Discover the MD Program at Feinberg with an inside look at a typical week of learning for our students.
Feinberg’s approach to medical education centers on a learner-focused, competency-based curriculum designed to leverage our students' experiences and expertise, provide flexibility for their professional development and maximize their potential. Our curriculum is designed to prepare students as medical professionals in a time of significant change in healthcare delivery. Every component of our program has real-world applications and prepares our students for the field of medicine as it is practiced today and will be in the future.
Learn more about what a week in the life of Feinberg looks like in the story below.
All photos displayed capture a week at Feinberg during August of the 2022-2023 academic year.
In another session, students work with Standardized Patients (actors trained to portray patients in various medical situations) to learn the basics of the medical history and physical exam. Through a series of clinical correlations, students learn communication techniques and the structure of a medical interview. They observe a faculty member demonstrate a medical history with a Standardized Patient. Following the clinical correlation, students practice these skills by interviewing Standardized Patients in small groups.
This is all a part the Foundations 1 section of the curriculum. Early in Foundations, students are introduced to patients and communities, as well as the Health and Society and Clinical Medicine curricula. The rest of Phase 1 includes 13 modules of varying lengths that are organized by organ systems.
College meetings are also a part of the week. Every medical student at Feinberg is assigned a college, which is part of a larger society. Within their college, students have access to a faculty college mentor, who will stay in this role for a student's four years at Feinberg. College mentors provide support in areas including career planning, academic coaching, wellness and mental health, and more. These individuals, one of a team of mentors our students will have during their Feinberg tenure, are an invaluable resource to students.
This week, first-year students are also introduced to a unique aspect of the Feinberg curriculum: the Education-Centered Medical Home (ECMH). An ECMH Orientation walks students through this four-year, longitudinal, ambulatory experience based in existing primary care clinics throughout Chicago where multilevel student teams work collaboratively to care for high-risk patient panels.
First-year students also spend time on select afternoons in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) sessions. PBLs use clinical cases to stimulate inquiry, critical thinking and knowledge application and integration related to biological, behavioral and social sciences. Through this active, collaborative, case-based learning process, students acquire a deeper understanding of the principles of medicine and, more importantly, acquire the skills necessary for lifelong learning.
Second-year students begin the week with an introductory plenary on Neuroscience. The Neuroscience module teaches the molecular, cellular, physiological, anatomical and functional aspects of the nervous system. This module begins with the building blocks of neuroscience including neuroanatomy and neuropharmacology. The eye anatomy learned in the Head and Neck module is then integrated into the study of the physiology and pathology of the eye. The Neuroscience module introduces students to the various nervous system disorders commonly encountered in clinical practice.
This week, second-year students have learning sessions on imaging the brain, reading an MRI and spinal cord anatomy, as well as Anatomy lab. Students also attend a session titled “Cranial Nerve Clinical Correlation,” an interactive session where students explore physical exam findings related to cranial nerve disorders. A patient with a cranial nerve disorder joins virtually, sharing their story and exam results, allowing students to ask questions.
Select afternoons are spent in ECMH clinics, which provide students an opportunity for early and comprehensive educational exposure to team-based medicine in an authentic outpatient environment. Students work with the same preceptor and peers over four years to help care for patients and measure their progress. During each clinical session, first- and second-year students are paired with upperclassmen to provide primary care, lifestyle counseling and assistance to patients navigating the healthcare system.
Feinberg’s ECMH clinics are located throughout downtown Chicago and expand to the city’s north, west and south side neighborhoods. Students experience a variety of patient populations at the various sites.
Third-Year Students: SAM 6 and Clerkships
(Phase 2)
The second phase of the curriculum focuses on immersive clinical experiences through core clerkships that are department-based and span multiple disciplines. Each student has an individualized schedule in which they can also explore various medical specialties through early electives.
This week, third-year students have joined up with students from Feinberg’s Physician Assistant program for the part of the curriculum known as Synthesis and Application Modules (SAM). SAM weeks are interspersed throughout all four years of the curriculum. During the Phase 1a/b curriculum, the SAM sessions encourage students to revisit previously taught concepts and to integrate material across modules, threads and elements and apply it to new clinical scenarios. During Phase 2 and 3, the SAM weeks revisit previously learned concepts and expand on them to provide students with an opportunity to gain additional skills and knowledge in advance of upcoming clerkships and electives.
Teaching strategies used during the SAM weeks include all-class and small-group simulations, case-based learning, clinical reasoning sessions in the Outpatient Simulation Center, ethics panel discussions and opportunities for assessment of learning.
Third-year core clerkships (Medicine Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Neurology and Psychiatry) take place at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Prentice Women's Hospital, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, all of which are U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll Hospitals.
The final phase focuses on advanced clinical rotations as well as professional development in the area of medicine chosen by the student. Rotations include: Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine (adult or pediatric), Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and a sub-internship in Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology or Pediatrics. Fourth-year students also continue work in their ECMH clinics throughout their final year, serving as a mentor and teacher to the first and second year students.
In their fourth year, each student has the opportunity to develop teaching skills through participation in the Teaching Selective. Students also complete their scholarly projects as part of the Area of Scholarly Concentration (AOSC). The AOSC program encourages students to develop expertise in a specific area of their interest during medical school. Projects span a wide range of disciplines, including biomedical sciences, translational research, social sciences, humanities, public health, global health, medical ethics, medical education quality initiatives and community service.
This profile is a part of a series that explores student life in the MD Program at Feinberg. Explore several day-in-the-life profiles of our students here, which provide an inside look at all four years of medical school at Feinberg.