OUM Standard Pathway

The Pre-Clinical Phase includes:

• General Principles Unit
• 9 Organ System Units
• Journal Club Sessions and Presentation
• Pre-Clinical Exam (PCE)
• Ethics and Methods in Research Unit
• Submitted Research Proposal and Presentation

General Principles Unit

The 8-week General Principles Unit, following Orientation, provides introductions to a number of basic sciences, including Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Anatomy and Physiology, Immunology, Microbiology, Pathology, and Pharmacology.

Organ Systems

In 9 Organ Systems, students build on the foundational knowledge gained during the General Principles Unit. As students progress through each Organ System, they develop and improve clinical reasoning skills and apply their knowledge to medical scenarios depicting unique, as well as common, human conditions and ailments. Basic sciences are integrated throughout the units, providing students with material that combines the basic and clinical sciences in a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) case format.

• Cardiovascular
• Urinary
• Pulmonary
• Endocrine
• Neuroscience
• Heme-Immune
• Reproduction
• Gastrointestinal
• Musculoskeletal

Journal Club

Once in practice, doctors must be able to read and understand the implications and possible role in patient care of information found in medical journals. OUM pre-clinical students must participate in Journal Club meetings, which involve the presentation of a peer-reviewed article, followed by faculty-led discussion. Students must present at least once during Organ Systems and attend at least 50 sessions in total, with a minimum of 30 during pre-clinical years.

Session Attendance

While attendance isn’t mandatory, joining live virtual sessions is the best way to stay fully engaged and to earn the 5% of your grade dedicated to class participation. To find out more about class times, please visit the OUM Class Timetable section of the Accepted Applicants page.

The Clinical Transition Phase serves as a crucial bridge between the knowledge gained during your preclinical studies and the hands-on experience of clinical rotations. It focuses on preparing you to apply core medical concepts in real-world clinical settings while introducing you to medical specialties.

After completing all Organ System Units in the Pre-Clinical Phase of the MD Program, students progress to the Clinical Transition Phase (~6 months), which includes:

• Clinical Transition Unit 1 (CTU 1)
• Clinical Transition Unit 2 (CTU 2)
• Submitted Research Proposal and Presentation*

*Students must submit their research prospectus before entering the Clinical Phase.

This phase is designed to ensure a smooth transition to clinical rotations by reinforcing medical knowledge and essential clinical skills.

• CTU 1 focuses on integrating concepts from Health Sciences.
• CTU 2 introduces students to Medical Specialties and concludes with a hands-on, in-person week to assess competency.

The CTUs follow a fully asynchronous, competency-based learning model with engaging modules. The total duration is 16 weeks (8 weeks per unit), though students may complete them at an individualized pace.

The Clinical Phase is ~2 years and includes:

• Clinical Core Rotations
• Grand Rounds
• Clinical Elective Rotations
• Final Clinical Exam (FCE) OSCE
• FCE Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)
• Publishable Research Project

Clinical Rotations

The clinical curriculum consists of 72 weeks of core and elective clinical rotations at affiliated teaching hospitals or clinics.

Core Rotations

The core clinical rotations take 56 weeks to complete and their durations are:

• Family Medicine (8 weeks)
• Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)
• Internal Medicine (10 weeks)
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (8 weeks)
• Pediatrics (8 weeks)
• Psychiatry (8 weeks)
• Surgery (10 weeks)

Elective Rotations

Students complete 16 weeks of elective rotations.

Note: One 4-week mandatory core or elective rotation must be completed in Samoa.

Monthly Grand Rounds

As part of your clinical education, you’ll take part in Grand Rounds, which are live, interactive sessions held via Zoom once a month. These sessions give you the opportunity to present and discuss real clinical cases, explore complex and unique patient scenarios shared by peers and faculty, and strengthen your diagnostic and communication skills in a collaborative setting. During the clinical years, students are expected to attend at least 13 live Grand Rounds sessions.

Research Project

Completing a research project, including writing a publishable quality manuscript, is a graduation requirement. Several resources are available to assist students in preparing for and completing their project including the Ethics and Methods in Research Unit, Research Advisors, Research Club, Journal Club, Library, and the Research Committee.

Final Clinical Assessments

Once the core and elective rotations are completed, the knowledge/skills-based Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) — required by regulatory agencies worldwide — complete the Clinical Phase of the MD degree program and meet OUM’s graduation requirements for Standard Pathway students.

OUM’s AMC Preparation Program provides comprehensive support to graduates and students nearing the completion of their final graduation requirements who are seeking registration in Australia. Designed to help candidates succeed on the AMC Part 1 (MCQ) examination, the program features structured guidance, expert faculty-led instruction, and targeted study resources. Since the AMC MCQ is one of the prerequisite examination options prior to the NZREX Clinical test, this preparation course offers an additional route to medical registration for graduates of Aotearoa New Zealand. For more information, please contact admissions@oum.edu.ws.