NEW INTRODUCTION TO MEDICINE COURSE

Required 12-week prep begins January 2021

In a move that OUM faculty and administrators hope will give all students a leg-up on their medical school journey, a 12-week Introduction to Medicine course will be required for all students enrolling as of January 2021.

OUM is an ideal fit for part-time, non-traditional students, some of whom have not been in a structured classroom environment for years. And while each year the student survey indicates that “flexibility” is one of the most popular features of OUM, there’s no doubt it presents a challenge. Going from being a working professional, even an experienced healthcare professional, to tackling the demands of medical school, is a big leap for most students.

The 12-week prep course will provide the content necessary to help bridge that gap. With a review of some basic sciences and study skills, the goal of Introduction to Medicine is for students to enter the rigorous pre-clinical curriculum better prepared and with a clear appreciation of what is expected of them in med school. The new course adds 12 additional weeks to the OUM program, but there is no additional cost. The $5,000 tuition fee that students pay for this 12-week course will actually be applied to a later course in the MD curriculum.

“Frankly, we need students to understand that while this is a flexible, part-time program, it requires the same commitment and skill set of a traditional medical school curriculum, which by any measure is rigorous and demanding of students’ time,” says Randell Brown, PhD, Vice Chancellor. “In addition to bringing students up to speed on the basic sciences, we will cover reading medical textbooks, how to apply critical thinking in clinical settings, and other tips to ensure success. This is a standardized way to make sure everyone knows what they are getting themselves into. Experience tells us the students need this extra boost,” says Brown.

Students will be required to take a pre- and post-test with the prep course to identify strengths and weaknesses prior to beginning the medical school curriculum. The course will not count as credit toward the MD degree and will not appear on the student transcript, but students must meet a 70% threshold on the “post-test” exam to advance to OUM’s MD program.