In 2016, instead of a four year study model the UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) shifted this paradigm with the introduction of the Forward Curriculum. Forward Curriculum features three phases, each with unique blocks that fully integrate basic, public health and clinical sciences.
“We medical student educators recognized — and have been discussing for years, that today’s healthcare requires a different type of physician,” states Daniel M. Knoch, MD, associate professor and director of medical student education, “In many ways the students are actually driving the new curriculum. Armed with a library of medical information in their pockets and a thirst for relevance, they are resetting the baseline of what and how they learn.”
The new ForWard curriculum focuses on team-based learning in small groups, with hands-on applications of new knowledge in clinical and community settings, in order to motivate this new type of learner.