Clinical Medicine Major (Chinese medium / Five Years) Training Program

1. Training Objectives

The training program aims at developing primary clinicians with solid and basic theory, knowledge and skills in basic medical sciences (BMS) and clinical medicine and imparting certain knowledge in public health and preventive medicine and general awareness of natural sciences and humanities and social sciences to them, so as to prepare them for the needs of health service systems of various nations and individualized development, and equip them with a good sense of social responsibility, professionalism, scientific spirit, learning ability, practice competence and development potential.

2. Training Requirements

1. Professionalism Requirements

In the respect of professionalism, students are required to:

Have ideological and moral cultivation and a lofty sense of social responsibility.

Cherish life and care for patients with humanitarian spirit; take the disease prevention and pain expelling as a lifelong responsibility and the hospice care as the moral duty; and be committed to safeguarding the health and well-being of people and consider it as their professional responsibility.

Excel at understanding, communication, interaction and teamwork; respect the background, beliefs, needs, interests, privacy and personality of patients and their family members, be equipped with the ability of skillful interpersonal communication, interaction and offering feedback and clearly understand the importance of cooperation and efforts made by patients, family members and colleagues in the prevention and treatment of diseases.

Master Basic legal knowledge, comply with laws, establish the legal concept of conducting medical practice according to laws, and learn how to protect the rights and interests of patients and themselves by virtue of laws.

Be physically strong and mentally healthy with sound personality, have a satisfying performance on self-awareness, interpersonal relationships and social adaptability.

2. Knowledge Requirements

In the respect of knowledge, students are required to:

Master basic theoretical knowledge and scientific methods of humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, life sciences and behavioral sciences related to medicine.

Have a good command of basic knowledge about the normal structure and function, abnormal pathological structure and mechanism, and pathogens of the human body in all stages of life, and pharmacology.

Grasp the causes, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment principles, rehabilitation and health care principles of common and frequently-occurring diseases.

Grasp the basic knowledge of preventive medicine, general medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, be familiar with the national health policies and regulations both in China and their homeland, learn the principles and knowledge of health education, community health services and “Tertiary Prevention” of diseases and be able to tell the basic rules of the occurrence, development and spread of infectious diseases to grasp the principles of prevention and treatment of common infectious diseases.

Grasp the basic principles and methods of biostatistics, clinical epidemiology and evidence-based medicine, and the knowledge in basic principles and methods of design, measurement and evaluation of medical research shall also be grasped.

3. Skills Requirements

In the respect of skill, students are required to:

Be competent to meet the standard of medical history collection, physical examination, and medical record writing, be proficient in basic clinical skills of diagnosis and treatment of common diseases and frequently-occurring diseases, and possess certain clinical thinking ability.

Be capable of providing clinical care for patients with effective skills in communication and cooperation with patients, family members or colleagues, and show capabilities in basic capabilities in health education, community health services and disease prevention.

Acquire the preliminary ability to apply the principles of evidence-based medicine in evidence collection and evaluation as well as evidence-based decision-making when faced with clinical problems.

Be fluent in Chinese with proficiency at new HSK 4 level (Chinese Proficiency Test), and be familiar of modern information technologies including computers.

Be equipped with multiple capabilities, including abilities in independent learning, lifelong learning, critical thinking and self-development.

3. Main Disciplines, Core Courses and Modules

1. Main Disciplines

Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

2. Core Courses (19)

Cell Biology, Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, Pathology, Medical Microbiology, Medical Immunology, Medical Statistics, Epidemiology, Diagnostics, Essential Surgery, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases.

3. Modules and Teaching Objectives

According to the training objectives, the compulsory courses are divided into three major modules, namely “General Humanities”, “Basic Medicine Sciences” and “Clinical Medicine”, and six sub-modules.

1. Humanities Module

 The purpose of this module is to broaden international students’ horizon in humanities and social science, behavior, law and ethics, and their ability in communication, interaction and collaboration will also be enhanced. The module mainly consists of courses such as Bioethics and Health Law.

2. Natural Sciences and Public Basics Modules

 Students will be trained to grow proficiency in Chinese and skills in “listening, speaking, reading, and writing” through this module. They will learn the basic theory, knowledge and skills of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science that are required for major study. This module mainly consists of courses such as Advanced Mathematics, Basic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Medical Physics.

3. Medical Basics Module

 The module is built with the purpose of laying a solid foundation in basic knowledge and ability related to medicine. It mainly includes Cell Biology, Human Morphology (Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, and Pathology), Biochemistry, Kinesiology (Physiology, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology), Immunology, Pathogen Biology (Human Parasitology, Medical Microbiology) and other courses.

4. Preventive Medicine and Research Methods Module

 Basic theories, knowledge and skills of public health and preventive medicine are provided by this module to help students understand the operation rules of the health system. Moreover, students’ capabilities will be developed and trained especially in information collection, management and evaluation, and evidence-based decision-making. Students are expected to excel at critical thinking and basic scientific research through this module that offers courses such as Medical Statistics, Epidemiology, Hygiene, and Social Medicine.

5. Clinical Essential Skills Module

 In this module, students will be required to study basic skills of medical history collection, physical examination, the diagnosis and treatment of common and frequently-occurring diseases and clinical operations for the purpose of paving the way for clinical theoretical study, clinical practice and normative training for postgraduation residency. It mainly includes Diagnostics, Essential Surgery, Medical Imaging, Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Skills Training.

6. Clinical Major Theory and Clerkship module

 Students will be enabled to digest clinical knowledge, diagnosis and treatment skills of internal medicine, surgery, and specialties with their overall clinical thinking and comprehensive application ability being trained through theory study and clerkship in this module. The module mainly offers courses such as Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases, Neurology, Psychiatry, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Stomatology, Dermatology and Venereology, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

4. Curriculum and Credit Hour Allocation

 Courses are compulsory, including public basic / major basic / major courses. Among them, there are a total of 57 compulsory courses with 3580 credit hours and 203 credits that are required to be completed in the first four academic years. The specific credit hours and credits of each course are as follows:

1. Compulsory Courses

1. Public Basic Courses

2. Major Basic Courses

3. Major Courses

5. Schooling period and Teaching Contents of Each Academic Year

1. Schooling period: 5 Years

2. Teaching Contents of Each Academic Year

 First Academic Year: Public basic courses and general education.

 Second Academic Year: Basic medical sciences.

 Third Academic Year: Basic medical sciences and community health practice.

 Fourth Academic Year: 1-year clinical medicine theory and clerkship.

 Fifth Academic Year: 1-year clinical internship in all four departments (Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics) of the hospital. Students will be individually allocated to specific departments of affiliated/teaching hospitals.

6. Practice-based Teaching

 Practice-based teaching runs through the whole study period. Clear goals and measurement will be set for the practice at each phase. Details are as follows:

7. Teaching Method

 The teaching model features the integration of teachers’ lecture and guidance, students’ independent study and the two-way interaction. Theoretical and experimental teaching are combined with the integration of classroom teaching and extracurricular independent learning. According to the highlights of courses and training objectives in each stage, a variety of teaching methods are adopted, including problem-based, heuristic, research-based, and interactive methods, to guide students, motivate their learning interest, cultivate their independent study ability, and strengthen their comprehensive capabilities.

The general education and BMS stage focus on the “intensive lectures and more exercise” to enhance the core courses and knowledge, with in-class theoretical, experimental and practice-based teaching as the leading role, supported by independent learning, “problem-based learning (PBL)” and “research-based learning (RBL)”.

The clinical teaching stage prioritizes the enhancement of basic theories of clinical medicine, clinical thinking ability, clinical practice ability and professionalism.

 In terms of the main teaching method, the clinical major courses combine the heuristic teaching, “practice-based learning (PBL)” and “case-based learning (CBL)” to “elaborate key points, exhaust difficult questions, focus on skills, integrate (transform) knowledge, and guide self-study”, through which students’ clinical theoretical knowledge, clinical thinking and clinical skills will be upgraded.

 Clinical clerkship is mainly used for the theoretical teaching in clinical major courses with various forms adopted, including case discussions, small lectures, and bedside case presentations, to help students digest theoretical knowledge, enhance their perceptual awareness and improve their ability in practice.

 The clinical internship focuses on cultivating students’ abilities in correct clinical thinking and standardized clinical operation. Various teaching methods such as bedside operation guidance, ward rounds teaching, case discussions, and clinical small lectures can enable students to gradually transform the knowledge they have mastered into ability in conducting independent clinical work through repeated practice. Strict clinical skills training is carried out for interns to standardize their skills in collecting medical history, physical examination, medical record writing and common diagnosis and treatment skills in disciplines.

8. Academic Assessment Methods and Requirements

1. Academic Assessment Methods

 According to the features of courses, the teaching model and objectives, the assessment on the teaching process and practice will be strengthened in diverse assessment forms with focus on the process, to conduct a comprehensive check on the completion of the teaching content in each stage. The assessment will pay attention to the effectiveness and operability to give full play to its role as education and guidance for students.

 The total score of the core courses consists of two parts: the process assessment and the final examination. The process assessment score includes various types of general performance, mid-term scores, experiment and practice scores, etc. Each course shall have process assessments for at least 3 times; the final exam shall account for no more than 60% of the total score.

Non-core courses and practice-based teaching adopt a comprehensive assessment method and encourage open-book examinations. Class performance, assignments, practice, operation, design, and survey reports can all be used as the basis for scoring the course.

The clinical internship assessment is uniformly organized by the University. During the clinical internship in the 5^th academic year, a comprehensive assessment will be carried out on the theory stipulated in the internship outline and clinical practice skills that need to be mastered by students.

2. Requirements

 According to the requirements of the state and the University, students who pass the unified examination organized by the state and the University at each stage can proceed to the next stage of study.

 The examination and assessment organized by the University shall be carried out according to the requirements of the Guidelines for the Implementation of Academic Assessment and Examination Management in Nanjing Medical University.

 At the end of the 2^nd semester of the 4^th academic year, students shall take the pre-internship clinical skills assessment organized by the University. Those who pass the assessment can be admitted to the clinical internship during the 5^th academic year;

 The graduation examination is in form of “theory + skills” (referred to as “1+1”). The theory assessment is divided into four rounds respectively conducted after the internship in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. Students shall take a written examination which will be arranged, invigilated and marked by the University. The graduation clinical practice skills assessment will be conducted after students are back to the campus from clinical internship. The University shall organize experts to assess each student based on the assessment case database and scoring standards. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is adopted as the assessment method, with 6 stations being set up, including the simulated diagnosis and treatment station, surgical operation station, internal medicine (pediatric) operation station, obstetrics and gynecology skill station, laboratory test station and doctor-patient communication station. The theory and skill operation examinations are marked separately. Those who fail one of them will not be allowed to graduate until they retake the course and pass the make-up examination.

9. Degree and Credit Requirements

Students must complete 263 credits in school, including 203 credits of compulsory courses, 52 credits of clinical graduation internship, 4 credits of internship examination, and 4 credits of practical skills assessment.

 Student who complete the study and acquire credits as required can obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine.

10. Teaching Schedule

Teaching Schedule.xls