University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health

Education is central to the mission of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Our students explore virtually all areas of medicine in a variety of settings--from a research hospital to community clinics, sophisticated laboratories to emergency rooms. They join graduate students, residents, fellows and post-doctoral students in learning from a faculty of internationally acclaimed teachers in 25 basic science and clinical departments.

The University of Wisconsin medical curriculum emphasizes the acquisition of core doctoring skills in a humane and nurturing environment. Students spend time in doctor`s offices from the first month of medical school and continue to build their doctoring skills throughout the four years of medical school through a core curriculum component, which is interdisciplinary and longitudinal. In the first year, the core curriculum is a cohesive series of courses designed to build a firm base in the sciences fundamental to clinical medicine through courses that focus on the functional, morphological, molecular, metabolic, pathologic and developmental principles of the human body. In the second year, the courses emphasize organ systems, mechanisms of disease and abnormalities, and therapeutic intervention. Throughout the first two years a mixture of didactic, small group, standardized patient and clinical experiences help to provide a lively and varied medical education. Beginning in the third year, clerkships expose students to a wide variety of clinical settings; including outpatient, inpatient, community-based, rural and inner city. Our "statewide campus" includes clinical training sites in nine communities throughout Wisconsin, with principal locations in Madison, La Crosse, Marshfield and Milwaukee as well as at 34 preceptor sites and the Area Health Education Centers. Students emerging from their clinical years at the UW Medical School do very well in competing for residencies and residency supervisors rate our graduates very highly. Our graduates also look back on their medical education and rate it favorably in preparing them for residency.

Students at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health receive training in facilities within the medical school and across UW-Madison. Our campus fosters a spirit of collaboration and innovation. In addition, the boundaries of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health extend to the entire state. Working under this Statewide Campus model, students are offered educational experiences in communities throughout Wisconsin. The Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC), the primary site of instruction for first- and second-year students in the MD Program, is connected to Ebling Library, the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) and Clinical Science Center (UW Hospital and Clinics), providing a central hub for classes, research and studying. The UW School of Medicine and Public Health is surrounded by other UW-Madison health sciences schools and research centers, including the School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy and Waisman Center.