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The new curriculum features integrated education and an increased focus on prevention in ambulatory patient care. In a departure from traditional medical education, the Medical School will implement a completely new curriculum this September designed to better train doctors for the changing medical environment they will face in the next millenium. The new curriculum -- which is called "Curriculum 2000" -- will emphasize preventative medicine and integrating subject material from across several disciplines, in addition to providing the University's medical students with a more flexible education. "[The new curriculum is] a really different structure, but it's a structure we think is going to be important for the future," Medical School Vice Dean for Education Gail Morrison said. Morrison -- the principle architect of the new curriculum --Eexplained that the nature of health care has changed dramatically within the past few years, and old techniques of educating future doctors do not adequately prepare medical professionals for the field. For example, because 95 percent of patient treatment no longer occurs in the hospital, Curriculum 2000 is designed to teach ambulatory care -- as well as traditional hospital treatments -- by allowing students to experience medicine at the University's vast network of community-based health care sites. And Morrison said that the curriculum's second "major shift in focus is away from treating acute illness as an isolated event? and worrying more about preventing diseases." As a result, she explained that students will examine social and cultural issues within specific populations "so you can determine who is at risk." The four-year Medical School program is built around five components, or "modules." In the first module -- which encompasses the first five months of medical school -- students concentrate on the basic sciences necessary for understanding medicine. Even though this aspect of medical education is found in all medical schools, Morrison explained that Penn's innovative approach is to teach "from all perspectives at the same time rather than learning it separately." In addition, students will only spend two hours a day attending lectures. During Module Two, which begins in January of the first year and continues until December of year two, the curriculum "emphasizes the structure and physiology of each organ system under both normal and disease conditions," according to a description of Curriculum 2000 submitted to the American Association of Medical Schools. And during Module Three -- which runs concurrently to the first and second modules -- students meet two afternoons a week to explore issues such as humanism, bioethics, professionalism and managed care. Seminars, visits to health care sites and case discussions are used to educate future doctors about the issues facing modern medicine. Students are also encouraged to use their three free afternoons to explore the extra-curricular and other academic resources offered by the University. "One of the unique things that Penn has is that it's a world-class university," Surgery Professor Jon Morris said. Morrison noted that the flexibility of even these first stages emphasizes that being a "well-rounded person is important to being a good physician because it makes you a real person." And in Modules Four and Five, students participate in a clinical clerkship while continuing their medical classes, and then spend a year-and-a-half conducting research projects. "In traditional medical sciences you did pre-clinical curriculum and then you never looked back," said Morris, who has been extensively involved in designing the Module Four Five curriculum. "One of the nice things about this curriculum is that in Module Four it allows us to reinfuse the basic curriculum back in. "It's much more relevant to study about organ donation [for example]? when the students have already been in the clinic," he added. The Medical School included professors and students in discussions of the program's design to ensure that the curriculum would meet the needs of all members of the Medical School community. Third-year M.D./Ph.D. student Thao Nguyen -- who provided input on the new curriculum -- stressed the atmosphere of cooperation that characterized her discussions with faculty, adding that "no one is satisfied with the status quo. It's not because it's bad, it's because of the will to improve." "I expect it to be great," she added. Sixth-year M.D./Ph.D. student Claire Pouncey -- who served on one of the committees planning Curriculum 2000 -- echoed Nguyen's enthusiasm about the program. "I think it's going to provide a lot of flexibility for students to pursue academic interests that are related to medicine or other academic areas," she said. Pouncey added, however, that she fears the "condensed" emphasis on basic sciences will hurt many medical students who do not have a strong background in science. And first-year Medical student Alex Nemeth agreed that devoting less time to the basic sciences is "not necessarily going to be the most profitable thing for the students." Others, such as fourth-year Medical School student Brian Glatt, lauded Curriculum 2000's emphasis on ambulatory care and the "well-rounded" nature of the new program. But Glatt also expressed concern that not all of the program's details have been worked out yet. Medical School officials, however, expressed confidence that Modules One and Three will be in place by the beginning of next semester. "We fully expect that for the entering class of 1997 we will have a new curriculum and all faculty are set to implement said curriculum," Curriculum Office Administrative Coordinator Anna Delaney said. In order for the new curriculum to take effect, it must first be approved by the Medical Faculty Senate, which will meet in June. Medical School officials stressed that they are moving ahead with Curriculum 2000 and are currently finalizing its smallest details. "It's a wonderful curriculum," Delaney noted. "It'll really be a wonderful experience for the students." Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Michelle McClaskey contributed to this article.

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