ST. GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY • School of Medicine 2010-2011

Doctor of Medicine Course Descriptions
Regional Anatomical Dissection
Abhishek Yadav, MBBS
Mario Loukas, MD, PhD
This one-term, two-credit selective will give participants the
opportunity to undertake four detailed regional dissections of
the human body. These regions include head and neck; back
and thorax; extremities; and abdomen, pelvis, and perineum.
Each regional dissection will be limited to the appropriate area
but need not be a complete dissection of all the structures
within the topic area. The ultimate objectives are to give
students the opportunity to dissect regions of the human
body of particular interest to obtain a deeper understanding
of the anatomy of selected areas and for detailed anatomical
preparation to be created for future clinical aspirations.
Research Ethics
Cheryl Macpherson, PhD
This selective fosters professional development, strengthens
ethical sensitivity and reasoning ability, and enhances
knowledge and understanding of the complexities of existing
research ethics guidelines. This course focuses on the role
of human participants and the intersection of research with
clinical practice and public health. Students participate
in seminars and case discussions involving international
guidelines, therapeutic misconception, use of stored tissues,
and cultural and socioeconomic factors that bear on
international research collaborations. The ethics of authorship
and plagiarism are explored. The course expands upon the
SGUSOM required curriculum, enabling students to gain
substantial insight into research ethics. Students responded
favorably to the initial offering of the course in 2007.
Surgery
Chamarthy Subbarao, BSc, MBBS
In this four-week, one-credit selective, students attend three
lectures about history taking, communication skills, and the
history and running of the Grenada Health Services. Students
attend clinics and surgical operations under guidance of a
surgeon. They participate in taking histories from patients
and observe the examination of these patients followed by
discussions with the attending surgeon. They observe the
examinations and surgical operations in different specialties.
They are required to keep a log of their activities and submit
detailed case histories. A one-credit version with less time
commitment is offered during the school term.
Speaking Skills for Professionals
Bill Blunt, DEd
Anu Goyal, BS
The selective is an online communication workshop designed
to provide the techniques and concepts needed to improve
students’ communication skills as professionals in today’s
US marketplace. The acquired speaking skills will improve
performance in interviews, presentations, and interactions with
colleagues and peers. Emphasis will be placed on preparation,
body language, and image. Essential to competing in the
US job market today is the ability to convey information and
concepts distinctly without language barriers. To this end, this
workshop will enhance students’ English pronunciation while
reducing foreign accents. In addition, students will learn the
factors that influence their speech qualities, such as verbal
debris and volume. Throughout the one-credit course, each
student will have opportunities to hear his/her voice through
recordings and engage in self-critique in order to become
acutely aware of modifications. Once identified, students will
work through practice exercises and find solutions in online
discussions and resources to rectify errors.
Thailand Medical Experience
Michael Weitzman, Theresa McCann, PhD, MPH
The one-credit Thailand Medical Experience selective provides
an introduction to the practice of health care and service in
a Southeast Asian cultural context. The selective is a twoweek
experience for preclinical medical students during the
summer, comprising a mixture of modern and traditional
Thai medicine. It provides opportunities for students to
observe alternative ways of practicing medicine within the
Thai health care system and allows application of core
knowledge to diverse modalities of care. Such an experience
should increase cultural understanding of the similarities
and differences between Western and Eastern health care
delivery. Opportunities for interaction and discussion with
medical faculty, medical students, and/or residents will be an
important component of the selective. One week is spent at
Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine and Siriraj Hospital, a
modern facility in Bangkok. A second week is completed in a
rural area learning Thai traditional massage.
Clinical Years
There are 80 weeks of clinical training. Every student takes
42 weeks of core clinical rotations in the five major specialty
areas—12 weeks of internal medicine, 12 weeks of surgery, and
6 weeks each of obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and
psychiatry. In addition to the core rotations, all students must
complete four weeks of primary care, a four-week medicine
subinternship, a four-week medicine elective, and a four-week
pediatric sub-internship or elective. To complete the clinical
requirements, every student takes 22 weeks of electives.
Internal Medicine
John Sensakovic, MD, PhD, Chair
The 12 weeks of the internal medicine rotation are designed
to expose students to a wide variety of medical problems.
Students are expected to develop a logical approach to the
diagnosis and treatment of patients’ complaints. Some of the
skills that must be acquired and refined are how to elicit and
assess patient information, how to perform a complete and
accurate physical examination, how to formulate a differential
diagnosis and problem list, how to construct a diagnostic
workup and a plan of management, and how to write up and
present cases.
Students thoroughly study at least two new patients per week,
present them on teaching rounds, follow them throughout
their hospital stay, and use patient problems as a basis for
reading.
The end of the rotation should accumulate large amounts
of experience-based knowledge as students are assigned
cases in various major areas of medicine such as cardiology,
gastroenterology, and endocrinology. Self-learning techniques,
as well as compulsory attendance at lectures, conferences, and
46