Doctor of Medicine
About the Program
The 4-year course of study leading to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree employs leading-edge learning and clinical experiences to enable students to gain the competencies expected of all physicians, with an emphasis on providing technology enhanced personalized, preventive and community care. The program prepares students for postgraduate study in any specialty, for licensure, and for future medical practice. KU’s Doctor of Medicine program incorporates innovative curricular design that promotes scientific inquiry, critical thinking and comprehensive clinical expertise in preparing physicians to be life-long adaptive learners. Overall, the program evolves medical education in such a way as to prepare physicians for the next 20 years and beyond.
Program Educational Objectives
The goals of the Khalifa University CMHS Doctor of Medicine degree program are to:
1. Provide an integrated clinical and research experience in a singular postgraduate level medical education program;
2. Educate and inspire a diverse workforce of physicians who understand the needs of patients, are able to communicate across cultures, and collaborate with diverse teams;
3. Prepare physicians who are able to seamlessly integrate technology into areas such as personalized and preventative care, artificial intelligence, population health, augmented reality and nanotechnology;
4. Prepare medical students and residents to serve as specialty physicians and to practice evidence-based medicine in the healthcare and hospital systems of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates;
5. Attract and retain a diverse and talented faculty dedicated to providing outstanding medical education and supporting the professional development of medical students;
6. Respond to stakeholder and government needs for medical education leading to clinicians who can serve the healthcare needs of the United Arab Emirates; and
7. Be an essential contributor to the development and enhancement of the existing healthcare ecosystem of Abu Dhabi.
Program Learning Outcomes
The MD program learning outcomes are adapted from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Physician Competency Reference Set (PCRS). Upon successful completion of the program, MD graduates will be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care.
2. Apply established and emerging bio-physical scientific principles fundamental to health care for patients and populations.
3. Make informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on patient information and preferences, up-to-date scientific evidence, and clinical judgment.
4. Apply principles of epidemiological sciences to the identification of health problems, risk factors, treatment strategies, resources, and disease prevention/health promotion efforts for patients and populations.
5. Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals.
6. Gather essential and accurate information about patients and their conditions through history-taking, physical examination, and the use of laboratory data, imaging, and other tests.
7. Develop and carry out patient management plans.
8. Provide appropriate referral of patients, including ensuring continuity of care throughout transitions between providers or settings, and following up on patient progress and outcomes.
9. Apply established and emerging principles of clinical sciences to diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making, clinical problem-solving, and other aspects of evidence-based health care.
10. Perform all medical, diagnostic, and surgical procedures considered essential for the area of practice.
11. Maintain comprehensive, timely, and legible medical records.
12. Provide patient-centered care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health.
13. Contribute to the creation, dissemination, application, and translation of new health care knowledge and practices.
14. Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care.
15. Analyze practice systematically using quality improvement methods, and implement changes with the goal of practice improvement.
16. Demonstrate the ability to utilize emerging technologies and to advance medical knowledge through research and innovation to improve the health of individuals and the community.
17. Demonstrate sensitivity, honesty, and compassion in difficult conversations, including those about death, end of life, adverse events, bad news, disclosure of errors, and other sensitive topics.
18. Demonstrate the qualities required to sustain lifelong personal and professional growth.
19. Apply principles of social-behavioral sciences to provision of patient care, including assessment of the impact of psychosocial and cultural influences on health, disease, care-seeking, care compliance, and barriers to and attitudes toward care.
20. Advocate for quality patient care and optimal patient care systems.
21. Counsel and educate patients and their families to empower them to participate in their care and enable shared decision making.
22. Demonstrate the ability to engage in an interprofessional team in a manner that optimizes safe, effective patient- and population-centered care
23. Demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles.
24. Demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate one’s care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and lifelong learning.
25. Demonstrate accountability in one’s conduct and performance in delivering health services, improving people’s welfare, and protecting human rights.
Competency Domains
The four-year course of study leading to the Doctor of Medicine degree at Khalifa University is based on development of competencies across ten domains. These competencies provide a summary of what graduates of the program are expected to demonstrate in the workplace after graduation, as residents, fellows, and clinical practitioners. They are based on the needs of the program’s constituencies. The ten domains are:
- Patient Care
- Knowledge for Practice
- Practice-Based Learning and Improvement
- Interpersonal and Communication Skills
- Professionalism
- Systems-Based Practice
- Inter-Professional Collaboration
- Personal and Professional Development
- Technology Enhanced Healthcare
- Social Accountability
Entrustable Professional Activities
Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for Entering Residency provide expectations for both learners and teachers that include 13 activities that all medical students should be able to perform upon entering residency, regardless of their future career specialty. EPAs offer a practical approach to assessing competence in real-world settings. During your time as a student, your competency in performing the EPAs is documented in an e-portfolio that can be shared with residency directors to provide clear demonstration that you can successfully perform the activities required for entrance into residency. The 13 core EPAS are:
• EPA 1 Gather a history and perform a physical examination.
• EPA 2 Prioritize a differential diagnosis following a clinical encounter.
• EPA 3 Recommend and interpret common diagnostic and screening tests.
• EPA 4 Enter and discuss orders and prescriptions.
• EPA 5 Document a clinical encounter in the patient record.
• EPA 6 Provide an oral presentation of a clinical encounter.
• EPA 7 Form clinical questions and retrieve evidence to advance patient care.
• EPA 8 Give or receive a patient handover to transition care responsibility.
• EPA 9 Collaborate as a member of an inter-professional team.
• EPA 10 Recognize a patient requiring urgent or emergent care and initiate evaluation and management.
• EPA 11 Obtain informed consent for tests and/or procedures.
• EPA 12 Perform general procedures of a physician.
• EPA 13 Identify system failures and contribute to a culture of safety and improvement.