MD Curriculum

An overview of the Quillen curriculum

Academic and Faculty Affairs

Quillen has a robust curriculum that is designed to prepare students to graduate as professional, capable, and compassionate physicians. Our goal is to provide the best possible experience for our students, while maintaining our strong commitment to primary care and rural and underserved medicine.

The TRAILS (Team-based Rural Applied Integrated Learning System) curriculum includes the integration of basic and clinical sciences, opportunities for early clinical experiences, state-of-the-art interprofessional training and simulation, and multiple service learning and community outreach opportunities. The curriculum is delivered in learning environments that engage faculty and students in the active application of knowledge and the practice of skills central to patient care. Quillen's Institutional Educational Objectives serve as a foundation for our undergraduate medical education program.

  • VISION OF THE QUILLEN PHYSICIAN

    Graduates of the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine will be…

    Skilled Clinicians

    • The graduate will exhibit excellent clinical and diagnostic skills and will apply critical thinking and evidence-based principles to all aspects of their practice.

    Compassionate Physicians

    • The graduate will use patient-centered principles and shared decision-making to navigate patients through the health care system.

    Servant Leaders

    • The graduate will prioritize the overall well-being of those with whom they work and to whom they provide care, advocating for those disadvantaged by the current health care system.

    Effective Collaborators

    • The graduate will be prepared to work collaboratively in interprofessional settings of care, respecting the unique contributions of all team members.

    Lifelong Learners

    • The graduate will be equipped to continually learn throughout their careers, critically evaluating information as it continues to change.
  • GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE QUILLEN MD CURRICULUM

    Our educational program will be structured around and continuously informed by the following principles:

    Patient-centered

    • The curriculum will focus on the goal of improving patient care, especially by considering social and cultural contexts of patients.

    Aligned with Mission

    • The curriculum will emphasize interprofessional principles in primary care, serving rural and underserved patients, and improving the care of the region.

    Inclusive

    • The curriculum will seek to reduce bias when possible and promote health equity for all.


    Application-focused

    • The curriculum will promote learning environments that engage faculty and students in the active application of knowledge and the practice of skills central to patient care.

    Inquiry-driven

    • The curriculum will underscore students’ role in learning, equipping them with the skills to think critically and make evidence-based decisions.

    Integrated

    • The curriculum will integrate information from all disciplines that inform medicine throughout all phases of training.


    Emphasize Personal & Professional Growth

    • The curriculum will foster an environment that emphasizes development of a well-rounded clinician in aspects beyond the traditional learning environment.


    Continuous Improvement

    • The curriculum will be continuously reviewed and improved in order to provide the best possible outcomes for students.


    Planned Assessment

    • The curriculum will be supported by assessments designed to provide formative and summative feedback to students as they advance toward competence in the unique knowledge, skills, and attitudes that characterize the Quillen physician.

Please see the QCOM Catalog for detailed course information and typical curriculum. 



Pre-clerkship Phase







The pre-clerkship phase is focused on basic science and foundational clinical science.





  • Length: 17 months (3 semesters)
  • Integrated organ systems-based courses
  • Clinical experience beginning in the first year
  • 9 weeks of summer vacation between the first and second year
  • 6 weeks of USMLE Step 1 study time in Spring of M2 year
  • First Semester (Fall M1)

    EQUAL Professional Immersion (2 weeks)
    EQUAL (Experiencing Quillen, Underserved in Appalachia, and Learning communities) Professional Immersion introduces students to Quillen, the underserved patients and communities of Appalachia, and each student’s Learning Community. 

    Foundations of Medical Knowledge (13 weeks)
    The course presents the fundamental principles, core concepts, and vocabulary of the medical basic science disciplines in a cohesive manner. Students learn the relationships between anatomic and molecular structures and cellular and bodily processes and make the connections between basic science information and human health and disease. Students completing FMK will have a solid foundation of anatomic, cellular, and molecular principles in health and disease. 

    Immunology & Hematology (6 weeks)
    The course focuses on the immunologic and hematologic processes to build a comprehensive understanding of the responses and interventions necessary to combat infectious diseases, disorders of the immune response, and blood-born disorders and malignancies. The course compares normal structure and function with dysfunction and disease. Students develop the necessary skills to critically evaluate laboratory data and patient history to develop an effective differential helpful in the performance of clinical course work when immunology and hematology are relevant.

    Doctoring TRAILS 1 (19 weeks)
    This course is focused on foundational clinical skills. Students receive training in physical examination and communication with patients. In addition, students explore the fundamentals of medical ethics, cultural humility, system-based practice, patient safety, and quality improvement.

  • Second Semester (Spring M1)

    Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, & Renal (14 weeks)
    This course gives students a fundamental knowledge of the function of the heart, lungs and kidneys and an understanding of the biological, diagnostic and therapeutic principles that produce optimal and well-informed patient care. The course progresses through sections beginning with basic concepts necessary for understanding the interrelationships of all three systems individually, and together in a concluding clinical overview session. 




    Gastrointestinal System and Nutrition (5 weeks)
    Students gain knowledge of the physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology of the gastrointestinal system to enable them to describe the normal function as well as the major diseases of this system. This includes signs and symptoms, histopathologic and clinical laboratory characteristics, and rationale for current therapeutic interventions including the application of principles of nutrition and their role in health and disease.

    Doctoring TRAILS 2 (19 weeks)
    During this course, students will use their developing knowledge base to practice advanced interviewing and physical examination skills through encounters with real, standardized, and simulated patients. They will employ critical thinking skills to interpret the results of diagnostic tests, build differential diagnoses and begin to develop management plans. Students receive feedback on their documentation and case presentations and develop skills of medical professionalism. Additionally, they will explore topics such as the impact of trauma and health disparities on patients.

  • Third Semester (Fall M2)

    Brain, Body, & Behavior (13 weeks)

     This course employs an interdisciplinary approach to the nervous system, clinical psychiatry, musculoskeletal system, and integumentary system. The course introduces concepts necessary for understanding the interrelationships of all these systems, as well as detailed study of medical issues in each system individually, to give an integrated overview needed for the diagnosis and management of diseases associated with these organ systems.

    Endocrinology & Reproduction (6 weeks)
    This course focuses on endocrine system and male and female reproductive functions. The endocrine system comprises widely distributed organs that coordinate the activity of almost every cell and organ to maintain homeostasis throughout an individual’s lifespan. Careful integration of disease manifestations with a full understanding of endocrine function at the cell and molecular level leads to accurate diagnosis, treatment, and management of endocrine pathologies. Male and female reproductive function are essential endocrine functions and explored in special detail.

    Doctoring TRAILS 3 (19 weeks)
    Doctoring TRAILS 3 continues the process of transformation of the medical student into a physician begun in TRAILS Doctoring Semesters 1 and 2. The course emphasizes integration, review, and application of basic science pathophysiology through a continuing introduction to clinical medicine. This occurs within the context of cardinal manifestations of disease.

  • Tri-TRAILS (Three-Year Curriculum)

    View curriculum information, schematics and more.

    Explore Tri-TRAILS

Questions regarding pre-clerkship courses: Mariela McCandless, MPH, Pre-clerkship Medical Education Director, 423-439-6755 or mccandless@etsu.edu.

Clinical Phase

The clinical phase includes the core clerkship year and electives and selectives in the senior year. 

  • Clinical Schedules
  • Clerkship Year
    • Length: 12 months
    • BRIDGE to Clinical Clerkships (3 weeks) 
    • Required core clerkships (48 weeks): family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, underserved medicine 
      • 2 weeks of elective time 
    • Foundational Science in Clinical Medicine: Longitudinal course that meets every other week throughout the clerkship year. 
  • Senior Year
    • Length: 14 months  
    • Required selectives: 4 weeks ambulatory care, 2 weeks critical care, 4 weeks inpatient sub-internship 
    • 28 weeks electives (14 weeks Direct Patient Care)
    • 14 weeks flexible time 
    • Summative OSCE 
    • Keystone Course (4 weeks)
    • Graduation in early May

     


    Additional Resources:

    • The AAMCs Away Electives Database allows you to search by school, see their home page and visiting student page/requirements, along with contact person and information.
    • QCOM NBME / USMLE information page provides you with links and general information
    • Residency Information
    • BLS Renewal Contact: Certification Classes at Johnson City Medical Center.  Call Organizational Development Office Lana Poser, at 431-7159 to schedule a re-certification date and time.

Questions regarding clinical scheduling: Kortni Dolinger, M.S., Clinical Medical Education Director, 423-439-6311 or email lindsayk@etsu.edu.