GENERAL MEDICINE CURRICULUM
The program of General Medicine takes 6 years and consists of four stages:
-
Pre-clinical courses
-
Physiopathology and Semiology
-
Clinical training (students are known as stagiaire*)
-
Internship (students are known as intern)
* A French word meaning "trainee"
Pre-clinical courses (1st and 2nd years)
The first stage takes two years where basic and general courses are presented. This stage focuses on human anatomy, physiological functions, biological pathogens, mechanisms of immune system, pathology, and health principles.
Topics to be covered
|
No
|
Course
|
Credit
|
Hours
|
|
Lectures
|
Practical Studies
|
Total
|
-
|
Medical Physics
|
2
|
30
|
8
|
38
|
-
|
Biochemistry
|
6
|
85
|
34
|
119
|
-
|
Anatomy 1
|
3
|
34
|
34
|
68
|
-
|
Anatomy 2
|
4
|
43
|
51
|
94
|
-
|
Anatomy 3
|
3
|
26
|
51
|
77
|
-
|
Psychology
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Public Health 1 (Principles of Health Care)
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Public Health 2 (Principles of Epidemiology and Fighting Diseases)
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Technical English 1
|
3
|
51
|
-
|
51
|
-
|
Technical English 2
|
3
|
51
|
-
|
51
|
-
|
General Principles of Nutrition
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Histology
|
4
|
51
|
34
|
85
|
-
|
Physiology 1
|
4
|
68
|
-
|
68
|
-
|
Physiology 2
|
5
|
68
|
34
|
102
|
-
|
Genetics
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Microbiology and Virology
|
5
|
60
|
51
|
111
|
-
|
Public Health 3 (Population and Family Health)
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Immunology
|
3
|
43
|
17
|
60
|
-
|
Parasitology and Mycology
|
4
|
43
|
51
|
94
|
-
|
General Pathology
|
5
|
60
|
51
|
111
|
-
|
Embryology
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
|
Total
|
|
68
|
951
|
416
|
1367
|
Students are supposed to take 20 credits (units) in each semester according to school schedule. Maximum limit for the students to take these courses is three years.
The following tables show the courses in each semester according to the curriculum of General Medicine by the Supreme Council for Planning, Ministry of Health and Medical Education. However, pre-clinical courses are presented in five semesters at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences.
1st Semester
|
No
|
Course
|
Credit
|
Total
|
|
Lectures
|
Practical Studies
|
-
|
Medical Physics
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Biochemistry
|
5
|
1
|
6
|
-
|
Anatomy 1
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
-
|
General English
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Histology
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
-
|
Persian Language
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
|
Total
|
20
|
2nd Semester
|
No
|
Course
|
Credit
|
Total
|
|
Lectures
|
Practical Studies
|
-
|
General Principles of Nutrition
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Public Health 1
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Anatomy 2
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
-
|
Physiology 1
|
4
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
Genetics
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Physical Education
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
|
Total
|
15
|
3rd Semester
|
No
|
Course
|
Credit
|
Total
|
|
Lectures
|
Practical Studies
|
-
|
Anatomy 3
|
1.5
|
1.5
|
3
|
-
|
Technical English 1
|
3
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
Physiology 2
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
-
|
Public Health 2
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Islamic Knowledge
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Islamic Ethics
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Parasitology
|
2.5
|
1.5
|
4
|
|
Total
|
20
|
4th Semester
|
No
|
Course
|
Credit
|
Total
|
|
Lectures
|
Practical Studies
|
-
|
Psychology
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Public Health 3
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
General Pathology
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
-
|
Immunology
|
2.5
|
0.5
|
3
|
-
|
Microbiology
|
3.5
|
1.5
|
5
|
-
|
Technical English 2
|
3
|
-
|
3
|
|
Total
|
20
|
Physiopathology and Semiology (3rd year)
The second stage takes 12 months and focuses on physiological principles, mechanisms of diseases, diseases manifestation, and analytical diagnosis. Students are supposed to pass the following courses:
-
Semiology and Physiopathology
-
Pathology and pharmacology
This stage is presented in two semesters in which students learn the diseases, pharmacology, semiology, and pathology of the following systems:
this stage students learn the diseases, pharmacology, semiology, and pathology of the following systems:
Digestive system, and Cardiovascular system (each lasting for four weeks)
Metabolism and endocrinology (glands), nephrology (kidney), hematology (blood), rheumatology, and respiratory system (each lasting for three weeks)
|
No
|
Course
|
Credit
|
Hours
|
|
Lectures
|
Practical Studies
|
Total
|
-
|
Physiopathology
|
14
|
238
|
-
|
238
|
|
|
Digestive Diseases
|
|
40
|
-
|
40
|
|
|
Cardiovascular Diseases
|
|
40
|
-
|
40
|
|
|
Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases
|
|
32
|
-
|
32
|
|
|
Hematologic Diseases
|
|
32
|
-
|
32
|
|
|
Respiratory Diseases
|
|
32
|
-
|
32
|
|
|
Renal Diseases
|
|
30
|
-
|
30
|
|
|
Rheumatic Diseases
|
|
32
|
-
|
32
|
-
|
Specific Pathology
|
6
|
68
|
68
|
136
|
-
|
Pharmacology
|
4
|
60
|
17
|
77
|
-
|
Semiology
|
4
|
25
|
172
|
197
|
-
|
Health Training
|
2
|
-
|
136
|
136
|
|
Total
|
30
|
391
|
392
|
784
|
It is obligatory for all the students to pass the required exams to enter the next stage.
Before starting the next stage (Clinical Training) students need to take three-week health training in Health Care Centers.
Clinical Training (4th and 5th year)
This stage helps students to develop their diagnostic skills by clinical and laboratory approaches, and extent their abilities in using intelligence and autonomy as well as making quick decisions to logically cope with patients and plan prevention and treatment process.
Appropriate time to pass Clinical Training is 20 months.
Courses presented in this stage are as follows:
Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, ENT, Psychiatry, Radiology, Dermatology and some general courses. Clinical Training is held in teaching hospitals.
Two main parts of this stage are:
-
Education in clinical field for the inpatients in the hospitals
-
Education in clinical field for the outpatients in the clinics
Maximum limit for the students to pass this stage is 27 months.
Educational Schedule
-
Clinical field training is held in hospital wards, Saturdays to Wednesdays 07:30 to 14:00.
-
Theoretical subjects are presented in the evenings.
-
Minimum passing score for each hospital ward is considered as 12 out of 20.
-
It is obligatory for the students to pass all clinical training exams to enter the next stage (Internship).
Topics to be covered in Clinical Field Training
|
No.
|
Field training courses
|
Duration
|
Credit
|
-
|
Internal Medicine
|
4 months
|
12
|
-
|
General Surgery
|
4 months
|
12
|
-
|
Pediatrics
|
3 months
|
9
|
-
|
Obstetrics and Gynecology
|
2 months
|
6
|
-
|
Ophthalmology
|
1 month
|
3
|
-
|
ENT
|
1 month
|
3
|
-
|
Psychiatry
|
1 month
|
3
|
-
|
Radiology
|
1 month
|
3
|
-
|
Neurology,
|
1 month
|
3
|
-
|
Infectious Diseases
|
1 month
|
3
|
-
|
Dermatology
|
1 month
|
3
|
|
Total
|
20 months
|
60
|
Theoretical Subjects
|
No
|
Course
|
Credit
|
Hours
|
|
Lectures
|
Practical Studies
|
Total
|
-
|
Public Health 4 (Medical Statistics and Research Methods)
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Infectious Diseases
|
3
|
51
|
-
|
51
|
-
|
Nervous System Diseases
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Surgical Diseases
|
10
|
170
|
-
|
170
|
-
|
Gynecological Diseases
|
4
|
68
|
-
|
68
|
-
|
Pediatrics Diseases
|
6
|
102
|
-
|
102
|
-
|
Mental Diseases
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Forensic Medicine and Intoxication
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Public Health 5 (Epidemiology of Common Diseases in Iran)
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
-
|
Medical Ethics and History
|
2
|
34
|
-
|
34
|
|
Total
|
35
|
595
|
|
595
|
Pre-Internship Comprehensive Exam
Before starting Internship stage, students are required to pass pre-internship comprehensive exam which is composed of pre-clinical courses, general and specific subjects, physiopathology and clinical training being nationally held.
Accomplishment in this exam is essential to enter internship course.
Students are required to submit and receive the approval of their thesis proposal before participating in Pre-Internship Comprehensive Exam.
Internship
This stage is aimed at improving the ability of decision making, self confidence, directly coping with health problems and taking responsibility.
Appropriate time to pass Internship is 18 months in which all the interns need to successfully participate in the following courses:
|
No.
|
Field training courses
|
Duration
|
Credit
|
-
|
Internal Medicine
|
3 months
|
12
|
-
|
General Surgery
|
3 months
|
12
|
-
|
Pediatrics
|
3 months
|
12
|
-
|
Obstetrics and Gynecology
|
2 months
|
8
|
-
|
Health
|
1 month
|
4
|
-
|
Ophthalmology, ENT, Psychiatry, Neurology, Infectious Diseases, Cardiology, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine
|
6 months
|
20
|
|
Total
|
17 months
|
68
|
Interns have the permission to take one month off throughout the 18 (17+1) months of internship course.
The main part of internship is to manage out-patients in clinics under supervision of faculty members and residents.
Minimum passing score in internship course for each ward is considered as 12 out of 20 otherwise interns need to repeat the course in that ward.
Maximum limit for the students to pass this stage is two years.
Finally to become a GP, students are expected to defend their thesis.