Phase 1: Principles of Medical Science and Practice
Phase 1 of Geisinger Commonwealth’s MD Program incorporates foundational science and clinical education from day one of medical school.
After a comprehensive transition to medical school program, you'll be enrolled in two courses, the Integrated Science Course (ISC) and the Physician and Patient Centered Care Course (PPCC). These courses are delivered as integrated organ-system blocks, separated from one another by integrative review weeks designed to bring together the knowledge and skills mastered during the preceding weeks of the curriculum.
Additionally, you'll have dedicated time over the summer to participate in the Summer Research Immersion Program.
The phase ends with an Integrative Review Capstone (IRC) course, which includes complex patient encounters and challenging multisystem diagnostic problems which let you integrate previously acquired knowledge, including the complexities of the social determinants of health, healthcare disparities and how a patient interacts with a health system.
Your Phase 1 courses
Physician and Patient Centered Care (PPCC): PPCC focuses on connecting humanity and humanism — your own and that of peers and patients who will benefit from our professional skills, knowledge and presence.
The goal is to illustrate the need for and the benefits of collaborative approaches and efforts for advancements in health, health policies and clinical practices among the fields of clinical medicine, research epidemiology, biostatistics and public health.
This broad vision course addresses physicians’ unique relationship to individual patients, as well as clinical skills development, professionalism, cultural awareness, legal and moral values, and quality improvement.
Integrated Science Course (ISC) consists of blocks of clinical presentations of disease. Each block has an exam and time built in for self-directed learning. Students are required to prepare in advance for class discussions and activities. The blocks of clinical presentations of disease are (in the order presented):
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• Principles of medicine
• Dermatology and musculoskeletal • Gastrointestinal
• Cardiopulmonary • Renal
• Hematology • Endocrine/reproduction
• Neuroscience/psychiatry