"The learning is self-directed and provides plenty of free time for motivated students to learn independently. There are only 9 hours a week of formal class during the first two years." | Report Response

"The way the PBL curriculum is conducted is amazing. Instead of getting a powerpoint and told exactly what information to regurgitate Mercer teaches you how to hypothesize and problem solve using resources. Going into third year I fully believe that the case based approach to learning has prepared to analyze and present my patients to attendings. Also we have oral exams that allow the chance to analyze and present a case that is representative of a specific system like having a patient with congestive heart failure in cardiology. This gives the chance to learn how to present and analyze a case in SOAP format in the preclinical years." | Report Response

"The schedule during years 1 and 2 is very flexible and you can craft your own study plan." | Report Response

"The focus is on teaching - not research. Thus there is not a lot of NIH money coming into the school. As a result it's difficult to recruit high-quality faculty who commit to a career at Mercer. The faculty that we do have are outstanding, but they are rare in that they simply love teaching. They do pursue research but most of it is not cutting-edge." | Report Response

"I feel like the community medicine (public health module) could be run more efficiently but aside from that not any major complaints." | Report Response

"PBL can be a time drain but at other times is enjoyable." | Report Response

"Mercer is a unique school with an equally unique mission and is not for everyone. Our focus is on recruiting students from Georgia who will practice in Georgia. Our admission standards have traditionally been slightly lower than most medical schools which leads applicants to apply to Mercer as a "back-up". They quickly realize that Mercer is still quite competitive (~10% acceptance rate) - we just look at things other than academics and are very good at spotting applicants who are trying to "say the right things". If you are lucky enough to attend Mercer, expect to work hard and read a ton (~28,000 pages over two years). We have EXCELLENT first time USMLE Step 1 pass rates and residency placement is second to none." | Report Response

"I really feel that Mercer provides a excellent education and excels at using the PBL model." | Report Response

"The system that MUSM uses is proven as evidenced by national board scores." | Report Response

"3 days a week" | Report Response

"Most weeks you are required to attend group MWF for 3 hours. About every other week we have about 4-5 hours of clinical skills" | Report Response

"Three times a week for group and sometimes clinical skills on tues. or thurs." | Report Response

"Depends on the student. All books are available for check-out from the library, but most students prefer to buy their own." | Report Response

"Lots of textbooks, they are the curriculum's basis. Expect to spend close to $800-1000 on textbooks alone. A few that we use are Boron's medical physiology, Robbins Pathological basis of disease, Mark's Medical Biochemistry, Ross Histology and many others." | Report Response

"There is a book for each subject and since you teach yourself, buying them is almost mandatory." | Report Response

"Again, it depends on the individual." | Report Response

"Pharm" | Report Response

"The school's mission has traditionally been focused on primary care, but the scope of the mission has evolved with the recognition that underserved areas of Georgia need neurosurgeons as well as family practitioners. The curriculum does not promote one specialty over the other, but the clinical skills and Community Medicine components do promote a generalist mentality." | Report Response

"No" | Report Response

"Curriculum encourages students to enter Family Practice but supports those who choose other specialties." | Report Response

No responses

"Excellent. This is a strong-point of Mercer. All faculty are there to teach. Where Mercer is weak in terms of research, they make up for it in terms of quality faculty who are eager to turn average applicants into outstanding physicians." | Report Response

"The faculty is great. We get a nice mix of basic scientists and clinicians. Many of the attends that we will rotate with have already interacted with us during the preclinical years." | Report Response

"The faculty works very closely with the students and strives to have them succeed." | Report Response

"Equally outstanding. Prepare to work very hard during the 3rd year. On rotations such as surgery and ob/gyn call for 3rd year clerks may be as frequent as q2. But the faculty also grant an unusual amount of independence to medical students and when they write "this students operates at the intern level" in your evaluations they really mean it." | Report Response

"MUSM is associated with MCCG which is one of the biggest hospitals in GA." | Report Response

"Officially, the scale is "pass" or "fail". Individually, students still receive a grade which is based on end of phase tests (0-100) but the grade is never reported on the transcript." | Report Response

"Pass/Fail" | Report Response

"Pass/Fail Must get 65 or above to pass an exam." | Report Response

"The student receives a numerical grade based on clinical evaluations (from residents and attendings), departmental exam, and the NBME shelf exam. Each clerkship weights the components differently. On the student's final transcript, a bar graph is shown for each clerkship which has overall grade on the x-axis (increments of 5 points) and number of students achieving a particular grade on the y-axis. Residencies can see where the student fell in comparison to the class." | Report Response

"Students have some say in the order of their rotations. Surgery (8 wk), Pediatrics (8 wk), and Family Medicine (8 wk) make up block B. Internal Medicine (12 wk), ob/gyn (6 wk), and psychiatry (6 wk) make up block A. Whatever block you begin with you must complete the clerkships in that block before going to the next block." | Report Response

"You are allowed to select your first and fourth rotation in third year the rest of the third year is random. (Savannah). I am a second year so many of the following ratings I cannot comment on." | Report Response

"Students are expected to function as an intern. We see all new patients with the intern and are expected to perform our own H&Ps which often are added to the patient's chart. We help admit all patients to our service and write orders. In-hospital call is a component of every rotation except psychiatry and is demanding. On rotations such as surgery, sleep is rare. We write progress notes each morning on our patients, and are expected to present to the attendings. The biggest difference between third year students and interns is the number of patients we carry. Students only carry 2-3 at a time." | Report Response

"Excellent, state-of-the-art. The Medical Center of Central Georgia is the second largest hospital in Georgia and a Level 1 Trauma Center." | Report Response

"An appropriate mixture of indigent and private. Most clerkships with significant in-patient experience are heavy on indigents. Most outpatient-heavy clerkships (i.e. family medicine) are private patients." | Report Response

"Intramural sports are very popular, especially in the pre-clinical years. They run year round and are well-organized by the University. Because the class size is small, students are generally very close and often organize their own social events including winter formals, Christmas parties, Thanksgiving dinners, etc." | Report Response

"Students generally do well and obtain the residencies of their choice. While many graduates go on to fulfill the mission of the school by entering primary care, many others choose to specialize. The faculty are supportive of students regardless of their career decisions. Mercer graduates often return to Georgia to practice and are successful in a wide variety of settings." | Report Response

"Mercer is a small school and is not very well known. Most of the faculty are not well-published leaders in the field as you might expect from a school like Duke or Vanderbilt. However, clinically we are second to none. I believe most of our graduates enter our intern year six months ahead of interns from other schools. We're used to call, we're used to extensive H&Ps, and we're used to presenting to attendings." | Report Response

"Mercer produces well-rounded physicians. You won't graduate from Mercer without knowing how to do a pap-smear, deliver a baby, or run a code. Whether you ultimately decide to enter radiology or family medicine you'll know how to use your stethoscope well. Mercer has traditionally been geared towards primary care, but the mission has shifted somewhat and is now more accepting of all specialties. Whatever you decide, you'll be competent to enter residency." | Report Response