Curriculum
The Dell Medical School curriculum is designed to train not just doctors, but physician leaders who are as comfortable taking on transformational health challenges as they are caring for patients. Every innovation, from the team-based learning to the Innovation, Leadership and Discovery Year, is designed to focus students on the distinct challenges of the 21st-century health and medicine - and engage students' creativity in solving those challenges. Students have the benefit of receiving core leadership curriculum and the opportunity to pursue individualized paths to that leadership, created for each student based on experience and interest.
Four-Year Integrated Curriculums
Developing Outstanding Clinical Skills (DOCS)
The Developing Outstanding Clinical Skills integrated curriculum provides an understanding of the role of the physician in the clinical setting and the community through longitudinal small group and clinical learning experiences throughout the four years of medical school. During the first year, the course will focus on patient interviewing, physical diagnosis, physical exam, patient write-ups from students’ clinical encounters, clinical reasoning, and developing the doctor-patient relationship and a professional, empathetic and inclusive physician.
Interprofessional Education (IPE)
The Interprofessional Education integrated curriculum will fulfill the school's vision by producing physicians who are prepared for interprofessional collaborative practice. The longitudinal curriculum will immerse learners in interprofessional inquiry, application, and leadership to yield a measurable impact and outcomes. The learning activities will be guided by core competencies in the areas of values and ethics for interprofessional practice, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork. Medical students will learn and work with interprofessional students from social work, nursing, pharmacy, and nutrition, among others during their time at Dell Medical School.
Leadership
This longitudinal course creates a solid foundation in leadership by exposing learners to effective leadership approaches, skills and application exercises. Topics include leadership assessment (self and other), fundamentals, philosophy, skills, practices and behaviors. A rich health systems science curriculum is taught in year two. In year three, students apply their leadership skills to their individual projects and community engagement activities. In year four, students apply their skills within the medical environment through individualized experiences selected from a collection of opportunities.
Integrating Leadership, Interprofessional Education and Developing Outstanding Clinical Skills (ILIAD)
This course integrates the final year of all three longitudinal courses (DOCS, IPE and Leadership) into a single course that leverages learners’ graduated autonomy in a mentor-supported, self-actuated clinical learning environment to crystallize the professional identity of graduating Dell Med students in preparation for residency.
Dell Medical School Institutes
Dell Medical School houses five institutes that bring together faculty, students, and outside experts to study healthcare issues in a number of important areas.
- Dell Pediatric Research Institute
- Design Institute for Health
- LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes
- Value Institute for Health and Care
- Mitchel and Shannon Wong Eye Institute