What makes us special?
At first glance, most medical schools appear very much alike: they all teach similar subjects, require hours of study and testing, and claim to have the “best” instructors, researchers, facilities and reputations. When you look closer, however, the less obvious factors truly distinguish one school from another.

Friendly learning environment
One feature that sets UW School of Medicine and Public Health apart is the friendly climate created by the warmth and openness of those who work and study here. In addition to being dedicated, effective teachers, our faculty foster a supportive, collegial, relaxed environment that enhances student learning. This climate also is apparent in the “teamwork approach” that students use in helping each other study and learn in classroom and clinical settings.

A broad range of learning opportunities
University of Wisconsin’s hallmark is the “Wisconsin Idea,” a tradition of service that originated more than 100 years ago when UW leaders declared, “the boundaries of the campus are the boundaries of the state.” This is true for the school’s clinical and research opportunities, as well. The Wisconsin Idea calls us to extend our boundaries to the global community. UW School of Medicine and Public Health is fortunate to be able to offer great opportunities to learn throughout the state in academic, community, rural and urban settings, and international locations.

Faculty mentor programs
UW School of Medicine and Public Health is an innovator in education. For example, unique faculty mentor programs are in place for students. Each learning community has a faculty and staff mentor assigned to serve as a resource for advising and counseling students throughout their medical education. Additionally, each student has a faculty or community physician mentor assigned to advise him or her regarding education, life and career choices.

Career Advising Program
The Career Advising Program serves as a career and medical specialty information hub for prospective and current students, faculty, staff and alumni. Its staff coordinate mentoring programs to assist students who are exploring specialty and career options. Advising ranges from self-assessment of interests and values, to help with making and implementing post-graduate plans.

Training for future physician-scientists
Our Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)—in which candidates spend two years in medical school, then obtain a PhD prior to completing their last two years of medical school—is one of the nation’s top programs producing physician-scientists. These healthcare professionals are uniquely prepared to work at the interface of clinical care and basic science.

Community service opportunities
UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s service mission is evident in its many extracurricular activities throughout the community. Among the many student-run activities are MEDIC, which operates six free health clinics in Madison; Doctors Ought to Care (DOC), which arranges for students to visit local schools to give talks on preventive health topics; and the annual Dean’s Cup, a competition with the Law School to raise money for charity.

Curricular flexibility
Our curriculum is flexible enough to accommodate students who, for various reasons, wish to alter the pace or type of their learning experience. Students wishing to extend their program studies may work with the dean of students’ office to create individualized plans. The extended program allows students to stretch the basic science or clinical science courses over a three-year period rather than two. Through our statewide campus, students can diversify their medical education by participating in healthcare as practiced in various Wisconsin communities. Some students take a one-year leave of absence to pursue a master’s degree or undertake research.

Optimal student-patient ratio
In the current managed care era, many medical schools are finding it increasingly difficult to provide students with an appropriate patient load during their clinical training. UW School of Medicine and Public Health has overcome this problem by using the resources of our statewide campus to assure each student an optimal patient load and interaction with clinical faculty and
house staff.

International health experiences
Approximately 20 percent of UW medical students participate in global health experiences, which lay the foundation for making lifelong contributions to global health. UW-Madison’s interdisciplinary Center for Global Health explores global issues related to health, disease, health services and public health practice. Through educational opportunities and a new certificate program, the center prepares students to work in international settings. First- and second-year medical students may enroll in courses such as the Ecuador Field School for the Study of Language, Culture and Community Health, and the semester-long course on health and disease in Uganda, which includes a three-week field experience. Third- and fourth-year students may enroll in international rotations and earn elective credits. The center also offers rotations in countries such as Belize, Norway, Vietnam, Thailand and Mexico, and students may arrange to work in other countries. Students also may organize study tours during breaks.
Past groups have visited Guatemala and Cuba.

Clinical teaching and assessment center
Assessment of student’s skills, called Objective Structured Clinical Exams, is a routine part of our curriculum. Standardized patients take part in both assessment and teaching encounters with students. In our state-of-the-art Clinical Teaching and Assessment Center, health sciences students practice fundamental skills such as history-taking and physical examinations. The center’s exam rooms are fully equipped with ceiling-mounted cameras that capture the encounters on a digital video program that can be stored on CD or DVD or streamed directly to a computer. Students and teachers can review the student’s skills at their convenience on any computer.

Interprofessional health education
Representatives and leaders from UW School of Medicine and Public Health are working with other UW health sciences schools and programs—including nursing, pharmacy, social work, occupational and physical therapy, physician assistant, public health and veterinary medicine—to establish interdisciplinary modules that can be incorporated into the curricula of the health sciences schools and promote interdisciplinary continuing education for practitioners, among related efforts.

Master of public health degree
The 42-credit, multidisciplinary master of public health (MPH) degree aims to improve public health by teaching health sciences students the principles and practice of public health. The program allows medical students to combine training in medicine with a one-year MPH program. Students apply to the program during medical school, typically during their second or third year. The program provides students with skills to participate in community-based health improvement efforts through careers in public or private health agencies or in academic settings, where they can address urgent public health problems.