Clinical Science Program Curriculum

GLOBAL HEALTH TRACK

BIMS SOM-HP recognises the importance of integrating the Global Health Track programme as a comprehensive, four-year longitudinal track into its curriculum. 

1. Global Health has been defined as “the area of study, research and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide” by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health.
2. Global Health addresses the health of populations in a global context and transcends the political boundaries of nations focusing on social determinants of health, healthcare disparities including infectious and non-communicable disease issues, human rights as well as economic development, and policy and system issues.
3. The Global Health programme at BIMS SOM-HP is designed to support and guide students gaining knowledge of and developing skills in global health. The aim is to steer students to a subsequent career involving patient care, service, policy making, research and education at a global level.
4. Students at our BIMS SOM-HP will be introduced to the study of community and public health, primary care, epidemiology and treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases on a global basis. The programme has as its themes:
   A. Governance (Health Systems, Economics, Ethics, etc.)
   B. Burden of Disease (Child Health, Women Health and the health of other vulnerable populations, Communicable
   C. Diseases, Non-Communicable Diseases, etc.)
   D. Physical Mental & Social Wellbeing
   E. Technology
   F. Security (Environment, Complex Humanitarian Emergencies, Intelligence, etc.)
   G. Climate Change
   H. Medical Spanish
   I. AHA BLS & ACLS instructor training
5. The Global Health Track themes are woven into the Introduction to Clinical Medicine courses, the Biostatistics and Epidemiology and the Principles of Clinical Medicine courses during the PRECLINICAL / BASIC SCIENCES programme.

GLOBAL HEALTH TRACK (Basic Sciences Component)

     6. The Global Health Track is a Nine (9) Week course, contained within the 2-year PRECLINICAL SCIENCES as:

Four x 2-week blocks (spread before the completion of all the Semesters in Year 1 and 2),

One x 1-week block before the Basic-Science-Integration course and longitudinal coursework during YEARS 1 through 4.

• The course will be conducted by in-house and Adjunct faculty.

• In addition, students will conduct field trips and exercises and are introduced to research methodology.

• Students will also receive American Heart Association instructor training in Basic Cardiac Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support.

• Students in the Preclinical Sciences will complete course, “an introduction to Medical Spanish”. (conditions apply)

Stringent regulation:

• A minimum of 100% attendance is required in order to pass each block.
• No credits will be awarded for the course so there will be no effect on the students’ overall GPA.
• But, students will be graded as follows:
  • either a grade of “PNC” (Pass No Credit) or
  • “F” (Fail) accordingly.

NB:

• To facilitate students’ academic success, students who either choose or are required to repeat the term or year during the preclinical years will no longer be able to stay enrolled in the Global Health Track program (GHT) and may not re-join GHT after completion of a repeated semester or year.
• Additionally, students who voluntarily withdraw from the preclinical GHT will not be able to re-join at a later date.

GLOBAL HEALTH TRACK  (CLINICAL SCIENCES component)

This is conducted at BIMS SOM-HP clinical sites in the USA and other BIMS affiliated clinical sites in Jamaica and other associated overseas territories.

1. Upon successful completion of requirements and acceptance by the graduate certificate program admission committee, students will participate in the ICM (1 – 4) – Introduction to Clinical Medicine rotation and the GCCR – Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program.
2. After completion of the graduate clinical core rotation (GCCR) certificate program, students attend elective rotations through BIMS SOM-HP and its clinical sites in the US, Jamaica and internationally. Students have the opportunity to join BIMS SOM-HP faculty initiated international relief projects and to deepen their expertise in global health research.
3. The clinical component is supplemented by medical Spanish exposure (conditions apply).
4. 100% attendance is required during the clinical component.
5. At the completion of the program, a student should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of social determinants of health, health equity, social justice, and governmental policy in terms of their impact on the distribution of health services and health outcomes in low-resource settings within the United States and internationally.
• Analyse the challenges facing the health and human rights issues specific to immigrant, migrant, internally displaced, and refugee populations
• Understand specific needs of vulnerable populations including the medically underserved and uninsured
• Demonstrate knowledge of effective advocacy strategies for health systems improvement within the global context
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with the patient, family, and caregivers with sensitivity to sociocultural and health literacy issues so that the diagnosis and plan of care are clearly understood and pertinent to their specific situation
• Understand the epidemiology of global communicable and non-communicable diseases
• Identify and adapt evidence-based resources and tools for use in limited-resource health care settings
• Interact in a cross-cultural manner sufficient to deliver basic medical care, including working with translators
• Perform an efficient comprehensive physical examination when practicing supervised in an internationally located office, hospital, or skilled nursing setting, being mindful of cultural factors, including gender, modesty, and religious practices
• Use clinical skills to appropriately diagnose and treat patients under supervision in the context of local resource availability
• Select, perform, and interpret under supervision diagnostic procedures within the context of limited resource health care settings
• Formulate a plan of care that is relevant and practical in a specific cultural setting
• Demonstrate understanding of resources and issues pertinent to travel medicine, health risk prevention, health maintenance, and variations in health care services that are specific to international travel
• Discuss treatment plans based on knowledge of global influences, utilizing resources that include local, state, federal, and international agencies, as applicable
• Recognize his or her own practice limitations and seek consultation with other health care professionals and systems resources to provide optimal care within a global context
• Understand the organization, financing and systems health indicators of international health care systems.
• The student should develop attitudes that encompass: Commitment to lifelong learning and contribution to the body of knowledge about global health.
• Recognition of his or her own biases and stereotypes related to health care delivery in international settings.
• The need to balance compassion, humanism, realism, and practicality in the consideration of heath care delivered in specific global settings .
• Respect for dignity and autonomy through self-care and self-determination within a cultural and global context.
• A desire to advocate for systems change to improve the health of the community in which he or she practices

NB:

• Upon completion of the Global Health Track (GHT), completion of requirements of the GCCR – Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program and all requirements for graduation from BIMS SOM-HP (including but not limited to passing all in-house and external exams and passing all required courses and clerkships) the student will receive the MD degree and the Global Health Certificate from BIMS SOM-HP as well as the certificate of completion of the Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program from our clinical sites.