SCI Community Clinic Preceptor Resources

SCI Curriculum Map

The Society, Community and the Individual curriculum is part of the first- and second-year medical school curriculum. The map shows how SCI I through IV align with scientific principles, medical skills, masters colloquium, and clerkship preparation courses.

SCI I

SCI I focuses on language, culture and orientation and is associated with PSCI 5211.

Courses aligned with Scientific Principles of Medicine I and II

Scientific Principles of Medicine I and II include PSPM 5011 and PSPM 5002. Related content areas include:

• Introduction to Health and Disease
• Gastrointestinal Systems and Liver
• Integumentary, Musculoskeletal and Nervous Systems
• Hematologic System
• Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems
• Renal System

Related first-year courses include:

• Medical Skills I and II, PMSK 5301 and 5312
• Masters Colloquium I and II, PMAS 5101 and 5112
• Society, Community and the Individual I and II, PSCI 5211 and 5212

Courses aligned with Scientific Principles of Medicine III and IV

Scientific Principles of Medicine III and IV include PSPM 6001 and PSPM 6012. Related content areas include:

• CNS and Special Senses
• Endocrine System
• Reproduction Systems
• Mind and Human Development

Related second-year courses include:

• Medical Skills III and IV, PMSK 6301 and 6312
• Masters Colloquium III and IV, PMAS 6101 and 6112
• Society, Community and the Individual III and IV, PSCI 6211 and 6212

Clerkship Preparation

Clerkship Prep is listed as PICE 7001.

Where do our SCI Preceptors fit in the Pre-Clerkship Phase Doctor of Medicine Program Curriculum?

Communitybased preceptors are a part of the Society, Community, and the Individual course. The Society, Community, and the Individual (SCI) course (PSCI 5211, 5212, 6211, 6212) is the first one students take beginning with a three week summer immersion on community health themes. The course is designed to expose students to the social foundations of medicine, biostatistics and epidemiology, the interpretation of clinical research data, and conversational and medical Spanish. A major emphasis of the course is how social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental forces affect, and are affected by, the health of individuals. In addition to working with community physicians and other healthcare providers as part of the SCI experience, students will enhance their ability to effectively communicate with Spanish speaking patients. The course also offers students the opportunity for meaningful engagement in service-based learning.

The pre-clerkship curriculum consists of four main courses of which SCI is one cornerstone. The courses are the Scientific Principles of Medicine (SPM); Medical Skills; Society, Community, and the Individual; and Masters Colloquium. In addition, students participate in two longitudinal experiences via the Integrated Curricular Elements (ICE) Program and the Scholarly Activity and Research Program (SARP).

Four of these courses span the first two years of the curriculum and are highly integrated with one another. The centerpiece of the curriculum is Scientific Principles of Medicine (PSPM 5011, 5002, 6001, 6012), which is organized around roughly 77 clinical presentations (e.g., sore throat, abdominal pain, chest discomfort) that are assigned to an appropriate organ system block or unit. Each of the clinical presentations (CPs) is delivered to students by an expert clinician faculty member in the form of a clinical scheme that serves as the basis for the instruction in the basic science concepts and content relevant to an understanding of the pathophysiological processes associated with a given clinical presentation.

Closely aligned with SPM, is the Medical Skills (PMSK 5301, 5312, 6301, 6312) course where students learn to take focused histories and conduct physical examinations on patients presenting with the clinical problems that are being addressed concurrently in SPM. For example, when learning the basic sciences relevant to understanding chest discomfort in SPM, Medical Skills covers how to take histories and perform physical examinations on standardized patients presenting with chest pain. This course takes place primarily in a state-of-the-art clinical skills and simulation laboratory where students practice with standardized patients, partial task-trainers, and high-fidelity human body simulators.

Another course spanning the first two years of the curriculum is Masters’ Colloquium (PMAS 5101, 5112, 6111, 6112). The Foster School of Medicine has created learning communities called “colleges,” led by college masters who are responsible for organizing a weekly masters’ colloquium focusing on the art and science of medicine with specific emphasis on issues related to professionalism. The colloquium is primarily a discussion-based course with selected readings and in-class exercises designed to promote critical reflection and the exchange of ideas.

The Integrated Curricular Elements (ICE) Program contains curricular requirements that intentionally span the pre-clerkship and clerkship phases. ICE requirements occur in each year. There are credit and non-credit components of the ICE program. The Clerkship Prep Course (PICE 7001), a main requirement of the ICE program, is an eight-week credit-based course occurring at the end of the MS2 year, which ensures students possess the essential knowledge and skills required for entry into the clerkship phase of their medical training. The major elements of this course include Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) training, Tankside Grand Rounds (TSGR), an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), a self-directed learning phase, and the National Board of Medical Examiners Comprehensive Basic Science Exam (NBME CBSE).

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