Overview
The educational program within the Uniformed Services University (USU) School of Medicine is unique, for in addition to the traditional biomedical sciences that prepare students for careers in medicine, students are taught how to work in adverse physiological and psychological environments. USU students also receive comprehensive instruction in the art of military-medical leadership, and participate in an array of training experiences that are designed to cultivate strong leadership skills.
The curriculum is comprehensive and is both clinically and academically rigorous, as it is specifically designed to support the educational needs of uniformed services physicians. The pre-clerkship curriculum is presented via an organ-systems based approach, which incorporates focused instruction on military relevant physiology and operational medicine.
Although the initial emphasis is on the basic sciences, clinical medicine is integrated into all facets of the curriculum, with clinical skills training and patient care related activities beginning in the first week of medical school. This early integration of basic science and clinical medicine not only allows students to better appreciate the physical and biological factors affecting human health and illness, but also the complex social factors affecting individual patients.
Two key concepts underscore the entire USU curriculum: One is that medicine exists to serve society, and the other is that military physicians must have unequivocally strong humanistic and leadership skills.
Pre-Clerkship Description
The USU curriculum strives to instill an appreciation for the importance of scientific inquiry and the necessity for self-directed and life-long learning, discovery, and continual self-improvement.
The sixteen-month pre-clerkship period enables students to establish a strong foundation in the basic science associated with the mechanisms of human disease, the foundations of clinical diagnosis and contemporary approaches to prevention and treatment. During this time, students begin developing their professional identities as officers and physicians, so they can fulfill the promise of duty and expertise, to their future patients and military units. Students are mentored by experienced faculty, with particular emphasis placed on the cultivation of professional values and the mastery of key elements of basic and clinical science. At the same time, students study and acquire an understanding of the social and epidemiologic principles needed for effective patient care.
The pre-clerkship period begins with a seven week “Foundation in Medicine” module which introduces and reviews concepts fundamental to the basic sciences and clinical medicine. It provides students with the foundational skills needed to master advanced material, and establishes a solid foundation for the five organ-system based modules that follow this first module. These include a sequential focus on the skin and musculoskeletal system; the cardiopulmonary-renal system; neuroscience and behavior; the gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, metabolism and nutrition systems; and one focusing on reproduction and endocrinology.
The final pre-clerkship module focuses on complex and multi-system diseases and prepares students to understand the intricacies of modern clinical medicine as they advance to the next phase of their education: the clerkship year. In this transitional module, students expand their problem-solving skills in order to understand the interplay of multiple systems in serious illness. In addition, they learn how to recognize the roles of the host response, and the impact of social and environmental influences on disease outcomes. The diverse challenges addressed by the specialties of global and military medicine are also emphasized.
Clerkship Description
Clerkships are an immersive clinical experience where students integrate their knowledge of basic sciences into clinical care through an apprentice-based educational model in which students work directly with physicians of various medical specialties. The core clerkships build on many of the fundamental anatomic, physiologic, and pathologic concepts introduced in the pre-clerkship modules. Clinical “threads” focus on topics of medical professionalism, ethics, patient safety, quality improvement, the skills necessary to practice life-long learning, and evidence-based medicine.
Students complete a weeklong Transition to Clerkship program prior to beginning clinical clerkships. The subsequent year consists of eight, five-week core clinical rotations (Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine Outpatient, Internal Medicine Inpatient, General Surgery, Surgical Subspecialty, Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Psychiatry) and a four-week selective rotation.
The year is scheduled in a trimester system with an introduction week, three five-week clinical rotation blocks, and a week of leave after each trimester block. Students select the order and location of their clinical rotations through a lottery-based selection process. Students have two additional weeks of leave at the end of the year.
Post - Clerkship Description
The post-clerkship period is designed to prepare students for graduate medical education (internship and residency training), and to foster advanced clinical decision-making skills, as students continue to transition from being able to accurately Report and Interpret medical information and ultimately Manage and Educate patients in accordance with the “RIME” model of medical education.
The first six weeks of the post-clerkship period are used to help students prepare for successful completion of Step 1 of the USMLE examination. Students then participate in a six-week period of advanced curricular instruction called “Bench to Bedside and Beyond (B3).” B3 is an opportunity for students to further integrate basic science and clinical concepts in an advanced context, and is aided by specialized training in Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS). Emphasizing case-based examples, B3 incorporates topics such as patient safety, team-based care delivery (patient-centered medical home), professionalism, and evidence-based clinical decision making.
After B3, post-clerkship students have an extended period of time reserved for advanced clinical rotations and electives. This provides students with extra time to engage in several “audition” rotations with prospective residency sites, while further enhancing students’ clinical skills and opportunities. Specific offerings include both ambulatory and inpatient-based rotations, research electives, operational medicine electives, community- based medical electives, and traditional sub-internships. During this period, students also complete the second part of their USMLE examinations, Step 2, Clinical Knowledge (Step 2 CK).
Included in the post-clerkship period is an opportunity to complete a Capstone Project. Capstone Projects are longitudinal projects involving scientific inquiry in an area of the student’s choosing. Capstone opportunities range from traditional basic science to integrative, operational, translational, or clinically oriented projects. Students completing Capstone projects are expected to devote up to three months of the post-clerkship period to this scientific pursuit.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses:
| PRC 1001 | Foundation in Medicine Module | 7 |
| PRC 2001 | Musculoskeletal and Integument Module | 8 |
| PRC 2002 | Cardiopulmonary-Renal Module | 9 |
| PRC 2003 | Neuroscience and Behavior Module | 8 |
| PRC 2004 | Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary, Hematologic, Metabolism and Nutrition Module | 8 |
| PRC 2005 | Reproduction and Endocrinology Module | 8 |
| PRC 2006 | Multi-System and Complex Diseases Module | 9 |
| MIL 2001 | Military Medicine 100 | 10 |
| GSO 3200 | Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics Clerkship | 5 |
| FAM 3200 | Family Medicine Clerkship | 5 |
| MED 3200 | Medicine Clerkship | 10 |
| PED 3200 | Pediatrics Clerkship | 5 |
| PSY 3200 | Psychiatry Clerkship | 5 |
| SUR 3200 | Surgery and Surgical Subspecialties Clerkship | 10 |
| ANE 3205 | Anesthesia Clerkship | 4 |
| Or | |
| ANE 4205 | Anesthesia Clerkship | 4 |
| BBB 4000 | Bench to Bedside and Beyond | 6 |
| MIL 4001 | Military Medicine 200 | 8 |
| MEM 4002 | Emergency Medicine Clerkship | 4 |
| NEU 3100 | Adult Neurology Clerkship | 4 |
| NEU 4100 | Adult Neurology Clerkship | 4 |
| Or | |
| NEU 4110 | Child Neurology Clerkship | 4 |
| And | |
| Sub-Internships (Minimum of 2) | 8 |
Clerkship Requirements: Four 5-week rotations (PED, GYN-SURG-OB, PSY, FAM); two 10-week rotations (MED and SUR); and one 4-week selective rotation (not listed above) = 7 blocks
Post-Clerkship Requirements: Three courses and two sub-internships are required. The remainder of the 12 blocks are available for elective opportunities.
* BBB4000 and MIL4001 (listed above) are required activities, not advanced electives or optional rotations.
Pre-Clerkship Courses
Required Courses
| PRC 1001 | Foundation in Medicine Module | 7 |
| PRC 2001 | Musculoskeletal and Integument Module | 8 |
| PRC 2002 | Cardiopulmonary-Renal Module | 9 |
| PRC 2003 | Neuroscience and Behavior Module | 8 |
| PRC 2004 | Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary, Hematologic, Metabolism and Nutrition Module | 8 |
| PRC 2005 | Reproduction and Endocrinology Module | 8 |
| PRC 2006 | Multi-System and Complex Diseases Module | 9 |
| MIL 2001 | Military Medicine 100 | 10 |
Clerkship Courses
Required Courses
Selective Course Offering
| DER 3100 | Dermatology Selective | 4 |
| GSO 3100 | Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics Selective | 4 |
| FAM 3101 | Complementary Medicine / Acupuncture Selective | 4 |
| FAM 3102 | Family Medicine Operational Medicine Selective | 4 |
| FAM 3103 | Family Medicine Sports Medicine Selective | 4 |
| FAM 3141 | Integrative Medicine | 4 |
| FAM 3150 | Family Medicine Selective - Community Health | 4 |
| MED 3100 | Aerospace Medicine Selective | 4 |
| MED 3102 | Cardiology Selective | 4 |
| MED 3103 | Hematology/Oncology Selective | 4 |
| MED 3104 | Sleep Medicine Selective | 4 |
| MED 3105 | Infectious Diseases Selective | 4 |
| MED 3106 | Endocrinology Selective | 4 |
| MED 3107 | Pulmonary Selective | 4 |
| MED 3108 | Nephrology Selective | 4 |
| MED 3109 | Rheumatology Selective | 4 |
| MED 3345 | General Internal Medicine Selective | 4 |
| MEM 3100 | Emergency Medicine Selective | 4 |
| NEU 3110 | Child Neurology Clerkship | 4 |
| PAT 3100 | Pathology Selective | 4 |
| PED 3100 | Pediatrics Specialty Selective | 4 |
| PMR 3100 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clerkship | 4 |
| PSY 3101 | Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry Selective | 4 |
| PSY 3102 | Neuropsychiatry Selective | 4 |
| PSY 3103 | Addictions Selective | 4 |
| PSY 3105 | Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry | 4 |
| PSY 3345 | Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)/Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) Selective | 4 |
| PSY 3430 | Forensic Psychiatry Selective | 4 |
| PSY 3510 | Military Community Psychiatry | 4 |
| RAD 3100 | Radiology Selective | 4 |
| SUR 3101 | Ophthalmology Selective | 4 |
| SUR 3102 | Otolaryngology Selective | 4 |
| SUR 3620 | Urology Selective | 4 |
Post-Clerkship Courses
Required Courses
BBB4000 is a required activity, not an advanced elective or optional rotation.
MEM6820 is a required activity for specially-identified ARMY students.
Sub-Internship Course Offering
Two required Sub-Internships:
| FAM 4130 | Family Medicine Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4006 | Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4008 | Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) or GYN Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4009 | Labor and Delivery Days and Night Float Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4014 | Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics Subspecialty Combo Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4310 | Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4370 | Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Internship | 4 |
| MED 4420 | Cardiology Coronary Care Unit (CCU) Sub-Internship | 4 |
| MED 4440 | General Medicine Sub-Internship | 4 |
| MED 4460 | Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) Sub-Internship | 4 |
| MED 4500 | Hematology/Oncology Sub-Internship | 4 |
| NEU 4121 | Neurology Sub-Internship | 4 |
| PED 4631 | Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Sub-Internship | 4 |
| PED 4632 | Pediatric Ward Sub-Internship | 4 |
| PED 4700 | Pediatric Inpatient Sub-Internship | 4 |
| PSY 4350 | Psychiatry Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4410 | General Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4430 | Cardiothoracic Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4450 | Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU) Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4470 | Vascular Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4520 | Pediatric Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4581 | Otolaryngology Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4650 | Orthopedic Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4630 | Urology Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4670 | Plastic Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4700 | Trauma Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4710 | Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) Sub-Internship | 4 |
| SUR 4760 | Neurosurgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
Advanced Clinical Course Offering
| ANE 4205 | Anesthesia Clerkship | 4 |
| ANE 4220 | Chronic Pain Elective | 4 |
| ANE 4223 | Anesthesia Advanced Operating Room Experience | 4 |
| ANE 4224 | Acute Pain Elective | 4 |
| ANE 4225 | Anesthesia Critical Care Elective | 4 |
| ANE 4226 | Pediatric Anesthesia Elective | 4 |
| ANE 4227 | Trauma and Burn Anesthesia Elective | 4 |
| APG 4110 | Neuroanatomy Elective | 4 |
| APG 4140 | Anatomy Teaching Elective | 4 |
| APG 4150 | Forensic Anthropology | 4 |
| APG 4160 | Advanced Forensic Anthropology | 4 |
| APG 4170 | Anatomical Variations | 4 |
| APG 4780 | Advanced Anatomy - Cadaver Dissection Review | 4 |
| DER 4100 | Clinical Dermatology | 4 |
| DER 4125 | Pediatric Dermatology | 4 |
| FAM 4017 | Family Medicine - Maternity/Reproductive Health | 4 |
| FAM 4018 | Metacognition - Thinking About How You Think | 4 |
| FAM 4071 | Family Medicine Operational | 4 |
| FAM 4076 | Family Medicine Comprehensive | 4 |
| FAM 4110 | Family Medicine Ambulatory | 4 |
| FAM 4140 | Sports Medicine | 4 |
| FAM 4141 | Family Medicine - Integrative Medicine | 4 |
| FAM 4150 | Family Medicine - Community Health | 4 |
| FAM 4160 | Family Medicine - Health Equity Elective | 4 |
| FAM 4180 | Family Medicine - Complementary Medicine - Acupuncture | 4 |
| FAM 4192 | Motivational Interviewing and Behavioral Change | 4 |
| FAM 4201 | Clinical Informatics | 4 |
| GSO 4006 | Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4008 | Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) or GYN Surgery Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4009 | Labor and Delivery Days and Night Float Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4014 | Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics Subspecialty Combo Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4210 | Labor and Delivery Days and Night Float | 4 |
| GSO 4212 | Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics Subspecialty Combo | 4 |
| GSO 4220 | General Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics Elective | 4 |
| GSO 4230 | Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) or GYN Surgery | 4 |
| GSO 4250 | Maternal Fetal Medicine | 4 |
| GSO 4270 | Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility | 4 |
| GSO 4310 | Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4330 | Gynecologic Oncology | 4 |
| GSO 4340 | Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (Urogyn) | 4 |
| GSO 4370 | Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4375 | Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (Urogyn) Sub-Internship | 4 |
| GSO 4380 | Advocacy Excellence: Empowering Scholars to Identify, Research, & Champion Their Causes Effectively | 4 |
| MED 4345 | General Internal Medicine Elective | 4 |
| MED 4390 | Palliative Medicine | 4 |
| MED 4400 | Cardiology Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4490 | Hematology/Oncology Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4510 | Gastroenterology Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4540 | Endocrinology Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4550 | Infectious Disease Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4560 | Nephrology Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4570 | Pulmonary Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4580 | Rheumatology Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4590 | Allergy Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4591 | Sleep Medicine Clinic & Consults | 4 |
| MED 4636 | Medical Education Elective | 4 |
| MED 4680 | Clinical Pharmacology Consults | 4 |
| MED 4690 | Geriatric Medicine | 4 |
| MED 4715 | Women's Health Clinic | 4 |
| MED 4720 | General Medicine Clinics | 4 |
| MED 4740 | Safety and Quality | 4 |
| MED 4745 | Foundations in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Healthcare | 4 |
| MEM 4002 | Emergency Medicine Clerkship | 4 |
| MEM 4150 | Pediatric Emergency Medicine | 4 |
| MEM 4805 | Military and Operational Space Medicine | 4 |
| MOM 4110 | Military Medicine Training | 4 |
| MOM 4120 | Military Operational Clinical Experience | 4 |
| NEU 4100 | Adult Neurology Clerkship | 4 |
| NEU 4110 | Child Neurology Clerkship | 4 |
| NEU 4205 | Neurology Elective | 4 |
| PAT 4100 | Pathology Elective | 4 |
| PED 4224 | Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) | 4 |
| PED 4225 | Multi-Specialty Pediatrics | 4 |
| PED 4238 | Child Advocacy/Child Abuse and Neglect | 4 |
| PED 4300 | Adolescent Medicine | 4 |
| PED 4380 | Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) | 4 |
| PED 4430 | Pediatric Cardiology | 4 |
| PED 4450 | Pediatric Endocrinology | 4 |
| PED 4460 | Pediatric Gastroenterology | 4 |
| PED 4470 | Pediatric Genetics | 4 |
| PED 4480 | Pediatric Hematology/Oncology | 4 |
| PED 4490 | Pediatric Infectious Disease | 4 |
| PED 4510 | Pediatric Nephrology | 4 |
| PED 4520 | Pediatric Neurology | 4 |
| PED 4543 | Introduction to Pediatric Residency | 4 |
| PED 4610 | Pediatric Pulmonology | 4 |
| PED 4660 | Well Baby Nursery/Newborn Service | 4 |
| PED 4665 | Forward Operating Pediatrics | 4 |
| PED 8000 | Advanced Pediatrics | 4 |
| PMB 4100 | Aerospace Medicine | 4 |
| PMB 4170 | Occupational and Environmental Medicine | 4 |
| PMB 4180 | Preventive Medicine | 4 |
| PMB 4200 | Tropical Medicine | 4 |
| PMB 4270 | MHS By the Numbers: Diagnosing & Managing the Readiness of Populations | 4 |
| PMR 4215 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | 4 |
| PSY 4105 | Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry Elective | 4 |
| PSY 4170 | Hospice/Palliative Care | 4 |
| PSY 4310 | Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry Elective | 4 |
| PSY 4320 | Inpatient Psychiatry Elective | 4 |
| PSY 4330 | Outpatient Psychiatry Elective | 4 |
| PSY 4340 | Consult/Liaison Psychiatry Elective | 4 |
| PSY 4345 | Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)/Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) Elective | 4 |
| PSY 4370 | Substance Abuse | 4 |
| PSY 4400 | Ethics, Legal Aspects of Medical Care | 4 |
| PSY 4430 | Forensic Psychiatry Elective | 4 |
| PSY 4490 | Neuropsychiatry Elective | 4 |
| PSY 4510 | Military Community Psychiatry | 4 |
| PSY 4520 | Telepsychiatry Elective | 4 |
| RAD 4100 | Diagnostic Radiology | 4 |
| RAD 4200 | Interventional Radiology | 4 |
| RAD 4300 | Radiation Oncology | 4 |
| SUR 4400 | General Surgery | 4 |
| SUR 4420 | Cardiothoracic Surgery | 4 |
| SUR 4440 | Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU) | 4 |
| SUR 4460 | Vascular Surgery | 4 |
| SUR 4480 | Renal Transplantation Rotations | 4 |
| SUR 4510 | Pediatric Surgery | 4 |
| SUR 4530 | Sports Orthopedics | 4 |
| SUR 4550 | Ophthalmology | 4 |
| SUR 4570 | Otolaryngology Elective | 4 |
| SUR 4620 | Urology Elective | 4 |
| SUR 4640 | Orthopedic Surgery | 4 |
| SUR 4660 | Plastic Surgery | 4 |
| SUR 4690 | Trauma Surgery | 4 |
| SUR 4720 | Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) Elective | 4 |
| SUR 4750 | Neurosurgery | 4 |
| SUR 4755 | Community Multi-Specialty Surgery | 4 |
| SUR 4758 | International Surgery | 4 |