The basic medical education program of the Davao Medical School Foundation takes four years to complete, which will be expanded to four and one-half years for international students of Indian nationality effective AY 2022-23. The additional six months will be located at the end of the regular twelve- month clerkship rotation.
Each academic year is divided into two semesters of at least eighteen weeks per semester, exclusive of registration and comprehensive examinations. The core contents of the Doctor of Medicine program are presented through organ systems integration with case-based discussions, starting with basic principles and theories of medicine that are taught in the first and second years, followed by clinical courses that begin early in the second semester of the second year and expanding throughout the succeeding years. It is expected that at the end of the four and one-half year program, the student is able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes: clinical skills, diagnostic and therapeutic skills, patient investigation, patient management, health promotion and disease prevention, communication skills, medical informatics, application of basic, social and clinical sciences and underlying principles, appropriate attitudes, ethical understanding and legal responsibilities, decision making skills and clinical reasoning and judgment, the role of the doctor within the health service, and personal development. It is also required that foreign students need to build their own personal library, that is why it is mandatory that each student should have a personal copy of the required textbooks from first year to fourth year including the required manuals and workbooks. For submitted requirements such as thesis, researches, and the like, they become the property of the school though they may claim subsequently certificates of completion, submission and participation of their submitted outputs.
FIRST YEAR
The course contents in first year are designed to provide students with better understanding of the art and science of medicine, starting with the study of the normal structure and function of the different organ systems of the human body – from molecular to cellular mechanisms that are important in maintaining homeostasis. Also included is the understanding of the important non-biological determinants of poor health and the economic, psychological, social, and cultural factors that contribute to the development and/or continuation of illnesses. Clinical scenarios are provided to enable students apply the learned principles and concepts to the underlying causes of illnesses, and to enable students develop communication and clinical reasoning skills. The appropriate ethical approach to patient care as well as the use of evidence-based medicine is likewise offered as early as first year.
Curriculum
A Comprehensive Syllabus as per the American Standard.
THIRD YEAR
The course contents are designed to provide students with the understanding of the principles and concepts of diseases of different clinical specialties, its epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention, therapeutic and diagnostic maneuvers, differential diagnosis, management, and their continuing correlation with basic medical sciences. In a typical day, more than half of the time is spent in school providing large and small group discussions. The remaining time is spent in the clinics where students, under the supervision of clinical preceptors, are exposed to simulated and real patients through clinical simulations, bedside and desk-side teaching, grand rounds, mini-lectures and small group discussions. Principles & procedures of common diagnostic & therapeutic examinations of different age groups are taught as well as communication and interpersonal skills. Likewise, knowledge of the theories and principles that govern jurisprudence and ethical decision-making are given due emphasis.
SECOND YEAR
The course contents are designed to provide students with the understanding of the normal and altered structure and function of the human body, including the role of genetic, developmental, metabolic, toxic, infectious, immunologic, neoplastic, degenerative, and traumatic factors that may contribute to the body’s disorder/illness (pathogenesis). The principles and concepts of therapeutics are also taught. The ability to obtain an accurate medical history, perform a complete physical examination and develop interpersonal and communication skills are also taught with patient exposures initiated in the second semester. Similarly, students are provided with protected time for self-directed learning to enhance their skills in medical informatics and lifelong learning.
FOURTH YEAR CLINICAL CLERKSHIP
The clerkship program consists of fifty-two weeks of modular rotations in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Community and Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, ENT, Dermatology, and Clinical Simulation Training. Under the supervision of the clinical/field preceptor, the student is given the opportunity to demonstrate the twelve outcomes of the medical program.
In the expanded clerkship program, the clerkship duration of 52 weeks will be extended to 72 weeks (or one and half years) of clerkship, with the following subjects, to wit;
Language of Instruction
English is the medium of instruction. As such, students whose native language is not English must be proficient in English for them to be admitted to the medical program.
Credit Unit
The unit of credit is the semester hour. Each one unit of credit is at least 18 semester hours of instruction.
Academic Load
Students are required to take all of the prescribed subjects/modules per semester/year in all levels. For a student to be promoted to the next higher level, said student has to earn a passing mark in all subjects/modules. No student is allowed to take advance subject/s in any year level.
Student Assessment - Grading System
Assessment of student competence shall be based on the learning outcomes, course outcomes and unit outcomes. Formative and summative evaluations are given in all courses in the form of written and oral examinations to measure cognitive competence, and rating scales, checklists, and other forms to measure psychomotor and affective skills.
A student earns credit for a subject/module when s/he obtains a grade of 75% or better. To be in good standing, a student must maintain a minimum general weighted average of 75% with no grade lower than 75% in any subject/module. The official mathematical software in the formulation of grades will be Microsoft Excel.
