Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 University Catalog 
    
2018-2019 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Rush Medical College


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As a student at Rush, you have joined a historic institution that has contributed greatly to the development of medicine and health care. Rush is a caring institution that serves the needs of patients, students, faculty, staff and our community. Rush is committed to excellence in all that it does. 

Chartered in 1837, Rush Medical College has been a part of the Chicago landscape longer than any other health care institution. Times have changed since then, and medicine and health care have evolved. However, Rush’s best traditions continue: hands-on learning, an unparalleled commitment to community service and experiences supported by outstanding role models. Rush Medical College is a family of more than 2,600 faculty and staff, 515 medical students and 678 residents and fellows. 

Rush has produced skilled leaders in medicine and science, including thousands of excellent physicians. Explore the Rush University and Rush University Medical Center websites to discover the myriad of opportunities that Rush Medical College offers in medical education, clinical care and biomedical research. Please let us know if we can help you in any way.

 

K. Ranga Rama Krishnan, MB, ChB
The Henry P. Russe, MD, Dean of Rush Medical College

Rush Medical College Mission

Through a supportive and dynamic learning community, Rush Medical College nurtures the development of empathic, proficient physicians dedicated to continuous learning, innovation and excellence in clinical practice, education, research and service.

Rush Medical College Vision

Rush Medical College will be the global leader in student-centered, future-oriented medical education. 

Rush Medical College Program Objectives

The program objectives are key tasks that students will achieve by the time of graduation.  They represent RMC’s commitment to our students, and are written as task statements deemed critical to a successful physician. The course and session objectives ultimately serve the program objectives and they are used to develop curriculum and assessments.  Program objectives are grouped under eight roles which include:

Practitioner:
Apply medical knowledge, clinical skills, and professional values in their provision of high-quality care. Collect and interpret information, make clinical decisions, and carry out diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. 

  1. Gather histories and perform physical examinations.
  2. Develop and prioritizedifferential diagnoses.
  3. Recommend and interpret a core set of diagnostic and screening tests.
  4. Obtain informed consent for tests and procedures.
  5. Perform general procedures including basic life support and phlebotomy.
  6. Follow up on and reassess diagnostic tests and management plans with patients.
  7. Recognize patients requiring urgent or emergent care, and seek help while initiating evaluation and management.
  8. Develop and implement management plans.
  9. Compose and discuss orders and prescriptions.
  10. Document clinical encounters in the patient record.
  11. Give oral presentations of clinical encounters.

Scholar:
Demonstrate a lifelong commitment to continually enhancing practice.  Seek out and use scientific evidence to inform decision-making. Implement an active, planned approach to fill gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to deliver care with the potential to contribute to original research.

  1. Form clinical questions; retrieve and appraise evidence leveraging information technology to advance patient care.
  2. Develop a self-improvement plan to bridge gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Educator: 
Educate peers, patients and families, the public, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals using methods appropriate for each audience. 

  1. Conduct an educational activity.
  2. Educate and counsel patients and their families.

Communicator:
Form strong therapeutic alliances with patients and their families by finding common ground, sharing information, and managing care with the patient’s needs, values and preferences in mind.

  1. Conduct patient encounters demonstrating core communication skills including active listening and empathic reflection.
  2. Tailor management plans to patient perspectives, needs, and expectations.

Collaborator:
Pursue common goals with other professionals in the healthcare environment and community through relationships based on trust, respect, willingness to learn from others, and effective communication.

  1. Give and receive patient handoffs to transition care responsibility.
  2. Coordinate care by consulting with and making referrals to other healthcare providers.
  3. Participate on intra-and interprofessional teams to promote patient-centered care

Advocate:
Develop partnerships with patients and families to navigate the health care system to improve individual health outcomes.  Promote public good by raising awareness of important health issues including disease prevention, health promotion, health protection, and health equity.

  1. Identify individual patient barriers to care and enlist healthcare resources to address them.
  2. Screen, counsel, and treat patients using principles of preventive medicine.
  3. Provide care for underserved and at risk patient populations using principles of service learning.

Professional:
Demonstrate a commitment to ethical practice, high personal standards of behavior, accountability to the profession, ongoing professional development, and maintenance of personal well-being.

  1. Self-assess values and behavior and take responsibility for continuous professional development.
  2. Provide patient care in a respectful manner with patients of differing backgrounds, characteristics, and beliefs, even when in conflict with one’s own.
  3. Engage in self-monitoring and implement a personal wellness plan.
  4. Prioritize and balance patient needs with those of self and the public.
  5. Exemplify integrity and ethical behavior when representing Rush Medical College and the medical profession.

Leader: 
Engage others to implement high-quality and innovative health care practices.

  1. Assess the performance of others and provide constructive feedback.
  2. Organize and manage a team to enhance success.
  3. Report individual and system error and design an intervention for improvement.

Rush Medical College Matriculation Requirements

Required Criminal Background Check

As a medical school located in Illinois, Rush Medical College will enforce the Medical School Matriculant Criminal History Records Check Act, which states the following: a medical school located in Illinois must require that each matriculant submit to a fingerprint-based criminal history records check for violent felony convictions and any adjudication of the matriculant as a sex offender conducted by the Department of State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the medical school admissions process.

Each year beginning Jan. 1, an applicant screening provider will procure a background check on applicants at the point of their first acceptance. Upon completion of this process, the report procured during the process will be released to Rush Medical College.

Required Drug Screening

In preparation for clinical rotations at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, all Rush Medical College students are required to submit a urine sample under conditions arranged by Rush Medical College for a drug screening (effective with the first-year class entering in 2015). First-year students will be tested during orientation through a process coordinated by the Student Health Service (Lifetime Medical Associates). Upon completion of the testing process, a report will be released to Rush Medical College.

A positive result from the criminal background check, the sex offender assessment and/or the drug screen will result in the applicant’s file being presented to the Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion, or COSEP, for review and action. If the COSEP verifies there is a positive result on the criminal background check, the sex offender assessment and/or the drug screen, Rush Medical College may rescind the student’s acceptance.

Rush Medical College Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Rush Medical College embraces the Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) Diversity Leadership Council vision for diversity and the American Association of Medical Colleges’ commitment to increasing diversity in medical schools. Recognizing that diversity and inclusion enhance the medical education environment and ultimately the overall health of our community, Rush Medical College seeks to create and support an environment in which faculty, staff and medical students combine their differing backgrounds, diverse perspectives and unique skills as they work with peers to solve problems, enhance their ability to work with patients and develop new, effective ways to manage health, conduct research and deliver care.

Rush Medical College strives to enroll a highly qualified and richly diverse student body through holistic review and individual consideration of the potential contributions that applicants with different backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, races, ethnicities, characteristics and personal experiences would make to the educational experience of all students and to the school’s cultural, social and learning environment. Rush Medical College seeks to attain a learning environment that better reflects its community through increased representation of groups that are underrepresented in medicine in Rush Medical College’s surrounding communities. Along with remaining committed to applicants from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in medicine, Rush Medical College considers diversity in economic, geographic, gender, age, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic backgrounds as important factors in not only creating a diverse community but also influencing an applicant’s potential to succeed as a physician in our rapidly changing and diverse society.

To this end, the Rush Medical College Committee on Admissions annually identifies factors for consideration in building a diverse student body. Further, Rush Medical College’s Faculty Council, utilizing information provided by the Committee on Admissions and other data, is committed to implementing programs and initiatives designed to meet these stated diversity goals.

Fulfillment of the Requirements for the MD Degree

Rush Medical College offers an undifferentiated MD degree affirming the general knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and the capacity to enter residency training and qualify for medical licensure.

A candidate for the MD degree must have abilities and skills in six areas: observation, communication, motor, intellectual (conceptual, integrative and quantitative), behavioral and social, and demonstrate ethics and professionalism.

Essential abilities and characteristics required for completion of the MD degree consist of certain minimum physical and cognitive abilities and emotional characteristics to assure that candidates for admission, promotion and graduation are able to complete the entire course of study and participate fully in all aspects of medical training, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Rush University is committed to diversity and to attracting and educating students who will make the population of health care professionals representative of the national population.

Our I CARE core values - innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence - translate into our work with all students, including those with disabilities. Rush actively collaborates with students to develop innovative ways to ensure accessibility and creates a respectful accountable culture through our confidential and specialized disability support. Rush is committed to excellence in accessibility. We encourage students with disabilities to disclose and seek accommodations.

Technical (Non-Academic) Standards

Observation: Students should be able to obtain information from demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences. Students should be able to assess a patient and evaluate findings accurately. These skills require the use of vision, hearing and touch, or the functional equivalent.

Communication: Students should be able to communicate with patients in order to elicit information, detect changes in mood and activity, and to establish a therapeutic relationship. Students should be able to communicate via English effectively and sensitively with patients and all members of the health care team both in person and in writing.

Motor: Students should, after a reasonable period of time, possess the capacity to perform a physical examination and perform diagnostic maneuvers. Students should be able to execute some motor movements required to provide general care to patients and provide or direct the provision of emergency treatment of patients. Such actions require some coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements balance and equilibrium.

Intellectual, conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities: Students should be able to assimilate detailed and complex information presented in both didactic and clinical coursework, and engage in problem solving. Students are expected to possess the ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize and transmit information. In addition, students should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures and to adapt to different learning environments and modalities.

Behavioral and social abilities: Students should possess the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients, fellow students, faculty and staff. Students should be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. They should be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, professionalism, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that are expected during the education processes.

Ethics and professionalism: Students should maintain and display ethical and moral behaviors commensurate with the role of a physician in all interactions with patients, faculty, staff, students and the public. The student is expected to understand the legal and ethical aspects of the practice of medicine and function within the law and ethical standards of the medical profession.

The technical standards delineated above must be met with or without accommodation. Students who, after review of the technical standards, determine they require reasonable accommodation to fully engage in the program should contact the Office of Student Disability Services to confidentially discuss their accommodations needs. Given the clinical nature of our programs, time may be needed to create and implement the accommodations. Accommodations are never retroactive; therefore, timely requests are essential and encouraged. Contact the Office of Student Disability Services to learn more about accommodations at Rush University:


Marie Ferro-Lusk, MBA, MSW, LSW
Manager, Office of Student Disability Services
Rush University
600 S. Paulina St., Suite440
Chicago, IL 60612     
(773) 942-5237
Marie_S_Ferro-Lusk@rush.edu

 

Graduation Requirements

The following are prerequisites to the granting of the Doctor of Medicine, or MD, degree by Rush University for students graduating in 2022. Each student’s progress in each year of the Rush Medical College curriculum will be evaluated by the Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion, or COSEP.

  • Successful completion of the first and second year curricula in accordance with the COSEP Policies and Procedures
  • Pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination, or USMLE, Step 1 per the dates set by the Office of Medical Student Programs, or OMSP, guidelines
  • Pass USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Clinical Skills (CS) per the dates set by the OMSP guidelines
  • Attend and complete the Clinical Resources and Skills for the Hospital, or CRASH, course prior to beginning the third year
  • Pass all required third-year core clerkships
  • Pass all required fourth-year clerkships
  • Pass all fourth-year electives
  • Be scheduled for completion of all elective clerkship requirements by the beginning of the second term of the student’s fourth year in order to graduate in the next calendar year
  • Successfully complete the capstone project
  • Successfully complete the Rush Medical College Service Learning requirement
  • Successfully complete all additional weeks of instruction required by the COSEP depending upon the progress made by the student
  • Attain the level of achievement required by the COSEP for the degree of MD within 60 months from matriculation

Graduation Requirements and the National Resident Matching Program

The OMSP will immediately notify future residency program directors when a student who has matched will not complete graduation requirements by their graduation date. If the inability to graduate is determined prior to the match, the student and the OMSP must immediately notify the National Resident Matching Program that the student is withdrawing from the match. The student must notify all of the programs to which they applied that they are withdrawing from the match.


Doctor of Medicine


Rush Medical College: Academic Program


Academic Policies


The Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion’s Policy and Procedures contains detailed academic policies for Rush Medical College students. Please refer to that document for anything not detailed in this catalog.

Definition of Student Status


[From COSEP Policies and Procedures 7/27/2017]

The status of a student will be determined in accordance with these rules by the OMSP or the COSEP and the rules and policies of Rush University. All statuses will be recorded on the transcript. Status will be defined as follows:

  1. Full-time student: any student enrolled in Rush Medical College, paying tuition or appropriate fees and scheduled to take courses leading to the M.D. degree is a full time student.
     
  2. Part-time student: Rush Medical College does not have a part-time student option available to students.
     
  3. Leave of Absence (LOA): a student who, for a predetermined period of time, is not paying tuition and not actively enrolled or pursuing requirements for an M.D. degree at the College will be on an LOA. The length of an LOA is for no greater than one year. Any extension beyond one year must be approved by the COSEP. Students must conform to all University policies regarding LOA.
     

The following changes in student status are recorded on the transcript:

  1.  Dismissal: the permanent administrative termination of a student.
     
  2.  Suspension: the administrative termination of the enrollment of a student for a specific period of time.
     
  3. Voluntary Withdrawal: the voluntary termination of enrollment by a student. A student who withdraws from the college and subsequently seeks reinstatement must submit a written petition for reinstatement to the Committee on Admissions of the College if withdrawal took place before the completion of the student’s first term of enrollment. If the student withdrew subsequent to the first term, the student must submit a written petition to the COSEP for reinstatement.
     
  4. Administrative Withdrawal: A student who fails to engage in registration for courses or who fails to engage in a course according to the policies of the College will be considered to have withdrawn. A student withdrawing under this provision may submit a written petition to the OMSP for reinstatement. The OMSP shall determine whether special circumstances existed which justified the student’s failure to engage or whether the student’s petition should be forwarded to the COSEP.

Course Credit


[From COSEP Policies and Procedures 7/27/2017]

Rush Medical College does not assign credit hour value to its courses. First and second year courses are recorded on the transcript according to the term in which the courses are given. Required M3/M4 courses and all elective courses are recorded on the transcript according to the term in which the courses are given and the number of weeks of full-time study spent in the course.

Recording of Grades


[From COSEP Policies and Procedures 7/27/2017]

  1. OMSP Records: A student’s OMSP record will reflect all aspects of the student’s academic progress through the college, including records of any course failures, even though rectified by make-up examinations or repetition of the course(s). This permanent record may be used only for the legitimate business of the OMSP or by the COSEP in their evaluation of the progress of a student in the college. When a student is to be considered by the COSEP, the OMSP will provide the Committee with information relevant to its deliberations.
     
  2. Transcripts: Official transcripts sent from the Registrar’s Office of Rush University will reflect an unabridged version of the student’s enrollment record at Rush Medical College. All aspects of the student’s academic progress through the college, including records of any course failures, even though rectified by make-up examinations or repetition of the course(s), will be listed.
     
  3. Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE): Consistent with the Rush Medical College transcript, the MSPE will reflect the student’s enrollment record at Rush Medical College. All aspects of the student’s academic progress through the college, including gaps in the educational timeline, such as a Leave of Absence, and records of any course failures, even though rectified by make-up examinations or repetition of the course(s), will be described.

Student Performance Assessment in a Course


Please see the COSEP Policies and Procedures for details on the following:

  • Performance evaluation
  • Absences from examinations
  • Failed courses in first and second years
  • Status of students with course failures

Remedial Programs


The Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion, or COSEP, and the Office of Medical Student Programs, or OMSP, establish requirements for remedial work for students with course failures in the first or second year. Remedial work requirements will be reasonably related to the basis for, and seriousness of, the student’s deficiencies. Such requirements may include but need not be limited to the following: study with re-examination, retaking failed courses during the next academic year and retaking all courses, including those satisfactorily passed. 

A failure in a required clerkship must be remediated in a manner prescribed by the course director in consultation with the OMSP and approved by the COSEP, consistent with the reasons for the student’s failure. A student required to repeat any components of a required clerkship must complete the failed course prior to beginning another core rotation. In developing requirements, the COSEP will consider the needs of the individual student and will endeavor to develop a program that, if successfully completed, will strengthen the student’s prospects for successfully completing the remainder of the college program.

Academic Dismissal


[From COSEP Policies and Procedures 7/27/2017]


Grounds for dismissal

The following constitute grounds for dismissal from the College:

  1. A failure on or noncompliance with a COSEP-mandated remedial plan.
     
  2. A failure in a second required core clerkship (even though the prior failure had been successfully remediated) or a second failure of the same required clerkship.
     
  3. A determination by the COSEP that a student is not fit to practice medicine:​
    • Failure to demonstrate the ability to be a competent and effective future physician.
    • Performance that does not reflect good moral character, sense of responsibility or sound judgment.
    • A single act or pattern of unprofessional behavior.
  4. Receipt of an unsatisfactory course evaluation or NEF that addresses concerns previously outlined that were the focus of a prior completed remedial plan.
     
  5. Failure after three attempts to pass USMLE Step 1.
     
  6. Failure after three attempts to pass USMLE Step 2 (both the Clinical Skills and Clinical Knowledge sections of this Step within six months of the first attempt, including any time on LOA).
     
  7. Failure to successfully pass USMLE Step 1 within nine months of completing M2 coursework, including any time on LOA.
     
  8. Failure to successfully pass USMLE Step 2 within 12 months of completing M3 coursework, including any time on LOA.
     
  9. Inability to successfully complete all M1 and M2 requirements, including USMLE Step 1, within three years of matriculation, excluding time on LOA.
     
  10. Inability to successfully complete all M1, M2 and M3 requirements within four years of matriculation, excluding time on LOA.
     
  11. Inability to successfully complete all requirements for graduation within five years of matriculation, excluding time on LOA.

 

Procedure for COSEP Recommendation for Dismissal

  1. The student will meet criteria for dismissal as set forth in the COSEP Policies and Procedures.
     
  2. The COSEP will review the entire academic record of the student.
     
  3. A recommendation for dismissal must be approved by the COSEP by a majority of the voting members present by secret ballot.
     
  4. Following a vote for dismissal, the COSEP will determine the level of the student’s participation in the curriculum while awaiting the appeal process.
     
  5. The chair of the COSEP will notify both the student and the dean of the COSEP’s recommendation for dismissal within two business days of the COSEP meeting. The chair of the COSEP will notify the student in writing of the opportunity to meet with the COSEP (called the student appeal to COSEP). The student should submit a letter to the COSEP stating an intent to appeal this decision within 14 days of the receipt of notification for a recommendation for dismissal. The COSEP will determine an appropriate time deadline for completion of the appeal. If the student fails to request a meeting with the COSEP within this time, the student’s right to appeal will be forfeited and the COSEP’s recommendation for dismissal will be forwarded to the dean of Rush Medical College.

 

Procedure for Student Appeal to COSEP

  1. In an appeal of a recommendation of dismissal, a student may appeal the decision to the COSEP. The student should submit a letter to the COSEP stating an intent to appeal the decision within 14 days of the receipt of notification for a recommendation to dismiss. During the appeal, the student may be accompanied by an attorney. However, the attorney will be limited to advising the student; the attorney will not be permitted to participate directly in the meeting. The COSEP may have an attorney present to advise the chair and committee members.
     
  2. A vote on whether to overturn the dismissal recommendation will be taken by secret ballot, and the result will be determined by a majority vote of a quorum.

    Successful appeal: The COSEP will develop a remedial plan if the recommendation for dismissal is overturned.
    Unsuccessful appeal: The COSEP recommendation will be forwarded to the dean of Rush Medical College if the recommendation for dismissal is not overturned.

 

Recommendation to the Dean

After meeting with the student, if such a meeting is requested in a proper and timely manner, the COSEP will submit its recommendation in writing to the dean.

A student is allowed to appeal to the dean but the request must be made in writing within 14 days from receipt of the chair’s notice of dismissal recommendation. If the student fails to do so, any right to appeal the decision of the COSEP will be waived.

 

Dean’s Appeal Procedure

Students who have been recommended for dismissal by the COSEP will have an opportunity to appeal the dismissal recommendation to the dean as outlined above. The dean has the option to have the student appeal heard by a panel of three faculty - such faculty shall have a background in medical education and shall not currently sit on COSEP - or hear the appeal directly. The student is allowed to speak on their own behalf, with an advocate and legal counsel present in an advisory capacity who may not participate directly in the appeal. The dean or panel, as applicable, may have an attorney present who will serve only in an advisory capacity.

The chair of the COSEP and members of the OMSP will present the basis for the COSEP recommendation of dismissal to the dean or the faculty panel. They will review the basis of the recommendation and the process followed by the OMSP and the COSEP. If the faculty panel is hearing the appeal, they will report their recommendations to the dean.

The dean will review the recommendations from both the COSEP and the faculty panel, if impaneled, and render the final decision for the student. The dean will endeavor to issue a final decision in writing to the student within 30 days of the completion of the review process.

Doctor of Medicine (MD): Curriculum


Second Year


The second year curriculum is integrated into five courses taught in sequence through the academic year. 

Grading - First and Second Years


[From COSEP Policies and Procedures 7/27/2017]
 

  1. Minimum Pass Level (MPL) will be calculated as the final course score that is 1.5 standard deviations below the class mean.
     
  2. If the calculated MPL is above 70 percent, then the MPL is lowered to 70 percent.
     
  3. Any score of less than 55 percent will be considered a failure regardless of the calculated MPL.
     
  4. Courses may include components which are required for passing the course but do not contribute to the calculation of the course grade.
     
  5. The following grades may be awarded:
    1. P (Pass) - A grade of Pass is assigned when all requirements for the course have been completed satisfactorily.
    2. F (Fail) - A grade of Fail is assigned when a student’s performance in a course is unsatisfactory and insufficient to qualify for a grade of Pass. A student whose overall record is unsatisfactory in a course because of unexcused absences from examinations or other required course elements will be given a grade of Fail.
    3. W (withdrawn) - A grade of Withdrawn may be assigned by a course leader in consultation with the OMSP to a student who has not completed any of the course requirements and has received permission from the OMSP to end their participation in the course without credit. The Withdrawn grade will be reflected on the student transcript. Withdrawing from a course requires the course to be repeated in its entirety to receive credit.

USMLE Step 1


Prior to the start of the third year, students must take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1. Students who do not pass USMLE Step 1 are required to discontinue the third year curriculum for remediation (please refer to section on USMLE Step 1 failure for additional information).  Students who fail the USMLE Step 1 are removed from clinical rotations and placed on a LOA to the beginning of the next M3 year, provided a passing score is achieved.  Students who fail the USMLE Step 1 three times are recommended to the COSEP for dismissal.

Permission to defer taking this examination must be granted by the OMSP.  Students who defer Step 1 beyond the established deadline must take and pass the exam within nine months of completing the second year, and defer clinical rotations to the beginning of the next M3 year, provided a passing score is achieved.  Students who defer are placed on LOA

Curriculum Note: Third and Fourth Years


The curricula of the third and fourth years provide students with additional training in clinical skills, diagnosis and patient management in a variety of patient care settings.

Prior to the start of the third year, students participate in the Clinical Resources and Skills for the Hospital (CRASH) course, which Is an intensive review of clinical skills.

Clinical experiences primarily take place at Rush University Medical Center and the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. Students request a schedule of the third year required clerkships and electives through a lottery toward the end of the second year and request a schedule of the fourth year required clerkship, sub-internship, and electives through a lottery toward the end of the third year.

 

 

Third Year


The third year involves 42 clinical weeks in required core clerkships in internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics/gynecology, surgery and primary care.  Three courses to complete the required Capstone project are also taken during this year.

There are 6 weeks of time (4 before or after the Primary Care clerkship, and 2 following the Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship) which students may use to take non-credit elective courses for which they are eligible.

Fourth Year


The fourth year involves a required emergency medicine core clerkship, a required senior sub-internship, a clinical bridge course to prepare students for residency, and a series of elective clerkships which ultimately comprise a minimum of 44 total weeks.  Required senior core clerkships total 12 weeks.  The remaining 32 weeks required of the fourth year consist of elective study in areas of special interest to each student.  The choice of electives is guided by the goal of an educationally balanced undergraduate experience.  Of the 32 weeks of required student-chosen electives, up to 12 weeks of elective study may take place at other Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) - or Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited institutions and a maximum of 12 weeks of elective rotations may be taken in a single subspeciality. 

Electives


Students are required to take 32 weeks of electives.

Grading - Third and Fourth Years


[From COSEP Policies and Procedures 7/27/2017]

  1. Grading criteria for required clerkships will be determined by the clerkship director as approved by the COSEP.
     
  2. The following grades may be awarded:
  1. H (Honors) - Performance of exceptional quality, as judged by the course leader, using criteria established and provided to students in written format at the beginning of the course. Students should not be required to carry out extra work over and above that required of other students in order to qualify for a grade of Honors.
  2. HP (High Pass) - Performance of superior quality, as judged by the course leader, using criteria established and provided to students in written format at the beginning of the course. Students should not be required to carry out extra work over and above that required of other students in order to qualify for a grade of High Pass.
  3. P (Pass) - All requirements for the course have been completed satisfactorily.
  4. F (Fail) - A grade of Fail is assigned when a student’s performance in a course is unsatisfactory and insufficient to qualify for a grade of pass, or when the student fails to meet the MPL on the final NBME subject exam. A student whose overall record is unsatisfactory in a course because of unexcused absences from examinations or other evaluative exercises will be given a grade of Fail. The course leader may assign a failure grade based on the composite clinical evaluations and/or inadequate professional or behavioral performance.
  5. W (Withdrawn) - A grade of Withdrawn may be assigned by a course leader in consultation with the OMSP to a student who has not completed all the course requirements and has received permission from the OMSP to end their participation in the course without credit. The Withdrawn grade will be reflected on the student transcript. Withdrawing from a course requires the course to be repeated in its entirety to receive credit for this course.
  6. I (Incomplete) - A grade of Incomplete may be assigned by a course leader to a student who has not completed all the course requirements and has received permission from the OMSP to defer completion of unmet course requirements. The course leader will determine what work will be required to remove the incomplete and will establish a specific time within which the student must complete such work. Such time will not extend beyond one term following the completion of the course, unless otherwise approved by the Office of Medical Student Programs. The incomplete grade will be reflected on the student transcript. Students with an incomplete in a clerkship will be removed from ongoing clinical rotations.

For guidelines on grade distributions for M3 core clerkships refer to Core Clerkship Common Syllabus. 

USMLE Step 2


All students must take and pass both the Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Clinical Skills (CS) components of USMLE Step 2 during the student’s fourth year by a date determined by the OMSP.  Failures on either component are reported to the COSEP.  Students who fail either component of the USMLE Step 2 three times are recommended to the COSEP for dismissal.

Family Medicine Leadership Program (FMLP)


The Family Medicine Leadership Program, or FMLP, gives students the opportunity to engage in enhanced primary care clinical training and experiences throughout their four years of education. Students in the FMLP will participate in a curriculum specifically geared toward the tenets of a career in family medicine, emphasizing the impacts of family and community on health, the role of interdisciplinary care, and the development of skills in leadership and scholarly pursuit.

A maximum of five students will be admitted per cohort. Students register for the pass/fail course FAM 705 for every term in which they are enrolled in the FMLP. Students who desire to change paths during medical school may opt out of the  FMLP.

 

Adviser Program

Incoming Rush Medical College students are assigned to one of five longitudinal advising academies comprised of M1-M4 students. Each academy is advised by four faculty advisers and six to eight peer advisers. Each faculty adviser acts as primary adviser for a defined group of students within their academy for all four years of the curriculum. They meet individually with students to establish a relationship and offer support and advice at critical junctures throughout medical school. 

Early on, advisers assist students with the transition to medical school. During the second and third years, the focus shifts to guidance regarding career exploration and professional development. In the fourth year, advisers support students throughout the residency application, interview and match processes.  Peer advisers are selected at the end of the M1 year, and they serve as peer advisers in their advising academy during their M2, M3 and M4 years. They provide essential advice from a student perspective to further support student success and well-being.  

Faculty and peer advisers also serve as professional role models and sounding boards, and are available to guide students to medical college resources and support services when needed. Additionally, each advisory academy meets on a regular basis for community-building and to discuss topics related to the curriculum, career planning and well-being.  The academies and individual cohorts within the academies also plan informal social activities throughout the year. 

Student Research Opportunities

Students are encouraged to pursue additional research experience beyond their work on their capstone projects. Research opportunities range from laboratory experiences in the biomedical sciences to clinical investigation and fieldwork in epidemiology, preventive medicine and primary care. Such research can be carried out during the summer between the first and second years or during the time allotted for elective experiences in the fourth year.

The Rush Medical College Summer Research Fellowship is offered on a competitive basis to students between the first and second years to work on research projects with Rush faculty in basic science, clinical research and community service arenas. Students accepted in the program are provided a paid position to work full-time during the summer before the second year on their research project. Many students continue on and participate in these projects after the summer.

First-year medical students have the opportunity to enroll in the elective course Introduction to Biomedical Research. This is a yearlong course consisting of lectures, journal club and one-on-one work with a faculty mentor to develop a research proposal.

Students who are interested in a more in-depth research experience may request a Leave of Absence from the Rush Medical College curriculum to pursue an MS or PhD degree.

Rush Medical College Committees

Committees exist within the structure of Rush Medical College to assure the appropriate involvement of faculty and students in the various activities of the college. Except for the Rush Medical College Student Council, each committee includes representation from both faculty and students.

Faculty Council

This committee is the senior representative body within Rush Medical College. The membership includes professors, associate professors, assistant professors, instructors or assistants and one student from each of the four classes, each chosen by vote of the corresponding constituency.

Committee on Admissions

Members of the Committee on Admissions, or CoA, are responsible for admissions to the Rush Medical College. The duties of the CoA members include but are not limited to setting the admissions criteria that will enhance academic excellence, interviewing candidates and selecting the applicants who will be offered acceptance to Rush Medical College.

Committee on Curriculum and Evaluation

This Committee on Curriculum and Evaluation, or CCE,  is responsible for the design, content and evaluation of the courses and curriculum. With the assistance of course directors, the CCE administers surveys to the students that evaluate course content, delivery and faculty performance.

Committee on Senior Faculty Appointments and Promotions (COSFAP)

The function of the Committee on Senior Faculty Appointments and Promotions, or COSFAP, is to review recommendations submitted by chairpersons for appointments or promotions of faculty members to academic ranks of indefinite terms in Rush Medical College. Recommendations for appointments or promotions are then submitted to the Office of the Dean for further action.

Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion (COSEP)

The Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion, or COSEP, is responsible for developing policies concerning student status, evaluation and promotion; reviewing the academic performance of Rush Medical College students; making recommendations to the Faculty Council and dean concerning promotion, graduation and dismissal of students; and determining requirements for remedial action for students who have failed medical college courses.

Programs

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