RATIONALE
All students in the Medical Scientist Program (MSP) are in a dual degree program that leads to both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. There are two pathways to progress through the MSP.

Students in the Biomedical Engineering Program focus on Ph.D. work during the first year, mainly on Med-1 and Med-2 curricula for years 2 and 3, and then spend 3 to 4 years engaged in research activities and related courses that lead to the Ph.D. degree. After defending their Ph.D. dissertation they take the course Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM), and begin Med-3 to complete the last two years of clinical clerkships for the M.D.

During the first two years students in the Integrated Medical Scientist Program (IMSP) and Neuroscience Integrated Medical Scientist Program (NIMSP) complete Med-1 and Med-2 as well as most of the core course material for the Integrated Biomedical Scientist Program (IBGP) or the Neuroscience Graduate Studies Program (NGSP). For the next 3 to 4 years most of their time is spent in research and course work leading to the Ph.D. degree. Following this they take the course Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM), and return to complete the last two years of medical school.

One of the consistent concerns of both M.D.-Ph.D. students and clinical faculty is the length of time these students spend away from clinical activities during their research years. The curricula of the IMSP and NIMSPpartially corrects this by having part of the clinical training normally done by medical students in the first two years delayed until their research years. However, even this schedule of courses does not provide any clinical experience. The MSP Clinical Preceptorship was designed to correct this by providing a continuity in clinical training during their research years. The goal is to provide a smoother transition from their years in research to the clinics in Med-3.

GOALS
The general goal is to provide four hours of clinical experience per month for MSP students during the time that they are mainly engaged in studies and research directed towards the Ph.D. degree. The specific goals are the following:
1. To expose students to a wide variety of commonly encountered clinical problems.
2. To introduce students to good habits in acquiring and recording data from the history and physical examination
3. To observe and practice real clinical problem solving.
4. To further appropriate attitudes about the doctor-patient relationship.
5. To appreciate opportunities for research on clinical problems.

Click here for a downloadable PDF version of the Clinical Preceptorship Evaluation Form.