Curriculum

The OU-TU School of Community Medicine curriculum consists of basic science and clinical coursework designed to help students master the core knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the practice of medicine.

The curriculum is guided by six competency areas: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Experience-Based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism, and Systems-Based Practice. The curriculum emphasizes the human and personal qualities of professional development and the scientific foundations of medicine. Patient contact is a major component of each of the four years of medical school beginning with student interactions with standardized patients and extending to hospital and ambulatory settings during subsequent coursework. Students are required to take and pass Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) prior to beginning third year clinical rotations. Students must take the USMLE Step 2 examination during the fourth year and report their score.

Additional details about the OU-TU School of Community Medicine curriculum and programs may be found here.

In addition to core curriculum competencies, the OU-TU School of Community Medicine track has a set of competencies specifically focused on community engagement, leadership, and population health. These objectives serve as a guide for what students are expected to learn or accomplish during the course of medical school in Tulsa. They are statements of the items of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes that SCM medical students are expected to exhibit as evidence of their achievement and as a basis for the next stage of their training.

• As part of the SCM curriculum, our third year medical students and second year PA students participate in a monthly Student Academy that discusses the most pressing health topics in Oklahoma.  This academy includes didactics and skills practice.
• SCM Students also participate in a student run Bedlam Clinic where they gain experience in patient care skills while assisting patients from the Tulsa community. Bedlam Evening and Bedlam Longitudinal clinics provide a place for members of the community to receive the care they desperately need to improve their health. 

For additional information on preclinical and clinical cirriculum, graduation requirements, course catalogs, rotation dates and information on assessment and grading of students, please visit our OU College of Medicine Education Page.

Requirements of the OU-TU School of Community Medicine Track:

In order to be eligible for promotion and/or graduation, students in the MD program School of Community Medicine (SCM) track must successfully meet additional coursework requirements, criteria, and standards established by the College of Medicine Faculty based on the SCM track objectives.

Additional SCM Track Promotion Criteria, Standards, and Requirements:

Students must meet all criteria, standards, and requirements outlined in Policy #401

1. To be eligible for promotion, students must successfully complete all SCM-specific curriculum coursework requirements for each respective academic year in accordance with Policy #413 

SCM Specific Courses and Requirements:
Lifestyle Medicine and Health Promotion 1 (MS1)
Lifestyle Medicine and Health Promotion 2 (MS2)
Humanities Enrichment: America's Quest for Health (MS2)
Health Systems Science in Practice (MS3)
Geriatrics & Community Medicine (MS4)
Bedlam E (MS3 and MS4)

The SCM-specific courses are designed to enhance the core MD program curriculum by preparing students to address the health and wellness of individuals and of the entire community by training students to grasp and to effectively utilize the many factors that impact health outcomes.  These factors include social determinants of health (including lifestyle behavior assessment and modification); community history, environment, and culture; population health components including care systems, informatics, quality improvement, and patient safety; and effective care delivery methods including inter-professional teamcare of patients.  SCM graduates are prepared to enter residency training with the perspectives and skill sets much needed to thrive in today’s complex and evolving healthcare landscape.  

Additional SCM Track Graduation Criteria, Standards, and Requirements:

Students must meet all criteria, standards, and requirements outlined in Policy #401

1. To be eligible for graduation, students must successfully complete all SCM-specific curriculum coursework requirements for each respective academic year in accordance with Policy #413

2. To be eligible for graduation, students must successfully complete all required Bedlam E clinics as part of SCM clerkships.