The clinical component of the five year MBBS program is imparting to each medical student graduate with the fundamental patient centered knowledge and skills important in health and disease as the basis of safe and effective patient care. Gap between the basic sciences and clinical medicine is bridged by providing the students with the knowledge and skills needed to evaluate patients while at the same time, emphasizing the importance and integration of basic sciences, behavioral medicine, ethics, and professionalism. The clinical phase of three years integrated curriculum prepares the medical student for effective delivery of health care to individual and society in practice of medicine.
The focus of this clinical phase through systems is on abnormal structure and function. Students rotate through a series of clinical clerkships which provide opportunities for the study of patients presenting with abnormal structure and function of the body systems. Clinical teaching complements actual clinical experience in patients. The epidemiology, etiology, and natural history of disease processes are investigated in greater depth than in preclinical phase. The principles of therapeutics are included in a consideration of the medical management of specific disease processes. The ethical implications of medical intervention are considered and the psychological and social consequences both of disease and medical intervention are reviewed.
The six general clinical competencies for medical school students include:
- Medical knowledge & clinical skills
- Evidence-based learning
- Patient care
- Effective communication skills
- Professionalism
- Self-directed lifelong learning
As a student progresses though the clinical curriculum of the medical school, his/her competencies and attainment of these educational outcomes are periodically reviewed as they provide valuable guide to the organization of the knowledge, skills and attitudes learnt during this phase of their professional growth.
To ensure equivalent learning experiences for all medical students, a standardized curriculum is employed. This includes:
- A common list of learning outcomes, to be met with course wise and system wise (where ever applicable), didactic lectures and clinical clerkship program,
- Recommended / reference text books.
- A series of team based learning and seminars leading to self-directed learning
After successful completion of the five year MBBS program, the students are required to undergo a one year rotational internship in the assigned Federal Hospital if they want to practice medicine in UAE. Internship is a phase of training wherein a graduate is expected to conduct actual practice of medical and health care and acquire clinical skills under supervision, so as to enable him/her to function independently.
Clinical Clerkship
The clinical phase of the curriculum includes fourteen required clerkships (Community medicine, Ophthalmology, Oto-rhino-laryngology, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Orthopedics, Dermatology, Radio-diagnosis, Anesthesia & critical care, Emergency room and Electives.
During this period the students are exposed to all the major specialties of medicine and many sub specialties in hospital setting. As they rotate through various departments, they work to develop relationships with faculty and other physicians, seek out mentors who can help out guide their future career choices. They will be evaluated by clerkship assessments including evaluations from their attending physicians and residents and by other appropriate methods. All these evaluation will become part of their continuous assessment.
The whole class of each year is divided into 12 groups, of which six will be posted in Ras Al Khaimah Hospitals and remaining six groups will be posted in Fujairah Hospital during the Fall Semester and the groups will interchange during the Spring Semester, i.e, the batches posted in Ras Al Khiamah during the Fall will be posted in Fujairah in Spring semester and vice-versa. With this kind of arrangement, all the students get an exposure of the hospitals in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
During the clinical years, Thursday is reserved as academic day, wherein all the lectures, TBL and other training activities will be conducted at RAKMHSU campus from 8.30 am to 5 pm.
Clinical clerkship timings are from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm (Mon – Wed) and on Friday from 8.30 am to 12 Noon. On each clinical clerkship day, core clinical faculty, adjunct clinical faculty and teaching assistants are involved in coordination and teaching of the concerned rotation group. Students go directly to their hospital postings in the morning and return to their hostel/residence after finishing their clinical clerkships.
Clinical Rotations, Weeks per year
Year III
Course Code | Course title | Credits | Duration[weeks] |
MEN 303 | Oto -rhino -laryngology (ENT) | 2 | 5 |
MOP 303 | Ophthalmology | 2 | 5 |
MIM 319 | Internal Medicine | 2 | 5 |
Dermatology & Radiology | 2 | 2.5 +2.5 | |
MGS 315 | General Surgery | 2 | 5 |
MOR 304 | Orthopedics | 2 | 5 |
TOTAL | 12 | 30 |
Year IV
Course Code | Course title | Credits | Duration[weeks] |
MIM 425 | Internal Medicine | 2 | 5 |
MGS 425 | General Surgery | 2 | 5 |
MOG 415 | Obstetrics and Gynecology | 2 | 5 |
MPE 415 | Pediatrics and Neonatology | 2 | 5 |
MCM 425 | Community Medicine | 2 | 5 |
MPS 403 | Psychiatry | 2 | 5 |
Electives[During Summer holidays] | 2 | 4 | |
TOTAL | 14 | 34 |
Year V
Course Code | Course title | Credits | Duration[weeks] |
MIM 537 | Internal Medicine including Emergency Medicine | 3 | 5 + 5 |
MGS 537 | General Surgery including Anesthesia | 3 | 5 + 5 |
MOG 525 | Obstetrics & Gynecology | 2 | 5 |
MPE 525 | Pediatrics and Neonatology | 2 | 5 |
TOTAL | 10 | 30 |
Course Description
YEAR III
Course Description:
The course will prepare the students to function as a community and first level primary care physicians with an insight into the health of the people, the health problems of the people with an emphasis is on health promotion and disease prevention. Due emphasis will be made on fundamentals of epidemiology, epidemiological methods, to understand disease causation and the strategies for prevention and control.
Course Description:
Otorhinolaryngology is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with conditions of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and related structures of the head and neck. Patients seek treatment from an otorhinolaryngologist for diseases of the ear, nose, throat, base of the skull, and for the surgical management of cancers and benign tumors of the head and neck.
The goal in the core otorhinolayngology curriculum is to provide a solid foundation in otorhinolaryngology to each medical student. The knowledge gained during this course will allow the students to acquire the adequate knowledge and skills for optimally dealing with common disorders and emergencies and principles of rehabilitation of the different diseases of ear, nose and throat in general practice.
Course Description:
Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases of the eye and visual system. The eye, its surrounding structures and the visual system can be affected by a number of clinical conditions. Ophthalmology involves diagnosis and therapy of such conditions, along with microsurgery. Study of ophthalmology will help students to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies required as primary care physician in patients’ care suffering from ophthalmic disorders.
The knowledge gained during this course will enable the students to take an appropriate ophthalmic history, and perform an accurate primary care ophthalmic examination with an ability to diagnose and appropriately manage acute and common ophthalmic conditions, as well as to properly manage other ocular diseases. The students will be able to develop a sense of the importance of visual impairment and disability. They will also be able to assist the implementation of national programs for the prevention of blindness and rehabilitation of the visually impaired.
Course Description:
Introduction to clinical presentations of medical disorders. Basic facts about common disorders in various systems of cardiology, infections, neurology, gastroenterology & endocrine systems. Diagnosis of common clinical disorders and their effective management including drug therapeutics.
Basics of radiological principles, modes of imaging and their clinical applications, interpretation of various common imaging tools such as x-rays, ultrasound, Ct and MRI scans related to common clinical disorders. Basics in dermatological pathology, pharmacology, common skin disorders such as infections, various dermatitis, auto immune skin diseases, and common skin malignancies such as squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Nutritional disorders of skin and evaluation management of all common skin diseases.
Course Description:
General surgery, as a specialty, deals with a wide spectrum of diseases affecting the human body which requires an intervention in majority of cases. This undergraduate course per se deals with the knowledge of human body, pathophysiology of diseases, diagnosing surgical diseases and the basic surgical skills required to practice as a primary care physician in the community.
Being a major undergraduate course, it has been divided and spread over 3 Years (MBBS Year 3, 4 & 5) of the total 5 year MBBS program. Year 3 focuses on Basics in Surgery and GI system while Year 4 & 5 introduces Surgical Sub-specialties. Anesthesia & ICU is also included in Year 5 training. The General learning outcomes remain the same in all 3 years, but the specific learning outcomes are separate for each year which when clubbed together achieves the General outcomes of Surgery Course.
The year 3 course introduces students to the basic surgical concepts of wound healing, wound infections, shock & hemorrhage, i.v. fluids and peri-operative care of surgical patients. This forms the foundation of surgical teaching. These concepts are further reinforced when various gastrointestinal disorders, breast diseases and common skin diseases are introduced. The clinical clerkship in the hospitals provides the most vital learning resource in the form of patients for surgical care. During this clerkship, students attend General Surgery department and learn and apply the 4 main domains of clinical training: Communication skills, Physical examination skills, Procedural skills and Interpretation & clinical reasoning skills. The Skills lab is used to train students on manikins before they can assist/perform a skill on real patients (under supervision).
Course Description:
Orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders.
Study of orthopedics will help students to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies required as primary care physician in patients’ care suffering from orthopedic trauma, bone and joints infection, metabolic bone diseases, joint disorders, tumors, skeletal anomalies and regional orthopedic disorders.
Course Description:
The term "clinical decision making" is generally used to describe a systematic way to study and analyze data and clinical algorithms to decide on a best course of action in practice. The goal of this course is to develop an effective practitioner, making clinical decisions using systematic proactive approaches by integrating experience, awareness, knowledge, information gathering, using appropriate assessment tools and evidence-based practice to help guide in dealing with the uncertainties of healthcare decisions as well as to develop an attitude of shared decision making with patients and to foster and promote research in medical decision making. The content of the course is shared by 5 specialties i.e. Internal Medicine, General Surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology.
Year IV
Course Description:
Etiology, signs, symptoms, clinical features and management of cardio-vascular diseases, Renal hematological and respiratory disorders.
Course Description:
The year 4 course exposes the students to the subspecialties of surgery; Urology and Neurosurgery. Emphasis is on the basic principles involved in the management of common Urological and Neurosurgical disorders. General surgical topics like hernias and hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgery is also part of the course. During year 4 clerkship, students attend Urology, Neurosurgery & General Surgery department and learn and apply the 4 main domains of clinical training: Communication skills, Physical examination skills, Procedural skills and Interpretation & clinical reasoning skills. The Skills lab is used to train students on manikins before they can assist/perform a skill on real patients (under supervision).
Course Description:
The goal of this course is to expand students' basic science knowledge to provide an introduction to those aspects of obstetrics and gynecology and women's health care that are essential to all physicians. It will enable them to provide primary health care to all female patients in a pregnant and non-pregnant state as well as help them to make appropriate and timely referrals. Program
It includes reproductive organs, physiology of reproduction, physiology of pregnancy and antenatal care,
miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, physiology of labor, Rh negative mother, post-dated pregnancy, preterm labor, medical disorders complicating pregnancy (Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, thyroid disease),Puberty, normal and abnormal sexual development, endometriosis, sexually transmitted diseases and contraception The training in Obstetrics and gynecology will be divided between clinical exposure of five weeks of clinical clerkship and experience (in the outpatient department, operating room, labor room and wards), didactic sessions covering core subjects and skill sessions (to simulate and practice, interpretation and psychomotor skills). It will enable the students to understand the common diseases and health concerns of the female population. Lectures and active learning sessions encompassing these core subjects have been chosen to meet this broad clinical goal.
Course Description:
This course in pediatrics will enable the students to acquire the basic knowledge of normal and abnormal growth and development (physical, physiologic, psychosocial), and its clinical application from birth through adolescence, and to provide basic health care for individuals in the Pediatric age group (neonates, infants, children and adolescents).The students will be able to comprehend the clinico-pathological basis of nutritional disorders as well as vitamin and mineral deficiency states, explain the pathophysiologic basis of fluid therapy, electrolyte balance and acid-base disorders as well as understand the principles of use of vaccines, demonstrate knowledge of common infectious diseases and application of IMCI chart. They shall be able to explain the pathophysiological basis of genetic, immunologic and psychosocial issues in children and demonstrate knowledge of common genetic, immunologic and psychosocial disorders.
The clinical clerkship in pediatrics is for five weeks in fourth year of MBBS course. This will provide students with an appropriate background covering the common and important Pediatric diseases including emergencies and enable the development and application of appropriate professional attitudes, communication and problem solving skills.
Course Description:
Psychiatry is the branch of medicine focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. Mental health affects the individual's ability to function, to be productive, to establish and maintain positive relationships, and to experience a state of well-being. As Socrates said “It is impossible for the part to be well, if the whole is not well”.
Study of Psychiatry will help medical students to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies required as primary care physician in identifying common mental health problems independently or as part of other physical illnesses for initial management and appropriate referral. Besides this, all medical practitioners need skills in communication and forming empathy and the ability to counsel that are learnt in psychiatry.
The principle objective of Psychiatry teaching for medical undergraduates is for students to be able to take a comprehensive psychiatric history and mental state examination, acquire a systematic approach for making diagnosis using information from the clinical assessment and justify their preferred and differential diagnoses. It will also help to indicate, in broad terms, how to manage and treat a person with a psychiatric disorder paying attention to the biological, psychological and social aspects of treatment and tailoring their recommendations in the light of the information they have obtained for delivering best practices.
Course Description:
The term "clinical decision making" is generally used to describe a systematic way to study and analyze data and clinical algorithms to decide on a best course of action in practice. The goal of this course is to develop an effective practitioner, making clinical decisions using systematic proactive approaches by integrating experience, awareness, knowledge, information gathering, using appropriate assessment tools and evidence-based practice to help guide in dealing with the uncertainties of healthcare decisions as well to develop an attitude of shared decision making with patients and to foster and promote research in medical decision making. The content of the course is shared by 6 specialties i.e. Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatry and Community Medicine.
Course Description:
The main goal of the course is to provide students with an insight into the organization, delivery of health care services in the community especially at Primary health care. It will provide students with an insight into the different national health problems such as communicable and non-communicable diseases with a special emphasis on lifestyle related diseases, nutritional problems, their epidemiological features, prevention and control. Due emphasis is given to maternal and child health, occupational health, environment and health.
The goal of the community medicine clinical clerkship is to expose students to an intense clinical experience at the first level of care. This will enable students to care for patients located in rural and urban areas and those who are medically underserved both in outpatient and inpatient settings. Multiple opportunities are provided to the students for improving their competency and especially the skills of caring and comforting patients from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds in community, educate them on matters related to health.
Year V
Course Description:
Poisoning, occupational health hazards, geriatric problems and their management.
Etiology, signs, symptoms, clinical features and management of various autoimmune, nutritional, neurological, endocrine and metabolic disorders and emergencies.
Course Description:
The year 5 course aims to prepare the students for their internship. Basics learnt in the previous years are emphasized, and other subspecialties of surgery like Vascular, Pediatric and Cardiothoracic surgery are introduced. Management of trauma and Emergency general surgical patients is also covered here. Anesthesia and critical care form part of the year 5 course, and basics of various anesthesia techniques, monitoring during and after anesthesia are taught. Management of critically ill patients including ventilator and inotropic supports are touched upon. Students attend 2 clerkships in year 5 (one in General Surgery and another in Anesthesia), wherein the focus is more on peri-operative care of surgical patients.
Course Description:
The goal of this course is to expand students' basic knowledge of obstetrics and gynecology and women's health care. It will enable them to provide health care to all female patients in a pregnant and non-pregnant state, recognize complications, provide essential first aid in emergency as well as help them to make appropriate and timely referrals.
It includes malpresentations and positions, twins, fetal growth abnormalities, infertility, common gynaecological disorders, different types of benign and malignant lesions of uterus, cervix, ovary, vulva and vagina, diseases of the urinary system, Hysterectomy and other surgical procedures in the genital tract, menopause, ultrasound in obstetrics and common drugs in obstetrics and gynecology.
Course Description:
This course in pediatrics will enable the students to acquire the basic knowledge of normal and abnormal growth and development (physical, physiologic, psychosocial), and its clinical application from birth through adolescence, and to provide basic health care for individuals in the Pediatric age group (neonates, infants, children and adolescents). At the end of the Vth year, the students will be able to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in management of common pediatric respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hematologic, rheumatologic, endocrinal and central nervous system disorders.
This will provide students with an appropriate background covering the common and important Pediatric emergencies and diseases and enable the development and application of appropriate professional attitudes, communication and problem solving skills.
Course Description:
The term "clinical decision making" is generally used to describe a systematic way to study and analyze data and clinical algorithms to decide on a best course of action in practice. The goal of this course is to develop an effective practitioner, making clinical decisions using systematic proactive approaches by integrating experience, awareness, knowledge, information gathering, using appropriate assessment tools and evidence-based practice to help guide in dealing with the uncertainties of healthcare decisions as well to develop an attitude of shared decision making with patients and to foster and promote research in medical decision making. The content of the course is shared by 4 specialties i.e. Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology.