PakMed Info Forum

The Curriculum

The Shifa College of Medicine has adopted an integrated teaching approach whereby the Basic Sciences are sequenced on ‘systems’ rather than subjects. Consequently, the College has only one Department of Basic Health Sciences comprising of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology Physiology, Community Medicine, and Forensic Medicine.
The coordinator of the Basic Health Sciences provides necessary coordination with the respective section heads. The primary emphasis is on teaching normal functions of the body, and mechanisms of disturbed function. Input is called upon from the Community Health Sciences and the Clinical Sciences Department in teaching of a specific system to broaden the academic horizon of students. The integrated curriculum is in line with the Regulations of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council for MBBS degree.

Similarly there is one Department of Clinical Health Sciences comprising of Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Otolaryngology, and Ophthalmology. In addition allied specialty exposure is ensured in the areas of Orthopedics, Urology and Transplantation, Anesthesia, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Dermatology, Lab. Medicine / Radiology and Radiation/ Oncology

Two months of elective are mandated to students in the Final Year for national/international exposure or Research.

The Clinical Sciences are introduced from the first year onwards as weekly clinical correlation lectures emphasizing the integrated curriculum. The requirement for extra time is met by a 40 hour work week.

Formal clinical rotations begin in the sixth term of second year. By the end of the Third year, students are expected to acquire and consolidate their skills in the art and science of history taking and physical diagnosis. By the end of the fourth year students are expected to apply disease pathophysiological skills to real life patient encounters and generate appropriate differential diagnoses. In the Fifth year students are expected to complete clinical clerkships in the primary specialties where they are expected to perform like house-officers and share in 1:4 on-call responsibilities.

Additional exposure in allied specialties continues during this year. Students are encouraged to initiate research projects of interest under faculty supervision. Back-to-Basics seminars in areas ‘at the cutting edge’ for example, Cytokines, gene therapy, eicosanoids are conducted by Final year students under Basic Science faculty preceptorship.

In each clinical rotation, students are formally evaluated every two weeks. Each primary clinical discipline with allied specialties is examined from third year onwards at the end of each three month term. This evaluation is based on MCQ’s and short structured essay format. Final year clerkships are also evaluated on the OSCE format.

Interactive lectures, small group discussions in ambulatory and inpatient settings, one on one clinic exposure in final year, morning reports with post-graduates are important teaching and learning strategies.

Simultaneous Basic Science instruction continues till the end of the Forth year.

The curriculum continues to evolve in synchronization with current international and national trends in medical education.