Medical Education Begins for the Class of 2013

First-year students took part in a learning experience called Faces of Patients as part of orientation.

On their first day of medical school, the 168 students who make up the class of 2013 at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health had a chance to experience their first patient encounter.

 

And while they may not yet have written any diagnoses or prescribed any medication, the students in the MD Program acquired valuable knowledge that will serve them well as they begin their journey toward becoming physicians.

 

First-year student orientation began Monday with Faces of Patients, an immersive learning experience where the future doctors heard stories ranging from what it's like to have diabetes to the challenges of being the parent of a special-needs child.

 

One by one, patients, dressed in robes over their clothes, stepped to the podium in the auditorium of the Health Sciences Learning Center to share their stories. Then, they took off their robes to symbolically reveal the real person behind the diagnosis.

 

Faces of Patients teaches students one of the most vital lessons of being a physician: The patient comes first.

 

Students interact while learning strategies for succeeding in medical school.

The experience serves as a good introduction to Patient, Doctor and Society, part of the MD Program curriculum at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Among its objectives, Patient, Doctor and Society helps students understand key concepts concerning patient-centered medicine and ethical issues in health care.

 

Orientation continued with students learning about the Hippocratic Oath before breaking into small groups and adjourning to the five houses within the medical school to write their own code of professional conduct. The students later came together again to vote on a final version of the code.

 

Students also were introduced to the first-year curriculum and learned about the school's transformation into a school of medicine and public health. There were also discussions with the student services staff about how to succeed in medical school, as well as strategies for balancing life and medicine.

 

The week included opportunities for students to bond through community service and public health activities, such as helping clean up the Allied Community Gardens and volunteering at Head Start. These activities provided students another valuable learning opportunity: When it comes to serving patients' needs, a team-oriented approach is often the best course.

 

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Date Published: 08/21/2009