At SGUB-FM, we prepare physicians of the future to meet the evolving society’s needs and expectations. Our medical education program’s design, content, and delivery methods adapt to the contemporary society’s views of health and illness and to the changes impacting healthcare’s delivery methods, policies, and economics.
The SGUB-FM curriculum is an outcome-based, student-centered, integrated curriculum composed of various multi-disciplinary blocks. Integration is both horizontal (between the various disciplines in a given module and across the academic year), and vertical (along the academic years, ensuring the integration of basic sciences with clinical training). It adopts a competency-based medical education (CBME) framework in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies.
The instructional design is highly interactive; it is constructed around small-group, team-based, and case-based learning, in addition to a minimum number of hours (~160 hours per academic year) dedicated for basic didactic lectures that provide foundational knowledge. Technology-enhanced and simulation-based learning are used as fundamental tools for training and assessment. Community-based activities are included to engage students with the local population and their health needs.
Programmatic assessment serves as the matrix of the educational system; this is accomplished through continuous quality assessment, improvement, and enhancement mechanisms.
Graduating from SGUB-FM, future physicians are expected to:
Integration between classroom learning and clinical rotations: The SGUB-FM curriculum integrates the long history of medical education at Saint George Hospital of Beirut with new educational paradigms; the main focus is on patient care with a plethora of clinical applications and experiences that expand the classroom learning.
Our educational curriculum is a mixture of classroom learning (including both traditional didactic lectures and problem-based learning) and hands-on practice and clinical observation. For example, while completing the cardiology course in the class, students will be shadowing cardiology doctors in the cardiology clinic /service and be exposed to the clinical application of cardiology basics.
SGUB-FM is affiliated with SGHUMC that is a state-of-the-art, multi-specialty center and a 400-beds referral hospital. SGHUMC is one of the largest private academic medical centers in Lebanon; it provides broad-based experiences and training in all facets of medicine through its outstanding clinical programs that are dedicated to providing the best in patient care across all disciplines. SGUB-FM is committed to providing an exceptional educational experience that will prepare medical students in a supportive and educational environment to deliver excellent patient care. The current structure and organization of our medical school develop medical students into compassionate professionals with comprehensive medical knowledge; these are translated into effective patient care, and communication with patients and their families. SGUB-FM accomplishes these goals by providing an ideal mix of training opportunities, recruiting talented and academically oriented physicians, a well-planned educational curriculum, and research activities.
As a newly established medical school, SGUB-FM is investing in the latest technologies that enhance the medical educational experience. SGUB-FM students will have access to all three modalities of simulation: 1. Live, simulated patients; 2. Cadaveric simulations; and 3. Artificial and robotic simulations. The various simulation modalities will ensure that students and trainees are exposed to diverse clinical experiences and scenarios, and procedural skills. Simulation will also be used as an assessment tool.
Encompasses years 1 and 2 that are organized into a continuum of organ-system subject blocks and longitudinal yearlong threads that tackle various subjects, including ethics, self-development, and evidence-based medicine.
Encompasses the fundamental clinical experiences in which students rotate through major clinical Departments and Divisions, including Internal Medicine, Surgery, and Family Medicine, to allow the direct application in patient care of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they have acquired in years 1 and 2.
Encompasses more specialized clinical experiences in which senior students engage in advanced roles as sub-interns or acting interns, electives abroad, or community-based service; these experiences provide students with the opportunity to reflect on, and select, their future specialties.
During Years 1 and 2, the curriculum teaching is based on subject blocks that allow students to focus on discrete topics. Each block will span between 2 and 7 weeks, depending on the subject. The block system is based on the integration of systems and organs by addressing three principles: (1) basic structures; (2) basic functions; and (3) basic principles. In addition to the subject blocks, students are taught basic and advanced doctoring to begin developing their patient interaction skills.
In Years 3 and 4, clinical clerkships and electives constitute the majority of the curriculum. In Year 3, clinical clerkships include rotations through seven core clinical clerkships while Year 4 includes sub-internships and rotations with a goal to maximize learning experiences and learn about each medical specialty.
Selectives are self-directed experiences during Years 1 and 2; these consist of one- to two-week blocks that allow students to steer their education towards their interests by exploring all facets of medicine and science across all SGUB and SGHUMC training or affiliated sites.
The students undergo several assessments throughout the academic year (formative and summative assessments for each block) in addition to teachers’ assessment of clinical skills. Didactic teaching is provided via lectures or via electronic platforms. This form of teaching, didactic, constitutes 20-30% of the curriculum whereas the rest 70-80% is provided through interactive sessions including clinical integration in small groups. The presence of interactive and clinical teaching through small groups allows teachers to evaluate the students by filling evaluation forms. Students may also evaluate each other, the faculty member and the program. The frequency of this process provides a metrics of information from different small group sessions over the seventeen blocks. Recurrent comments about a particular student will define strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to be addressed on an ongoing manner by a student advisory system. This formative type of evaluation includes scores as well. The purpose is to determine the competencies and sub-competencies acquired by the student at any particular point in time and determine the rate of progress. In addition to formative assessment, summative assessment is performed by written exams including multiple choice questions (MCQs) that are given at the beginning of some interactive sessions e.g. individual readiness assessment tests (i-RAT) at the end as Group Readiness Assessment Tests (g-RAT). At least one summative exam is given at the end of each block. A number of these are external exams that benchmark the performance of our students with those from other medical schools in the USA and outside. SGUB FM students are expected to pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) part I and part II.
Constitutes an essential component of the curriculum and aims to establish basic research knowledge and skills through mentored research projects.
