University of Medicine & Dentristy of New Jersey (Robert Wood Johnson Medical School)

As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School , with campuses in New Brunswick , Piscataway and Camden , is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery and the promotion of community health for the residents of New Jersey . With 2,500 full-time and volunteer faculty, the medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students, as well as continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs.

As one of eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the medical school encompasses 21 basic science and clinical departments and also integrates diverse clinical programs conducted at its 34 hospital affiliates and numerous ambulatory care sites in the region. UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School also hosts 85 centers and institutes; among them are The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey.

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Medical Association. The medical school is a full member of AAMC.

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

All education programs of UMDNJ have been approved by the academic, governmental and professional agencies with responsibilities in specific areas of specialization.

The primary and affiliated teaching hospitals of the medical school are accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

As one of eight schools that comprise UMDNJ, RWJMS operates three campuses in Piscataway, New Brunswick and Camden. The medical school encompasses 21 basic science and clinical departments and also integrates diverse clinical programs conducted at its 34 hospital affiliates and numerous ambulatory care sites in the region. The medical school’s newest departments are in the areas of Emergency Medicine, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology and Orthopaedic Surgery.

In addition to its departments, the medical school has 85 institutes and centers. The major centers and institutes affiliated with RWJMS include: The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive care center in New Jersey), the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (dedicated to molecular medicine), the Clinical Research Center (a clinical pharmacology inpatient facility), and the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (the largest environmental health institute in the world).

RWJMS has approximately 500 residents in 34 accredited graduate medical education programs in the areas of anesthesia, occupational medicine, family medicine, medicine, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology and surgery. Continuing medical education programs are conducted on a global basis.

The Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) is an academic unit of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) which is the state's university of the health sciences. The medical school is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the education of health professionals, in the conduct of biomedical, clinical, and public health research, in the delivery of health care and in the promotion of community health for the residents of the state. RWJMS maintains programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels and conducts continuing education courses for health professionals as well as community education programs. These efforts are focused on the development of ethical, integrated, comprehensive, culturally sensitive models of health promotion, disease prevention, and medical management that encompasses all levels of care.

As an institution supported by the state, RWJMS selects most of its student body from New Jersey residents. In pursuit of a diverse student body, special efforts are made to recruit and support students and other trainees from underrepresented minority groups and women. Further, the graduation of medical students who are likely to pursue careers in primary care is a special concern.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to excellence in medical education to develop ethical and culturally competent physicians. Students are encouraged toward a lifelong commitment to learning and professional growth. The curriculum emphasizes professional attitudes inherent in the profession of medicine, the development of clinical skills for the practice of medicine, and the building of a strong knowledge base. Goals and objectives for the ASK Curriculum (Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge) form the basis for every course and clinical clerkship. Clinical experiences are introduced early in the first year. Clinical training is on-going and enhanced through the use of standardized patients, OSCE’s (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations), and individual observation and feedback by the more than 2400 full-time, part-time and volunteer faculty. All educational experiences undergo rigorous evaluation by students and faculty throughout the four years.

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Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Medical School Location

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Courses

FIRST YEAR COURSES :

* Basic Life Support I : This course prepares the student to serve as a first responder to cardiac emergencies. It covers activation of the “Emergency Medical System”, early recognition of a heart attack and stroke, management of the victim experiencing a heart attack, relief of foreign airway obstruction and the emergency treatment for cardiac arrest using CPR.

* Biological Chemistry : The Biological Chemistry course will help students understand the biochemical basis of healthy and disease conditions for the practice of medicine. Students will acquire foundational knowledge in the structure and function of biomolecules to aid in the acquisition of knowledge in other biomedical disciplines. This course includes lecture presentations, small group discussion sessions, clinical patient presentations, review sessions and individual student consultations with faculty.

* Cellular and Genetic Mechanisms : The cell is the basic unit of life. All functions of the human body are carried out by cells and their products, and all disease ultimately stems from alterations of normal cell structure and function. The Cellular and Genetic Mechanisms course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the structure and biology of cells, as a foundation for study of physiology, pathology, and medicine. Cells, and organisms formed from them, are what they are because of the expression of an endogenous genetic program. The course also covers molecular, cellular, and clinical aspects of genetics.

* Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention : This course combines the first year Environmental and Community Medicine (ECM1) and the Epidemiology and Biostatistics courses taught by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine.
The health care system and medical education are increasingly relying on “evidence-based medicine”. This course will acquaint students with basic statistical and epidemiological skills, and will teach students to apply these skills to the biomedical literature in order to incorporate “evidence-based medicine” into their lives and practice.
This course will identify the behavioral, environmental and health system factors responsible for adverse health consequences and the basic mechanisms by which they cause and exacerbate disease.
You will be introduced to the notion of causation, a central facet of medicine and public health at the beginning of the new millennium. The focus will be on you as a physician and on your patients and the environments they experience at home, at work, and in their communities. We hope to prepare you to anticipate how current trends in behavioral health, environmental health, health care delivery as well as biomedical science will affect how you practice and how you assess new health threats and therapies. Epidemiological skills will cover study designs and hypothesis testing. The course is organized as a series of integrated lectures and has also been designed to develop self-directed learning skills. There will be presentations and discussions led by faculty lecturers and individual assignments supervised by faculty preceptors.

* Gross and Developmental Anatomy : The Gross and Developmental Anatomy course is a first semester first year course and includes a laboratory experience and dissection of a cadaver. In this course students learn the names of most of the structures of the body, the location of these structures in relation to each other, much about the functional relationships among these structures, and the anatomical basis for certain body functions. Students will identify many structures in various imaging modalities, e.g. radiographs, CT scans, MRI scans and sonograms. The anatomical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of some clinical entities will also be covered. Students are asked to commit to self-directed, life-long learning and to develop an efficient approach to self-study. We hope the process of dissection will help students gain respect for the patient and the patient’s family and the wonder of human life, as well as an appreciation of the importance of teamwork.

* Medical Microbiology and Immunology : A physician must understand the biology of infectious disease. This course covers the common micro-organisms which cause human disease and the immune system which defends us against them. Lectures will deal with the most important concepts and facts; much material will be dealt with in independent study. The laboratory will introduce the most important bacterial pathogens and teach two procedures every physician should know: how to obtain a pathogen in pure culture by single colony isolation, and how to perform a Gram stain, the first essential steps in identification of a bacterium. Case History discussions, Case-based learning, and Patient-Oriented Problem-Solving (POPS) exercises will demonstrate how knowledge of microbiology will help in diagnosing and treating infectious diseases.

* Medical Physiology : Medical Physiology is designed to provide a working knowledge of the fundamentals of human physiology, and a foundation for an understanding of the mechanisms that regulate human health and disease. This course balances a broad coverage of physiologic processes with an in-depth examination of certain topics that more rigorously illustrate human physiology. Various teaching formats are used. Lectures introduce topics and stress important concepts. Facilitator-directed small group conferences, student presentations, and discussions reinforce and extend the lecture material. Through this course, students are expected to acquire both the factual background and conceptual framework of physiology, which together are the prerequisites for continued self-directed learning.

* M1 Integrated Cases : M1 Integrated Cases is a two-semester first year course designed to help in integrating basic science knowledge and skills in the context of specific case presentations. For each of seven cases considered during the year, students first attend a panel discussion presented by both basic science and clinical faculty, who discuss the case from the perspectives of their diverse areas of interest. Legal, ethical, and psychosocial issues are considered along with the biological and medical aspects of each case. Following each panel discussion, students participate in Team-Based Learning exercises where aspects of the case are further developed.

* Neuroscience : The Neuroscience course focuses on understanding the structure and function of the human brain. In addition, there is substantial emphasis on clinical problem solving. To achieve this understanding, the course is divided into four parts: Human Neuroanatomy, Function of the Human Brain, Clinical Knowledge and Problem Solving, and Molecular and Cellular Bases of CNS Function and Disease. Each part of the course will use a combination of methods (lectures, labs, discussions, self-study, student presentations, etc.) to provide opportunities for acquiring skills and knowledge and demonstrating the fundamental attitudes that are outlined in the ASK Matrix.

* Patient Centered Medicine : Patient Centered Medicine is a new course which will begin in August 2006. This two-year experiential course will be rich with opportunities to acquire the attitudes, skills and knowledge of a physician in today's world. Students will explore issues of humanism and professionalism, cultural and ethical sensitivity and the influence of one's own cultural and personal beliefs on the practice of medicine, as well as the importance of balance in one's personal and professional lives. Through teaching scenarios with standardized patients and clinic visits, students will learn examination techniques, verbal and non-verbal techniques in establishing rapport and a therapeutic alliance as well as how to construct a medical history and understand biopsychosocial and environmental context. Students will learn the difference between disease and illness and the role of family systems, community resources and an interdisciplinary approach to patient care. They will be immersed into the world of the doctor, through patient visits, service learning and community outreach. Debriefing of the experiences will occur in small group sessions as well as in reflections made in an on-line portfolio.

* Systems Histology : The Systems Histology course builds upon information presented in Cellular and Genetic Mechanisms in the first semester and covers the cellular and tissue organization of the organ systems of the body. Light microscopy and electron microscopy are employed to explore the microscopic anatomy of the organ systems. The course has lecture and laboratory components and is structured so that it integrates with information presented in spring semester courses in Neuroscience and Microbiology and Immunology (to a lesser degree) and Medical Physiology (to a greater degree).
The faculty hope that the integration of material will facilitate students' assimilation, comprehension and recall of this basic information. Successful completion of Systems Histology should provide the students with a firm background for their Pathology course in the second year.

SECOND YEAR COURSES :

* Basic Life Support II : Basic Life Support II is required for all second year medical students. The course prepares the student to perform CPR and relief of foreign-body airway obstruction on victims of all ages. The students are also trained in the use of barrier devices, bag-valve-mask devices and the automated external defibrillator. The recognition and management of a heart attack and stroke are also included in this course.

* Behavioral Science and Psychiatry : The Behavioral Science and Psychiatry Course provides an introduction to psychiatric disorders across the age spectrum, an introduction to treatment methods in psychiatry, information about the basic behavioral science underlying the practice of psychiatry and an introduction to clinical communication skills. Teaching methods include lectures and small groups.

* Biochemical Basis of Nutrition : This course explores nutrition and health from a number of perspectives: cultural and economic influences on patterns of food selection and eating habits in the United States, basics of the macro- and micro-nutrients and nutritional needs for proper development and maintenance of health throughout the life cycle, clinical presentations for common nutritional imbalances, and the current literature in nutrition in humans. The course combines lecture, guest and small group presentations to establish foundational knowledge in concepts and issues in human nutrition for reference and further development in later clinical training.

* Clinical Pathophysiology : The Pathophysiology course is designed to prepare students for the clinical clerkships by helping them to develop: (1) an understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying common diseases in the following disciplines: hematology, infectious diseases, cardiology, pulmunology, rheumatology, nephrology, gastroenterology, and endocrinology; (2) the ability to understand and to interpret standard clinical laboratory tests; and (3) fundamental clinical problem solving skill . Students have the opportunity to apply knowledge of pathologic physiology in conjunction with information regarding medical history and laboratory data to solve case based clinical problems during small group discussion. Students are taught how pathophysiology translates into patient signs, symptoms and laboratory test results. Students are encouraged to begin the thought processes leading to development of differential diagnoses. Treatment or management of specific diseases may be discussed but is not stressed. In addition to teaching the knowledge base, we also affirm the attitudes and skills necessary to produce humane, moral, empathetic physicians whose conduct will venerate the profession.

* Clinical Prevention and Environmental Medicine : This course introduces concepts of clinical prevention applicable throughout the life cycle. Among the strategies used by physicians and other health workers to help individuals reduce their risk of developing disease are (1) Primary prevention (reduce incidence of disease), (2) Secondary prevention (screening for early detection of disease followed by intervention), and (3) Tertiary prevention (prevent or mitigate progression if disease is already present). Many of these approaches are common knowledge, but some have complex and not well understood ramifications. These concepts will be put in a clinical perspective. Exposure to toxins, how to determine the importance of occupational exposures in individual cases, strategies for prevention in the workplace, and risk assessment will also be covered. The course will build on concepts learned in Epidemiology and Biostatistics to evaluate clinical research.

* Human Sexuality : The Human Sexuality Program is an intensive, week-long program for medical students, allied health professionals, and graduate students of the health and education professions whose work encompasses sexuality education and sexual health issues. The course is culturally-sensitive, multidisciplinary, and evidence-based. Along with presentations to present factual material, students are exposed to a variety of sexual backgrounds and lifestyles via moderated panel discussions. Small interdisciplinary groups and specialized workshop sessions are used to identify emotional responses and to develop sexual interviewing, assessment and case-based learning skills.

* Medicine and the Law : The Medicine and the Law course will introduce medical students to the major legal issues in the practice of medicine. Students will acquire a practical methodology for analyzing, dealing with, and solving legal issues in the practice of medicine. The course also fosters life-long critical thinking and learning skills regarding the developing legal issues in patient care and encourages the appreciation of high ethical and legal standards for professionals.

* Pathology and Laboratory Medicine : Pathology is the study of disease. The course in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine provides an introduction to the mechanisms of disease and to the morphology and clinical characteristics of a broad spectrum of disease entities. The aim of the course is to provide a foundation for the understanding of the disease state at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and organismal levels. This course promotes self-directed and guided learning in small groups with faculty facilitators.

* Physical Diagnosis and Clinical Decision Making : The Physical Diagnosis and Clinical Decision Making Course is designed to teach the interpersonal, physical examination and reasoning skills necessary to carefully evaluate patients at the bedside. The course also aims to teach students how to record and report these observations in an organized, conventional style. Throughout the course students are encouraged and expected to demonstrate professional attitudes and skills and to begin to integrate the knowledge of pathophysiology, diagnostics and management in relation to patient presentation.

* Physical Diagnosis and Clinical Decision Making in Psychiatry : The Physical Diagnosis and Clinical Decision Making in Psychiatry course provides an opportunity for students to work closely with faculty preceptors to learn about clinical interviewing in psychiatry. Small groups of students work with a preceptor for six weeks learning how to interviewing patients, perform psychiatric assessments and write psychiatric evaluations.

* Pharmacology : The Pharmacology course trains students to function effectively during the third year clerkships and beyond. Students will learn the “language” of pharmacology-the names, classes, properties, adverse effects, and uses of major therapeutic agents. Students will be trained to initiate the habit of independent learning to enable them to keep up-to-date with new drugs.

* Universal Precautions/Venipuncture : This course is divided into two closely related sections, Universal Precautions(including Standard Precautions) and Venipuncture. Students will receive instruction in the appropriate practices to minimize their risk of exposure to infectious blood, body fluids and sharps. Each student will receive training in various techniques used for obtaining blood samples with the use of a syringe, vacutainer and butterfly.

THIRD YEAR CLERKSHIPS :

* Family Medicine Clerkship : The purpose of this clerkship is to introduce students to the principles of family medicine and increase competence in providing care in the ambulatory care setting. The primary focus of the clerkship is the preceptorship. Each student is assigned to a family physician/family practice office for the six-week experience. Students spend 8-10 half days per week at the preceptor's office. Students will also participate in nursing home visits, and sessions with physicians who concentrate their practices in the following areas: sports medicine, developmental disabilities, alternative medicine, women's health, and/or occupational health. Each student will also spend, on average, one-half day per week participating in a Community Oriented Primary Care experience. Students will be working with an underserved population, learning about and helping to meet that population's primary care needs. Seminars are held at the medical school throughout the rotation and attendance is required. The faculty of the Family Medicine Department look forward to sharing their experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm for family practice with you.

* Medicine Clerkship : The Medicine clerkship rotation is eight weeks long. There are six rotations during each academic year. This clerkship includes a hospital rotation and an Ambulatory Medicine segment. Ambulatory medicine training is scheduled one-half day each week during the eight-week inpatient rotation. Students are assigned to see patients at a hospital-based or free standing outpatient clinic or in a private physician's office.
Orientation to the Medicine Clerkship will take place at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital during the morning on the first day of each rotation. During orientation students are given practical information regarding requirements for the clerkship, grading policies, etc. Following orientation, students report to their assigned hospital sites.

* Obstetrics/ Gynecology Clerkship : This clerkship is designed to introduce the third year medical student to the diagnosis and management of the more common obstetrical and gynecological conditions. Our students will have the opportunity to develop basic skills related to the female reproductive system. The student will develop an understanding of the management of the typical medical and surgical problems that occur in a woman's life span, from menarche through menopause and beyond.
Our goal is to present the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology as a primary care area which provides basic medical care and teaching to women. In this role, the obstetrician-gynecologist can reinforce good health habits and make childbirth a safer and more meaningful experience.

* Pediatric Clerkship : The goal of Pediatrics is to provide health care to infants, children, and adolescents. This includes providing patients and their families support, guidance, and preventive care, as well as acute and chronic care. Although the majority of our students will not become pediatricians, every physician should understand normal growth and development, the influence of the environment on health, and the principals of health maintenance. Every medical student should learn to react with empathy and to exercise sound medical judgment in clinical situations involving children. Since gathering information and performing physical examinations require differing skills according to a child's age, another objective is for all medical students to develop these skills with young patients of various ages. However, the major emphasis in this clerkship is developing students' problem-solving skills.

* Psychiatry Clerkship : The Psychiatry Clerkship is a six-week rotation. The Department of Psychiatry is located on the main campus in Piscataway . However, students will be spending a majority of their time at clinical sites, some of which are off campus. Students will return weekly to Piscataway for didactic sessions.
Regardless of the students' areas of interest in the medical field, the third year psychiatry clerkship is designed to give students opportunities to improve rapport with patients, improve interviewing skills, and attain a basic understanding of psychiatric disorders and their treatments.

* Surgery Clerkship : The required course in surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School consists of two separately graded modules: an 8-week clerkship in the third year and a 4-week clerkship in the 4th year. Overall, the clerkships are designed to provide basic didactic and practical experience in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders that may require treatment by a surgeon.
The format of the third-year clerkship provides an eight-week course in the surgical sciences. It is designed for the student to gain knowledge about diseases that may be treated by surgeons. It permits students to develop the skills necessary to acquire future knowledge independently and to develop the clinical decision making skills required by all physicians. (The acquisition of technical skills is not emphasized but opportunities to obtain them are available in the fourth-year advanced clerkship.) The design of the third- year clerkship shifts emphasis away from the traditional surgical clerkship of lectures, ward work, and long hours in the operating room. Students assume a greater role in their self-education. Teaching sessions assume a case-based orientation requiring student preparation prior to each session and active participation in the session itself. Faculty members serve as facilitators to help guide the discussion of the cases presented.

* Introduction to the Clerkship Experience : This is a one-week course designed to prepare students for the third and fourth year clinical clerkships. Topics include getting acclimated to the clinical experience, computer resources, hospital orientation, diagnostic radiology, reading EKG’s, a clinical procedures workshop, death and dying, and a formative clinical skills exercise. The Formative Clinical Skills Assessment exercise is designed to provide students feedback on their individual skills with patients and patient evaluation.

FOURTH YEAR COURSES :

* Advanced Clerkship in Ambulatory Medicine : This fourth year required clerkship provides students with the opportunity to refine previously acquired skills, and to receive intensive teaching in the areas of medicine to which their prior exposure has been limited.

* Advanced Clerkship in Surgery : The clerkship is the culmination of the required experience in Surgery, providing the student with the opportunity to apply the knowledge learned in the third year and gain additional experience in the direct clinical management of acutely ill surgical patients in a longitudinal fashion from presentation to discharge. This clerkship is focused on the "acute" patient from the emergency room to the intensive care unit. The student will actively participate on a surgical team working with faculty and other care providers. The educational experience will include supervised clinical experiences, didactic lectures, case based learning and self-study.

* Neurology Clerkship : The goal of this required fourth year rotation is to teach medical students to diagnose and begin treatment of the common neurologic disorders, to detect subclinical neurologic disease by history and examination, and to initiate a diagnostic workup of the less common disorders. Outpatient care is emphasized. Students at all sites see both inpatients and outpatients with attending neurologists.

* Subinternship : Students may select from a variety of subinternships from this catalog or choose an established subinternship in one of the six disciplines in another medical school. Subinternships in this catalog with course numbers beginning with an 8 generally meet this requirement. A copy of the published description of the subinternship from another medical school must be presented to the Registrar’s Office at the Fourth Year Scheduling Appointment.
The Curriculum Committee has determined that generally only subinternships in the six disciplines listed meet the requirement. Subinternships that do not meet the above criteria in other disciplines may be approved by the Senior Associate Dean for Education to meet the fourth year requirement for a Subinternship under certain conditions. The Senior Associate Dean for Education will make this decision based on a copy of the published description of the course and consultation with the course director or Chair’s designee. The student must submit a written request to the Senior Associate Dean for Education at least 60 days prior to the proposed start date for the subinternship. The Senior Associate Dean for Education will notify, in writing, the student and the Registrar of the approval or disapproval of the subinternship. If a student is on Academic Warning, the student must first acquire written permission of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs before seeking approval of the Senior Associate Dean for Education.

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