Medicine Undergraduate Programs

College of Medicine

Website: https://med.fsu.edu

Chair: Richard Nowakowski; Professors: Arbeitman, Delp, Diaz, Kabbaj, Kumar, Laywell, C. Lee, Levenson, Megraw, Mousa, Nowakowski, Olcese, Overton, Pinto, Ren, Stefanovic, Suo, Y. Wang, Zhou; Associate Professors: Bienkiewicz, Gunjan, Stanwood, Tomko, Y. Wang; Assistant Professors: Chelko, Crofts, Graham, Irianto, Nemec, Rizkallah, Y. Wang; Eminent Scholar: Bhide; Research Faculty I: Duclot, Kao, Rodriguez; Research Faculty II: McCarthy; Assistants in Medicine: Connolly, Wu; Associates in Research: Foster, Vied, Y. Yang; Senior Research Associate: Bradley, Mercer;
Department of Clinical Sciences-Chair: Jonathan Appelbaum; Professors: Applebaum, Chaet, Danforth, Douglas, Kroker-Bode, Lomax-Homier, Maitland, O'Keefe, Rahangdale, Sandroni, Sweeney, Watson, Wetherby; Associate Professors: Boyer, Bush, Delibasic, Drury, Kseri, Hamad, Speights, Stavros, Todd, Urrea; Assistant Professor: TBD; Research Faculty I: Daly Holland;
Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health-Chair: Joedrecka Brown Speights; Professors: Brown Speights, Campbell, Falk, Gitu, Littles, McLeod; Associate Professors: Boyer, Bentze, Bernardo, Flowers, LaJoie, Quintero, Welch; Assistant Professors: Fleischer, Hellgren, Hogans-Mathews, Strong; Instructional Specialist III: Taite; Assistant in Research: De Leon;
Department of Geriatrics-Chair: TBD; Professors: Gloth, Granville, Terracciano; Associate Professors: Mulrooney, Xan Nowakowski, Suchak; Assistant Professors: Kinsell, Mazumder, Ramdial, C Rust; Associate in Research: Baker;
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine-Chair: Heather Flynn; Professors: Balan, Flynn, Glueckauf, Harman, Kozel, Naar, Reyes, G. Rust, Sutin; Associate Professors: Ennis, Gabriel, Gerend, Hayes, MacDonnell, McQuirt, Nair-Collins, Pickett, Porter, Rosado; Assistant Professors: Dark, Goldfarb, Hou, Luchetti, Martinez-Hyde, McGooden, Mesidor, Rivera-Morales, Saunders, Taylor, Thompson; Associate in Research: Geletko; Assistant in Research: Bradbury, Green; Senior Research Associate: Keller Weiss; Research Faculty I: Graves, Pooler-Burgess, Stephens; Research Faculty II: Ghaffari, Johnson, Mills; Instructional Specialist I: Lamb, Ramirez; Instructional Specialist II: Fernandez;
School of Physician Assistant Practice Associate Dean: Benjamin J. Smith; Professor: Cawley; Associate Professor: Bastin, B. Smith; Assistant Professors: Beaver, Cole, Doyle, Elegeert, Justice, Morgan, Powell, Verdoni

The Florida State University College of Medicine, in partnership with local communities, provides a four-year program of study leading to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree and a 27 month program of study leading to a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Practice. The college is fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association. The mission of the College of Medicine is to educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care, who discover and advance knowledge, and who are responsive to community needs, especially through service to elder, rural, and other medically underserved populations.

For complete details of degree requirements, plus a description of the college and its services, refer to the “College of Medicine” chapter of this General Bulletin.

Definition of Prefixes

BCC—Basic Clinical Clerkships

BMS—Basic Medical Sciences

ENT—Entrepreneurship

IDH—Interdisciplinary Honors

IHS—Interdisciplinary Health Sciences

MDE—Medical Electives

MDU—Undergraduate Medicine Courses

PAS—Physician Assistant

PSB—Psychobiology

Undergraduate Courses

BMS 4007. Introduction to Molecular Medicine (4). Prerequisites: CHM 2210 and CHM 2211, or CHM 3217 and CHM 3217L; and PCB 3134 or PCB 3063. This course introduces the concept of the main molecular mechanisms that mediate human health and disease and emphasizes molecular cell biology and immunology to understand human health and diseases, and the mechanisms that impact immune response such as inflammation and cancer. Students also participate in active learning, applying the knowledge they acquire in the lectures.

BMS 4861. Multicultural Health Care and Health Disparities (3). This course reviews the impact of culture and ethnicity on health, illness, and health care practices. The course exposes students interested in a career in health care to the challenges of providing care to a multicultural society through exposure to theory, evidence-based practices, and self-exploration through service learning with an underserved population.

BMS 4901r. DIS in Biomedical Sciences (1–4). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. Corequisite: Must have a combined GPA of 3.0 in biology, chemistry, and physics coursework. This directed individual study course in biomedical sciences offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to perform research in the biomedical laboratories in the College of Medicine. Students perform special supervised study or research in the area of the faculty member's research. An oral presentation and a final report of the research in the format of a short scientific publication is required. May be repeated to a maximum of fifteen semester hours.

BMS 4903r. Honors Work in Biomedical Sciences (1–3). Prerequisite: Admission to the FSU Honors in the Major Program and approved by the IMS Honors Liaison. This course involves participation in a supervised research problem. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours. A maximum of nine research credit hours may count toward IMS degree upper division electives. This may be a combination of DIS and/or Honors Work. DIS and Honors Work in the Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences Program are letter graded.

BMS 4932r. Special Topics in Biomedical Sciences (1–3). Prerequisites: BSC 2011, CHM 1046, and PCB 3063; or instructor permission. This course teaches students to identify the intersection of the fields of biology and medicine with a focus on human health issues and demonstrate knowledge in areas such as biochemical functions, physiological functions, anatomical and histological structures, epidemiology of population groups, or pharmacology applications by delving into related cell and molecular biology, parasitology, and toxicology, found in biomedical research. May be repeated within the same term up to nine semester hours.

IDH 2351. An Apple a Day: Natural Science Honors Seminar (3). This seminar course is structured as a lecture and discussion of current topics in medicine. This is an interactive course in which students are expected to prepare for and participate actively with guests, faculty, and fellow students.

IHS 1100. Exploring Health Professions (1). Prerequisite: Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences major status. This seminar informs students on careers and career pathways in health professions and the academic, professional, and personal preparation needed to pursue a career in health. Class meetings, activities, and guest speakers are planned to inform students on healthcare and the health professions, knowledge of the various roles of the healthcare team, and the resources to help students explore their career interests and goals.

IHS 2121. Delivering Patient Care (1). Prerequisite: IHS 1100, and Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences major status. This seminar course informs students on careers and career pathways in health professions and the academic, professional, and personal preparation needed to pursue a career in health with a focus on the patient or recipients of health care services. Class meetings, activities, and guest speakers are planned to inform students on healthcare and the health professions with respect to the populations served, knowledge of the various roles of the healthcare team, and the resources to help students explore their career interests and goals.

IHS 3122. Introduction to Medical Sciences (1). Prerequisite: Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences major status. For this course, students identify a health care setting and a particular issue in the health professions to explore through shadowing, visits, or volunteer work. This seminar provides students information on critical issues in healthcare, health professions, various roles of the healthcare team, and includes activities that help students explore their career interests and goals and identify and articulate personal motivations for pursuing a healthcare career.

IHS 3126. Comics and Medicine (3). Prerequisites: ENC 1101 and ENC 1102, or ENC 2135. Other English courses totaling six (6) credit hours in which the student is required to demonstrate college-level English skills through multiple assignments may also be accepted. This course examines comics and graphic novels that address issues of illness, disability, and medicine from various perspectives. Students probe how the sequentialized hybrid of word and image brings new insights to clinical experiences, as well as study the value of the graphic form as a communication and critical thinking tool that can be applied to a number of fields in healthcare and beyond.

IHS 3931. Problems and Issues in Healthcare (1). Prerequisite: IHS 2121 (C- or better) or IHS 3122 (C- or better) and Interdisciplinary Medical Science major status. In this course, students build upon experiential learning opportunities and further their understanding of key issues facing healthcare, patients, providers, institutions, and communities by examining and reading scholarly works. Assignments and activities help students to identify and generate content (through research or hands-on experiences that emphasize a breadth of knowledge in the field) to serve as the foundation for future research on a problem or issue in healthcare.

IHS 4120. Frontiers in Medicine (3). This course aims to provide undergraduate students the opportunity to gain an understanding of common human disease conditions through a highly interactive set of learning activities. We recommend that students have taken physiology, genetics and biochemistry. Examples of topics covered include heart failure, cancer, diabetes, depression and Alzheimer's disease.

IHS 4123. Narrative Medicine (3). Prerequisites: ENC 1101 and ENC 1102; or ENC 2135; or English courses for a total of six credit hours in which the student is required to demonstrate college-level English skills through multiple assignments. In this course, students learn the tenets of narrative medicine and explore the role of narrative in improving clinician understanding of the individual patient's unique experience. To build narrative skill, students analyze and interpret various illness experiences as depicted in select stories, poems, and non-fiction medical narratives. Students also expand their understanding of narrative medicine and what it means to practice patient-centered care through various analytical and reflective writing assignments.

IHS 4210. Future Challenges for Healthcare Providers (3). Prerequisites: Junior standing. In this course, students explore challenges that will alter the environment they will step into as future healthcare providers. These challenges include a rapidly aging society, the impact of big data, global warming, changes in health care delivery systems, and the ethical implications of new technologies. This course encourages students to form their own rational approach to the analysis of complex societal issues affecting their chosen profession.

IHS 4501. Inquiry in Healthcare Research (1). Prerequisites: IHS 3931 (C- or better) and Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences major status. In this course, students research and draft an initial prospectus for their senior capstone project to include stakeholders, literature review, descriptions and goals of the project, and a research question. Students work directly with Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences faculty, faculty in affiliated FSU academic units, and/or preceptors in the field to identify and design the capstone project.

IHS 4900. Honors Work in Health Sciences (1–3). This course involves participation in a supervised research problem. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours. A maximum of nine research credit hours may count toward IMS degree upper division electives. This may be a combination of DIS and/or Honors Work. DIS and Honors Work in the Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences Program are letter graded.

IHS 4901. Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences Capstone Course (3). Prerequisite: IHS 4501 (C- or better), and Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences major status. In this course, students develop research and analytical skills in relation to a selected topic based upon healthcare experiences and interactions in their experiential venues. This aims to enhance further career advancement and employability. Students conduct a small-scale research project and submit by the end of the course a Capstone project report and presentation, summarizing their analysis of the literature, project methodology, and study findings.

IHS 4904r. Directed Individual Study in Health Sciences (1–4). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. Corequisite: Must have an overall 3.0 GPA. This course is for undergraduate students who wish an individualized research experience in the Medical Humanities and Social Sciences, Public Health, or other fields represented in the College of Medicine. Students receive training in research methods and improve their readiness for and appreciation of research in health-related science. May be repeated to a maximum of fifteen semester hours.

IHS 4932r. Special Topics in Health Sciences and Health Care (1–3). This course provides students instruction in the health sciences such as healthcare disparity, patient-centered care, and other topics necessary to understand the healthcare system and patient care issues.

IHS 4943. Medical Interpreter Practicum (9). (S/U grade only.) Prerequisites: ADV 3410, BMS 4861, SPC 4710, SPN 4420, and SPN 4930. This course is a supervised internship at a College of Medicine clinical site. Students work with healthcare providers providing translation services between patients and healthcare providers.

MDU 1000. Careers in Medicine: Preparation to Practice (1). (S/U grade only.) This course is intended for all undergraduates who are seriously considering a career in medicine. Students learn how to successfully prepare for the academic, personal, and professional rigors of medical school and for a career in medicine. Students are encouraged to take this course early in their undergraduate years, so they can pursue the appropriate academic coursework, volunteer, and earn medical experience that will help them become successful medical school applicants and health professionals.

PAS 2054r. Introduction to the PA Profession (3). This course explores the history and development of the physician assistant profession. Students develop a thorough understanding of the PA's role within the healthcare system and the important role they play on the healthcare system.

Fourth Year Electives

In the fourth year of study, the College of Medicine offers a wide variety of electives to help students develop skills in their specific areas of study and practice. Electives are available in the fields of family medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and others. For a complete and current list of fourth year electives, please visit our website at https://med.fsu.edu.

MICROBIOLOGY: see Biological Science