In order to receive the M.D. degree, students must pass all assessments, all courses, and all years of the four-year M.D. undergraduate program. For more information about courses, please see the Courses Leading to the Doctor of Medicine section below.
During the program, individualized curricular time and unstructured curricular time have been allocated to allow and encourage students to take responsibility for their own progress in meeting the competencies for the undergraduate medical program.
MEDD_V 411 (the first Course of the Program, takes place during Year 1 / Term 1) will be based at the distributed campuses of the MDUP: UBC Vancouver – Vancouver Fraser Medical Program (VFMP), UBC Okanagan – Southern Medical Program (SMP), University of Victoria – Island Medical Program (IMP), University of Northern British Columbia - Northern Medical Program (NMP), and includes a one-week orientation for all students at the Vancouver campus.
The remaining Courses in Years 1 and 2 of the program are based at the university campuses of the MDUP: UBC Vancouver – Vancouver Fraser Medical Program (VFMP), UBC Okanagan – Southern Medical Program (SMP), University of Victoria – Island Medical Program (IMP), University of Northern British Columbia - Northern Medical Program (NMP).
The “Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students” describe the functional abilities required to achieve the medical education program objectives, and in conjunction with the academic standards, are requirements for admission. These core competencies support the retention, promotion, and graduation of medical students.
Expenses
Equipment, instruments, and supplies will be required throughout the four-year program. Computer access via laptop is essential, and a mobile device is recommended. It is recommended that no purchases be made until details concerning the necessary equipment are provided at the beginning of classes by the courses concerned. For information please contact the Student Financial Assistance Officer: foa.studentaffairs@ubc.ca or see this webpage
Textbooks
Information regarding textbooks will be given before the start of each course. Approximate costs for purchasing textbooks and expendable supplies can be found using the Cost Calculator.
Courses Leading to the Doctor of Medicine
Departmental and interdepartmental courses offered by the Faculty of Medicine are listed in detail in Courses.
The subjects in which instruction is given in the four years leading to the Doctor of Medicine are as follows:
First and Second Year
The first year of the program starts in late August and ends in late May. The second year of the program starts in late August and ends in mid-April. The first two years of the program consist of six courses:
- MEDD_V 411 (Foundations of Medical Practice I)
- MEDD_V 412 (Foundations of Medical Practice II
- MEDD_V 419 (Foundations of Scholarship and Flexible Enhanced Learning I)
- MEDD_V 421 (Foundations of Medical Practice III)
- MEDD_V 422 (Foundation of Medical Practice IV and Transition into Clinical Education), and
- MEDD_V 429 (Flexible Enhanced Learning II)
MEDD_V 411 spans 17 weeks and includes two weeks of orientation to the medical profession, during which foundational medical concepts and information about the learning activities and assessment types that students will engage in throughout the program are introduced.
MEDD_V 412, 421, and 422 each span 15 weeks (August – December or January – April)
All four courses offer a variety of learning activities including small group case-based learning, lectures, seminars, labs, clinical skills, family practice office visits, and self-directed learning. Each week, these learning activities will be focused on weekly clinical presentations/topics, and will address foundational program themes including:
- Body Systems (e.g., Behavioural System; Blood and Lymphatics System; Cardiovascular System; Digestive System; Endocrine System; Growth and Development System; Immune System; Integument System; Musculoskeletal System; Nervous System; Reproductive System; Respiratory System; and Urinary System),
- Themes (areas of medical education that are of particular relevance, as per the Program’s Mission Statement),
- Clinical Decision Making; Student Professionalism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Indigenous Health; Lifestyle Medicine; Rural and
Remote Medicine; Planetary Health and Global Health; Team-based Care, Leadership and Quality Improvement; Elder Care; Addictions and Substance Use; Wellbeing; and Wellbeing), - Areas of Content Expertise, areas of medical education that require a focus and a developmental approach, covering medical science topics, approaches to patient care, or focused on specific patient populations (e.g., Anatomy and Embryology; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Complementary and Alternative Therapies; Diagnostic Imaging; Evidence Based Medicine and Scholarship; Genetic and
Genomics; Health Advocacy and Social Determinants of Health; Histology; Laboratory Diagnosis; Medical Ethics; Pathology and Neoplasia; Pharmacotherapy; Physiology; Primary Care; Rehabilitation; Special Populations – Palliative Care; Virtual Care and Informatics; and Visual Science).
The weekly clinical presentations/topics and associated content progress in complexity from course to course. Also, as these courses progress, there is an increasing focus on preparation for clinical training. MEDD_V 422 (Foundations of Medical Practice IV and Transition into Clinical Education) continues to provide students with an enriched learning environment supporting enhanced understanding of foundational medical sciences and culminates in preparing students to transition from more classroom-based learning to more clinical practice-based learning during the last two weeks of the Course.
MEDD_V 419 (Foundations of Scholarship and Flexible Enhanced Learning I) runs longitudinally through first year with weekly half-day sessions concurrent with MEDD_V 411 and 412, plus a six week block at the end of MEDD_V 412. MEDD_V 429 (Flexible Enhanced Learning II) runs longitudinally through second year with weekly half-day sessions concurrent with MEDD_V 421 and 422, plus a three-week block between MEDD_V 421 and winter holidays. These courses provide a foundation for scholarly inquiry and time to pursue a variety of scholarly and community service projects.
Third Year
The third year typically starts in early June and ends in May the following year. MEDD_V 431 (Clerkship) consists of one course, which includes content and clinical experiences in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, orthopedics, and ambulatory medicine (e.g., dermatology, ophthalmology, geriatrics). The learning objectives for MEDD_V 431 can be achieved through the block rotation model or the Integrated Community Clerkship model.
Fourth Year
The fourth year normally starts in July and ends at the end of April. Starting with students entering in the academic year of 2018-19, fourth year consists of the following required courses:
- MEDD_V 440 (24 credit) Senior Electives.
- MEDD_V 448 (Transition into Postgraduate Education and Practice). A 9-credit course supports students to effectively transition from medical school to residency and medical practice.
- MEDD_V 449 (Flexible Enhanced Learning III). A 4-credit course supports student engagement in scholarly and community service projects.
- MEDD_V 451 (0) - the final examination for fourth year and encompasses all clinical subjects.
Information concerning elective offerings may be obtained from the Dean's Office, Undergraduate Education.