Academic Curriculum​​

RICHMOND GABRIEL UNIVESITY 
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE 
COURSE DESCRIPTION 

Behavioral Science ||PSY 3014 || 6 Credits 

Behavior Science impacts in every year of medical study and practice and on all disciplines for the complete physician. While addressing the compassionate and humanistic aspects of medicine, Behavioral Sciences provides the prospective physician with the basic understanding of human behavior in the context of health and sickness. It also provides an opportunity for the student of medicine to understand principles of medical ethics of his/her own conduct in various medical settings.  Behavioral Science also provides the essential skills in interview techniques and history taking with the aim of preparing the student for patient care.  

 Biochemistry || CHM 2001 || 7 Credits  

Biochemical understanding of proteins, carbohydrate, lipids and nucleic acids is fueling the revolution in medicine, demonstrating how the basic principles of biochemical structure govern molecular regulation in normal human health or malfunction in disease. The structure and content of the course can be broken down into three blocks, encompassing pathways for carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleotides, how the pathways are regulated by signaling and individual molecules, and how intermediary metabolism relates these pathways together in a regulated manner (or disease state).  

 Gross Anatomy || ANAT 1201 || 8 Credits 

Human gross anatomy is fundamental to medical education, providing students with their most basic foundation for medical practice. This anatomical foundation is used throughout the career of practitioners and in virtually every realm of medicine, from research to practice to medical education.  The emphasis of this course is on normal human anatomy, although points of clinical relevance are discussed and clinically – oriented lectures are provided. An emphasis on normal anatomy is necessary because diseases encountered in medical practice generally represent departures from the fundamental pattern learned in this course. In addition, knowledge about normal anatomy is shared across the curriculum in other courses. 

 Histology and Cell Biology || HTG 1204 || 9 Credits  

This is the study of the microscopic and ultramicroscopic structure of mammalian tissues and organs, i.e., microscopic anatomy. Special emphasis is placed on the relation of structure to function in relation to disease & clinical scenarios. This course gives the student a thorough and detailed overview of the various normal human tissues and organs. 

The course highlights normal human histology and the functional significance of micro-anatomical structures. The lectures & laboratory portions of the course are completely integrated. The lectures precede the laboratory examination of corresponding material during each session. 

Microbiology and Immunology || MIC 2104 || 8 Credits  

This course will introduce students to the microbial species that cause human disease. We will cover bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa, and discuss current topics including antibiotic resistance, public health threats, and global health. Upon completion of this course students will be able to describe: the biological differences between bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa; how the biology of these organisms leads to human disease; and how humans try to prevent or treat these diseases. Students will be able to explain the tests used by microbiologists to identify and characterize organisms. and also to analyze a scientific article and present a critique to their peers. 

 Neuroscience || NEU 3206 || 6 Credits 

An interdisciplinary introduction to the fundamental aspects of the nervous system structure and function. The course introduces the fundamental aspects of nervous system development, including an overview of the basics of integrative neural function, including sensory, motor, and limbic systems, and computational neuroscience.   It provides a broad overview of the structure and function of the central nervous system, with a focus on issues relevant to clinical neurology.  

 Pathology I || PTH 3101A || 10 Credits 

Pathology is the study of disease.   Physicians who specialize in Pathology assist attending physicians in the care of their patients by interpreting biopsies of various organs and mass lesions, examining cytology samples obtained by smears or fine needle aspiration.    

Pathologists also generally supervise clinical laboratories (hematology, chemistry, microbiology, blood bank, serology, immunology etc.) to maintain quality control and accuracy.    Lastly, pathologists perform autopsies to establish the cause of death in cases, which have defied clinical discovery.  Forensic pathology is the subspecialty devoted to determining the cause of death in cases, which fall under the jurisdiction of a coroner or medical examiner. 

The study of pathology is the foundation for understanding the biology of disease, necessary for competent patient care and the health and safety of the general population. 

 Pathology II || PTH 4401A || 12 Credits  

Pathology is a major course that completes the basic science curriculum and is the bridge between basic science and clinical medicine. It is the field that studies the cause and diagnosis of disease. The pathologist is a physician skilled in the diagnosis of disease by microscopic and laboratory analysis. The science of pathology involves the exploration of the mechanisms of disease and how events at the level of the cell affect the patient as a whole. Emphasis is placed on understanding the basic principles and mechanisms of tissue and body reactions to injury and the morphological expression of these reactions. 

 Pharmacology ||PHM 4405 || 10 Credits  

The goal of the Basic Medical Pharmacology course is to assure that our students obtain a thorough comprehension of the basic pharmacological principles necessary for developing the most rational, effective, and safest therapeutic regimen for their patients. 

Medical Pharmacology provides an understanding of the basic principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.  It focuses on the mechanism of action of medications at the molecular, cellular, organ, system, and whole-body level.   

 Physiology || PHY 2204 || 9 Credits  

Students are introduced to the basics of normal human physiological functions and processes in the human body with a direct correlation to human medicine. Emphasis is place on cell physiology and in depth, coverage of physiological processes in the various organ systems in the body.   

 Pre-Clinical Review || REV 6000 || 10 Credits 

Comprehensive Basic Science Review Course is a blend of all the Basic Science subjects learned by the students from MD 1 to MD4. This is where all Basic Science subjects are reviewed, giving the student the wherewithal to consolidate the learning objectives in line with Cognitive Domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy, namely Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation of all Basic Science subjects. This course also provides a common organization of content across all United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE).  Consonant with the integrated nature of this course, each Organ System mentioned below will incorporate all or some of the elements of the Basic Science subjects as required, namely Anatomy, Histology, Embryology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Pharmacology.  

 Embryology|| EMB 1202 || 4 Credits  

A study of major developmental stages and processes with an emphasis on vertebrate embryos. Topics include gametogenesis and early development, formation of primary germ layers, and concepts of differentiation, tissue induction, and morphogenesis. 

 Epidemiology || EPI 3006 || 2 Credits 

The material consists of an introduction to epidemiology, surveillance for the detection of outbreaks, and outbreak investigation and control for infectious agents, etc. You will be introduced to case studies drawn from actual diseases that illustrate these essential epidemiological methods and will gain an understanding of how to solve case studies. 

Medical Ethics || ETH 3115 || 2 Credits 

The Medical Profession has long subscribed to a body of ethical parameters developed to guide medical decision making for the well-being and benefit of the patient.  It is imperative that any health care professional have knowledge of medical law, ethics, and bioethics so that clients are treated with understanding, sensitivity, and compassion. Clinical ethics is a practical discipline that provides a structured approach for identifying, analyzing, and resolving ethical issues in clinical medicine. The willingness of physician and patient to endorse moral values, such as mutual respect, honesty, trustworthiness, compassion, and a commitment to pursue shared goals, usually ensures a sound ethical relationship between patient and physician. 

 Medical Genetics || MGEN 3002 || 2 Credits 

This course will begin with an introduction to the biochemistry of nucleic acids including DNA replication and repair, transcription, and protein synthesis. This will lay the foundation for understanding how mutations result in disease processes. Emphasis will be placed on the molecular nature of specific genetic disorders. Classic Mendelian inheritance as well as newly described complex forms of inheritance will be presented. Problem solving will include clinical as well as molecular data. This course will provide a framework, which allows students to integrate the basic concepts of this fast growing and highly technical field. 

Nutrition || NUT 4403 || 2 Credits 

This course is a component of the Clinical Medicine Lecture series designed to provide an overview of nutrition and healthy diets according to current nutrition standards and models to prevent and manage diseases. Health promotion, disease prevention, and cost containment will be reinforced and demonstrated as essential to delivery of health care.   

 Introduction to Clinical Medicine I || ICM 1101 || 3 Credit 

The foundations of clinical medicine –I focuses on patient interviewing, medical history taking and key aspects of patient- doctor relationship. It is the first of a five-part curriculum designed to introduce the student to the basic elements of clinical practice. Topics in this semester include communication skills, ethical treatment of patients and professionalism. In addition, students working in small groups with individual physicians will learn the fundamentals of obtaining a complete medical history from the patient’s presenting complaint, history of present illness, social history, family history, and review of systems. 

 Introduction Clinical Medicine II || ICM 2102 || 3 Credits  

Foundation of Clinical Medicine-II course is designed to teach medical students to interview, examine, and understand patients and their problems.  Application of this information is then used to form a differential diagnosis and plan for the treatment of the patient. The course consists primarily of lectures and laboratory sessions. The lectures cover the clinical pathology that is commonly encountered in the hospital and in everyday practice. The material is presented in a practical and comprehensive manner.  Patient interaction labs accompany lecture topics and as far as possible the examination of a particular system is taught, and demonstration of specific clinical skill and techniques are carried out by the instructor in an interactive session just after the lecture on that particular body system.  The course is organized into various systems such as Cardiovascular Examination, Respiratory Examination & Abdominal Examination. 

 Introduction to Clinical Medicine III || ICM 3103 || 3 Credits 

Introduction of Clinical Medicine-III course is designed to teach medical students to interview, examine, and understand patients and their problems.  Application of this information is then used to form a differential diagnosis and plan for the treatment of the patient. Patient interaction labs accompany lecture topics and as far as possible the examination of a particular system is taught, and demonstration of specific clinical skill and techniques are carried out by the instructor in an interactive session just after the lecture on that body system.   

Introduction to Clinical Medicine IV || ICM 4414 || 3 Credits 

This course is designed to help prepare the student for the clinical phase of medical school education. Lectures and demonstrations will review and reinforce the communication, professionalism, interviewing, screening physical and neurological examination skills learned in previous semester courses. Students will practice these skills in small groups in Clinical Skills Laboratory with individual physicians. At the completion of this course students will be able to communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these conclusions, to specialist and non-specialist audiences with specific and special clinical skills in physical examination to identify pathological to normal findings. Students will also have the learning skills in clinical reasoning during their encounter with a patient involving all systems. 

 Introduction to Clinical Medicine V || ICM 5106 || 7 Credits  

This course is designed to help the student integrate the knowledge learned in the Basic Sciences into the cognitive processes required for successful transition into the clinical sciences and to gain experience applying this knowledge to the practical approach of patient care. Students study the clinical presentation and management of major systemic disease processes including pertinent laboratory tests and radiologic studies of diagnostic importance. Advanced skills in interviewing techniques, history taking, and physical examination during problem-focused patient encounters will be covered. Emphasis is placed on the development of a student’s case presentation skills. The course faculty also team-teach small group clinical tutorials related to lecture and lab contents.