Med 1 (Pre‑clerkship)

HitTheGroundRunning

Learning the basics of medicine and patient care

Med 1 is your foundation year of medical school. The curriculum is divided into four units:

  1. Foundations I
  2. Host Defense
  3. Metabolism and Homeostasis I
  4. Human Development

A detailed explanation of each unit can be found at Med 1 core units. Running across Med 1 and Med 2 are the Professional Competencies, Research in Medicine and Skilled Clinician units.

A typical week in your first year includes:

  • tutorial group meeting for 2-3 hours, two times a week
  • 3-5 hours of lectures
  • a patient contact experience for 3-4 hours, emphasizing patient-doctor relationships
  • a 1/2 day for Research in Medicine
  • a 1/2 day of electives in second semester
  • a 3-hour laboratory related to the cases under study

Case-based learning in pre-clerkship

Unit objectives in Med 1 place an emphasis on uncovering issues in particular cases, and understanding "why" and "how" they occur. Cases are used to help you learn in a clinical context, and to help you apply the first steps of a clinical reasoning process.

In Med 2, cases centre around "solving the mysteries" behind the cases, and then deciding on appropriate treatment plans.