High school graduates become medical students as soon as they enter the UMKC School of Medicine. Immediate exposure to a curriculum that builds a basic foundation in medical science and clinical skills is integrated with the liberal arts and humanities into a year-round program. This allows students to earn their B.A./M.D. in six years. (choosing a major)

Our curriculum utilizes experiences with patients, peers and faculty in clinical settings that develop students who are competent to be a safe practicing physician. The skills and attitudes for compassion, honesty and integrity receive the same priority as scientific and technical skills. These all lead to nine areas of competency:

• Effective communication

• Clinical skills

• Using basic science in the practice of medicine

• Diagnosis, management, continuing care and prevention

• Lifelong learning in medicine, basic science, the social sciences and humanities

• Self-awareness, self-care, personal growth and professional behavior

• Diversity and the social and community contexts of health care

• Moral reasoning and ethical judgment

• Problem solving skills

• Three-fourths of a UMKC School of Medicine student’s time during the
first two years is spent in arts and science education to fulfill baccalaureate degree requirements, and one-fourth in medical school courses. The ratio is reversed to three-fourths medical school and one-fourth arts and science courses during the final four years.

• Early and continued contact with a team of clinical physicians known as docents builds student capacity for clinical judgment.

• Docents are responsible for their own docent unit, comprised of 10 to 12 students. Year 3 students join a new docent unit and have individual offices at either the medical school or St. Luke’s Hospital. Docent units include Years 3-6 students, a clinical pharmacologist, an education team coordinator, a docent and other health care professionals.

• Students practice skills in critical care and cardiovascular disease through the use of mannequins that simulate the human body and human conditions.

• The UMKC School of Medicine is a proponent of Academic Service Learning, in which students develop community partnerships, provide community service and reflect upon their experiences.

• Students are encouraged to work with faculty in both clinical and research settings. Students participating in research at the UMKC School of Medicine have received fellowships with nationally recognized research institutions such as the National Institutes of Health.

• An emphasis on the medical humanities is another unique feature of the School of Medicine. One month in either Year 5 or 6 is assigned to humanities/social science. The Sirridge Office of Medical Humanities collaborates with the College of Arts and Sciences to develop and coordinate experiences in humanities and humanism. These experiences nurture a broadened appreciation for art, literature and philosophy, while cultivating compassion and empathy.

The UMKC School of Medicine believes in he strength of diversity in medical training. Each class is comprised of a variety of ethnic and cultural groups. Fifty-eight percent of our students are women. UMKC’s medical students receive the experiences and education they need to succeed in the 21st century.