medicine in the larger social context in which conflicting values, goals, economic motives and political forces wrestle to shape health care access and delivery.
Beginning with the small (the molecule) and progressing to the large (organ systems), students learn about the normal structure and function of these systems and their components. Small discussion groups emphasize the selfeducation and teaching skills that are the basis of a successful medical career.
Students have the opportunity to make clinical case presentations and creative research presentations, integrating the basic science gained in lecture
and laboratory sessions with clinically relevant information.
After completing the first year, many students choose to spend the summer working and learning in an Iowa community hospital or conducting medical research projects.

In the second year, students continue basic science study, applying what they have learned about the body systems in order to understand how disease alters normal processes to produce signs and symptoms, the pattern of which we recognize as syndromes.

FIRST YEAR COURSES :

* Biochemistry
* Gross Anatomy
* Cell Biology
* Medical Genetics
* Foundations of Clinical Practice I
* Medical Neuroscience
* Principles of Medical Immunology
* Human Organ Systems:
* Structure and Function
* Foundations of Clinical Practice II

SECOND YEAR COURSES :

* Medical Pharmacology
* Principles of Infectious Diseases
* General and Systemic Pathology
* Foundations of Clinical Practice III
* Foundations of Clinical Practice IV
* Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
* Health Law

CLINICAL YEARS

The clinical courses at the University of Iowa College of Medicine take place during the last two years of the medical curriculum. In order to qualify for graduation
with the M.D. degree, students must satisfactorily complete a total of 80 weeks of courses during the 2 clinical years: 68 weeks of required courses and
12 weeks of electives. Course distribution is 48 weeks in the first clinical year and at least 32 weeks in the second clinical year.
The first clinical year begins with a week devoted to orientation and to clinical skills. Information about clinical courses, universal precautions, management of
acute trauma, and patient communication skills are emphasized and students have the opportunity to practice basic procedures.
These two years include six generalist core clerkships: family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, and community-based
primary care. Each course includes a mix of inpatient and outpatient activities, introduces the student to a specific discipline (or to the practice of medicine in
the community), and presents the opportunity to develop and practice clinical skills.
Required subspecialty clerkships: anesthesia, dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, otolaryngology, psychiatry, radiology, urology, and concurrent courses in electrocardiography and laboratory medicine.
Advanced clerkships: inpatient generalist ub-internships and critical care or emergency medicine.

CLINICAL COURSES :

* Community-Based Primary Care
* Family Medicine
* General Internal Medicine
* Obstetrics and Gynecology
* Pediatrics
* Surgery
* Neurology
* Psychiatry
* Subspecialty segment: anesthesia, dermatology,
ophthalmology, orthopaedics, otolaryngology, urology, radiology, and electrocardiography.
* Advanced clerkships: including inpatient generalist, subinternships, emergency or critical care experience.

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