MD Curriculum

Karen Woodfork, PhD, Professor of Physiology & Pharmacology and Committee Chair

Curriculum Committee meets monthly on the first Monday of each month at noon. There are student representatives from each year of the curriculum.

In addition to these course requirements, all students must complete 100 hours of community service prior to graduation, and successfully pass both Step 1 and Step 2 of the USMLE.

Description of MD Curriculum

The pre-clerkship phase of the curriculum includes the first two academic years. The first academic year includes 45 weeks of instruction, experiential and self-directed study, for a total of 52 credit hours. There are approximately 20 scheduled instructional contact hours per week. Students must take courses in a specific order.

The fall term includes CCMD 801 Medical Biochemistry and Cellular Function (integration of biochemistry and genetics), PALM 801 Human Structure (integration of human anatomy and histology), CCMD 811 Physical Diagnosis and Clinical Integration (PDCI) 1 and CCMD 802 Professional Development, which includes a full week of professional development activities designed to help students transition into the medical school curriculum.

The spring term includes an introduction to the foundation of several basic sciences and begins aligning content areas across organ systems, starting with the nervous system. Students enroll in several courses, including MICB 812 Immunity, Infection and Disease 1, PALM 812 Mechanisms of Human Disease 1, PCOL 812 Medical Pharmacology 1, CCMD 812 Physical Diagnosis and Clinical Integration (PDCI) 2, CCMD 813 Neurosciences and Human Behavior, CCMS 814 Health Care Ethics. Students also engage in self-directed learning in the CCMD 803 Problem-based Learning. The summer term includes two courses: CCMD 815 Career and Professional Development Experience and CCMD 816 Public Health.

The second academic year includes 33 weeks of instruction, experiential and self-directed study, for a total of 38 credit hours. The curriculum targets content of the MICB 820 Immunity, Infection & Disease (microbiology); PALM 820 Mechanisms of Human Disease (pathology); PCOL 820 Medical Pharmacology; PSIO 820 Physiology and CCMD 821 Physical Diagnosis & Clinical Integration-2 courses have been integrated around concepts and systems. Students also engage in self-directed learning in the CCMD 823 Problem-based learning course. In addition to this significant change a highlight of the current second year curriculum is that students continue to develop the clinical skills of a physician in the Physical Diagnosis and Clinical Integration (PDCI-2) course by working with physician faculty preceptors throughout the year. The academic year culminates with students taking the CCMD 824 NBME Comprehensive Basic Science Examination and USMLE Step 1 examination, the first step towards medical licensure.

The Clerkship/Rotation phase begins in the summer, following the USMLE Step 1 examination. The academic year includes 48 weeks of instruction, experiential and self-directed study, for a total of 48 credit hours. Students must pass the STEP 1 examination to remain in the clerkship/rotation phase of the curriculum. The third academic year includes required clerkships: MED 830 Internal Medicine; SURG 830 Surgery; BMP 830 Psychiatry; NEUO 830 Neurology; PEDI Pediatrics 830; FMED 830 Family Medicine and OBST Obstetrics and Gynecology. Students complete the clerkships in any order and at one of three clinical campuses: the Morgantown Campus, the Charleston Division or at the Eastern Division (Martinsburg, WV).

The fourth academic year includes both required and elective rotations across 34 weeks of instruction, experiential and self-directed study, for a total of 35 credit hours. Each student is assigned a faculty/professional staff adviser to select the schedule. Time for interviewing for residency and vacation are figured into students’ schedules. Twelve weeks of the fourth year are committed to required rotations: CCMD 843 Anesthesiology clerkship; CCMD 842 Sub I Hospital Care; CCMD 844 Critical Care and ICU; and CCMD 849 Rural/Community-based Care. Required rotations must be completed with WVU faculty on one of our three campuses or at approved sites in West Virginia. The remainder of the fourth year consist of 20 weeks of CCMD 841 electives. In-state elective rotations selected must be approved by the MD Curriculum Committee. Students are limited to no more than 12 weeks of elective rotation time in the same specialty or subspecialty area. Elective research rotations (internal or external) are limited to 4 weeks and must have prior approval of the Committee on Academic and Professional Standards (CAPS).