The School of Medicine

The faculty of the School of Medicine is committed to nurturing and reinforcing the attributes that are important in the making of a doctor–dedication, compassion, and intellectual curiosity.

The goal of the medical school curriculum, clinical experience, and faculty-student interactions is to develop well-trained, scientifically informed, and conscientious physicians prepared for the changing conditions of medical practice and continuing self-education. Students acquire understanding of the basic medical sciences and clinical disciplines and are encouraged to choose their own areas of interest for eventual development into careers in the broadly diversified medical community. Required course offerings are designed to provide students with a strong foundation upon which any medical specialty can be built.

The School of Medicine accepted its charter class in 1968. The founding faculty drew upon the strength of UCSD’s existing basic science departments rather than recreating such departments for the new school. Today this unique relationship continues with faculty from campus departments joining faculty from the School of Medicine’s fourteen departments in teaching the core courses in medicine. Both preclinical and clinical courses are taught by UCSD faculty physicians who also have active patient caseloads. Courses are continually evaluated and updated by interdisciplinary course committees.

An honors, pass, fail grading system puts the emphasis on mastering the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that students need to practice medicine. The honors grade is not used in the first quarter of year one (only) to allow students to make a smooth and lower-pressure transition to medical school. The honors grade is not used to rank the class numerically but to acknowledge students who have demonstrated superior academic performance. Students receive individual narrative evaluations written by the faculty.

Students at the UCSD School of Medicine are encouraged to explore a variety of clinical, laboratory, and community-based experiences.

UCSD facilities are the main sites for clinical education and are licensed for 530 beds. The majority of UCSD inpatients are admitted at UCSD Medical Center-Hillcrest, where a number of Regional Care Centers are located, including San Diego and Imperial Counties’ only Level I Trauma Center and Burn Center. The UCSD Ambulatory Care Center is located across the street from the hospital tower.

In July 1993, a 120-bed general medical-surgical hospital, The John M. and Sally B. Thornton Hospital, opened at UCSD Medical Center-La Jolla which is located on the La Jolla campus. Adjacent to the Thornton Hospital is the Perlman Ambulatory Care Center, the Moores Cancer Center, and the Shiley Eye Center.

The Veterans Affairs Medical Center, located adjacent to the School of Medicine campus in La Jolla, also is an important training site. The UCSD School of Medicine’s partnership with Children’s Hospital and Health Center enables students to treat a significant number of the region’s most interesting and complex pediatric patients.

Outpatient experiences include private medical practice, community clinics, and home visitation programs. Students see patients in many of San Diego’s hospitals and outpatient facilities, as well as in some of the disadvantaged neighborhoods of San Diego and Baja California, Mexico.

In all of their clinical experiences, UCSD medical students have an opportunity to see how physicians work as a team with physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, laboratory technicians, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists, and other health care professionals to provide health care.

There are many opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge research in laboratories of UCSD School of Medicine researchers, as well as in the laboratories of scientists from the general UCSD campus, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, The Salk Institute, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, and some of the many private biomedical research companies in the region.

The medical school curriculum provides flexibility so that the individual needs and goals of each student can be met. The curriculum is divided into two major components: the core curriculum and the elective programs.

Elective opportunities constitute a substantial portion of classes during the first two years and close to 50 percent during the last two years. The core curriculum of the first two years is designed to provide each entering student an essential understanding of the fundamental disciplines underlying modern medicine. The core curriculum of the last two years is composed of the major clinical specialties taught in hospital settings, outpatient situations, and relevant extended-care facilities.

A Medical Scientist Training Program provides the opportunity for a limited number of students to earn both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees over a six- to seven-year period of study.

The School of Medicine cooperates with the San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health (SDSU-GSPH) in assisting interested students who wish to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Health (M.P.H.) while enrolled in medical school. Students can also receive an M.P.H. at other schools of public health, although a formal agreement exists only with the SDSU-GSPH.

The UCSD School of Medicine and the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine jointly offer a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in the Leadership of Healthcare Organizations. The degree program permits a student to complete the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) curriculum and studies leading to a Master’s Degree in the Leadership of Healthcare Organizations in a total of five years.

Each student is expected to develop an individualized independent study project in conjunction with a faculty member and to describe it in writing.

Freshman student enrollment is 134, and a total of 565 medical students were enrolled in 2007–08.

Selection Factors

Selection is based upon the nature and depth of scholarly and extracurricular activities undertaken, academic record, performance on the MCAT, letters of recommendation, and personal interviews.

The Admissions Committee gives serious consideration only to those applicants with above average GPA values and MCAT scores. The School of Medicine is seeking a student body with a broad diversity of backgrounds and interests reflecting our diverse population.

A complete catalog and information on the foregoing programs are available on the school’s Web page http://meded.ucsd.edu/Catalog/.

For additional information about the UCSD School of Medicine and its programs, write or call:

The Office of Admissions
School of Medicine, 0621
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, California 92093-0621
(858) 534-3880
somadmissions@ucsd.edu
http://meded.ucsd.edu/asa/admissions

Programs for Prospective Medical Students

UCSD offers no special premedical major. An undergraduate student considering medicine as a career may choose any major or concentration area leading to the bachelor’s degree, provided that he or she elects those additional courses which the medical school of his or her choice may require for admission. Admission requirements differ among medical schools, but most desire a solid foundation in the natural sciences–biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics–and a broad background in the humanities, social sciences, and communication skills. A premedical/dental advisory program is available through the campuswide Career Services Center.

Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Leadership of Healthcare Organizations

The UCSD Department of Family and Preventive Medicine in the School of Medicine offers a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in the Leadership of Healthcare Organizations. The degree is designed to meet the needs of health care professionals who have clinical and executive or management responsibilities. All courses will be held in the late afternoon, evenings, and weekends for the convenience of working professionals. Extension’s EdVantage provides administrative support for the program. Further information on the degree program may be obtained by contacting UCSD.