June 12, 2020

LCME virtual visit: Medical students branch out for final years in curriculum

Their third and fourth years offer learners a personalized educational phase that they can tailor with the help of advisors, mentors and coaches

Branches help in the medical student curriculum

As they prepare for residency and the ultimate goal of becoming a doctor, University of Michigan medical students now have more opportunities to personalize their education and make meaningful impact in their area of interest.

The Branches — the third and fourth year of the medical student curriculum — offer learners a personalized educational phase that they can tailor with the help of advisors, mentors and coaches. Branches help give students more options to learn and grow.

The four Branches are: Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Patients and Populations, Procedure-Based Care, and Systems and Hospital-Based Care.

Progression through the Branches includes: Discovery (choosing a clinical focus and creating impactful pathway for their career), Focus (honing clinical skills and incorporating foundational science into care) and Finishing (develop into an educator/clinician who is ready for residency on Day 1).

The Office of Medical Student Education has produced a 1-page informational flyer on “Branches in the Medical School Curriculum,” and a series of brief videos on this topic, and others, that further explain important aspects of U-M’s medical education program. 

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) — the group responsible for reaccreditation of the medical school’s M.D. degree — had planned to visit in April; however, the site visit was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The LCME is planning a virtual site visit for July 8-10.

To learn more about the LCME self-study and upcoming site visit: https://medicine.umich.edu/medschool/about/lcme-self-study