Paul L. Foster School of Medicine Course Catalog The Doctor of Medicine Degree Program

You are currently viewing the 2016–17 PLFSOM school catalog.

Undergraduate Medical Education

The goal of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine is to provide students with a broad base of knowledge in the basic and clinical sciences, so that each graduate is well prepared to enter any field of postgraduate medical training. The students will be exposed to an integrative curriculum that is interdisciplinary in the basic sciences and the clinical sciences.

To achieve these objectives, the curriculum is continually reviewed and appropriately modified to ensure the personal and professional growth of future physicians. The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine has endorsed the efforts of the Association of American Medical Colleges to examine and modify curricula in order to make education and training relevant to physician practice in the twenty-first century.

There is a firm commitment to the philosophy that the curriculum is the property and responsibility of the faculty rather than the component departments of the school. The dean selects a Curriculum and Education Policy Committee that represents the faculty and the student body. This committee is charged with overall responsibility for establishing educational leading to high quality and well-balanced medical education programs. The management of the curriculum has been formally endorsed by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) represents the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association as the national accreditation body for medical schools. In 2011 the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine was accorded provisional accreditation, and full accreditation was granted in 2013.

The College System

Students receive a variety of support services above and beyond the formal academic program. Upon admission, each student will be assigned to one of four medical student colleges that consist of students from each year of school as well as two college masters. These colleges will serve as the academic home for the student throughout the curriculum. In addition, the college will provide a social center for its members. This system gives students ready access to faculty for assistance and they are actively encouraged to utilize this valuable resource. The College Masters will meet regularly with the senior associate dean for medical education, the associate dean for student affairs, and the director of academic support to report on student performance, to identify students who might benefit from counseling on personal matters or study skills, and to share observations about the implementation of the curriculum.

Library

The Delia Montes-Gallo Library of the Health Sciences at TTUHSC El Paso is located in two buildings on campus. The AEC site is located on the first floor of the Academic Education Center (AEC) building, across from the Clinical Science Building (CSB) on Alberta Avenue. The AEC location houses clinical sciences materials. It includes a computer lab and a group study room in addition to study carrels and computer stations (both PC and Mac).

The MEB site is located on the second floor of the Medical Education Building (MEB). The collection at this location includes basic sciences materials. It has an audiovisual room as well as a large conference room, a reading room, and a study room. There are also three small group study rooms located directly outside of the MEB library. In addition, there are study carrels and tables at which students may study and connect to the network via ethernet cables or WiFi. Computer stations are available for use as well (both PC and Mac).

Many services are available to students, including reference assistance (both in-person and online), interlibrary loan, and library instruction classes. Library instruction sessions are available to individuals or groups and can be tailored to specific coursework and/or projects. The library also provides students with formal courses in years 3 and 4. These classes serve to teach the students effective searching techniques for accessing the vast amount of information available to them. 

In addition to the more than 50,000 physical items in the library, there are thousands of electronic resources available to students, faculty and staff. This includes over 42,000 electronic books, 28,000 subject-related electronic journals, and 500 electronic databases. Some examples include: PubMed, ClinicalKey, Exam Master (USMLE prep), Anatomy.tv, Netter Presenter, MICROMEDEX and EMBASE, Evidence-Based Medicine databases (DynaMed, Essential Evidence Plus, Cochrane, etc.), Scopus and ISI Web of Knowledge among many others.

Many of these resources are also available for download to mobile devices. Students have remote access to all electronic resources as well by using their eRaider login when off-campus.

Please visit the library’s website http://www.ttuhsc.edu/libraries/ for detailed information about these and other services at each of the TTUHSC El Paso library sites.

Those persons using the collections and services of the Library of the Health Sciences are reminded that violations of copyright law (Title 17, United States Code) are criminal activities. This includes the pirating, or illegal copying of software. Violators run the risk of arrest, substantial fine, and perhaps incarceration. Students discovered in such activities will be reported to their deans and will be denied library privileges. Attempts by patrons to coerce or otherwise force library staff to violate copyright law are similarly criminal activities, and will result in the suspension of library privileges for those involved. This library system strictly adheres to copyright guidelines and is a member of the CCC (Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.).

Grading

Courses are graded on a categorical scale with grades of Pass and Fail in the first two years and Honors, Pass, and Fail in years three and four. The Student Affairs Handbook outlines specific policies on grading and promotions. Decisions on progression through the curriculum are based on review of the cumulative record and on demonstration of professional behavior.

United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE):

Medical students are required to take Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) no later than July 6th of their second year. Since the test is a component of application for licensure to practice medicine, the student is required to pay for the examination. Passing USMLE Step 1 is a condition for continuation into the MS3/clerkship phase of the curriculum. If a student’s Step 1 score comes back after the start of the clerkship and is a fail, the student may be required to withdraw from the clerkship until the next block and the student must pass Step 1 before re-initiating the clerkship phase off-cycle. Students will also be required to take and pass USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills and Clinical Knowledge prior to graduation. The Student Affairs Handbook has more information on USMLE policies.