Spotlight: Doctor of Medicine Degree
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| Sarah Connell, M4 |
Northwestern University has been training medical students for 150 years. The focal point of Feinberg School of Medicine undergraduate medical education programs is the one degree all students look forward to attaining: the Doctor of Medicine.
The Feinberg integrated doctor of medicine curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers as medical professionals. Students begin their medical education with two years of basic sciences instruction, and then proceed to the two clinical years.
“A unique aspect of the Feinberg curriculum is that every first and second year medical student has three half days a week that are unscheduled,” says John X. Thomas, Jr., PhD, professor of physiology and medical education, and senior associate dean for medical education in the Feinberg School of Medicine Augusta Webster, MD, Office of Medical Education. “That is enormous in terms of the students learning to manage their schedules and pursuing their interests. Students do amazing things with that time.”
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| Jozef Murar, M3 |
Sarah Connell, a fourth year medical student, has been involved in women’s health activities and research throughout her tenure at Feinberg and will be applying for obstetrics and gynecology residencies next fall.
“In my preclinical years, I loved the freedom of planning my own schedule and was active in the Northwestern chapter of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), organizing fundraisers and lunchtime speakers,” Connell says. “During my third year, I had the chance to help with a resident research project that investigated nosebleeds in pregnancy. I found my true calling in my OB/GYN rotation.”
Jozef Murar, a third year medical student, is still deciding what field of medicine he will pursue. In the meantime, Murar is enjoying interacting with patients and hopeful that his experiences this year will help him decide between surgery and internal medicine.
“I like learning what it’s like to be a ‘real’ doctor on a day to day basis,” says Murar. “At Feinberg, I am getting a top notch education that will serve me well my entire career.”