Undergraduate Programs

Doctor of Medicine

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) is a rigorous course of study designed to prepare students for careers as physicians. The 6-year program is designed based on outcomes and competencies. It is divided into three phases of two years each, Foundations of Medicine, Pre-Clerkship, and Clerkship. Students must complete all three phases before becoming eligible for the Final Integrated Examination (FIE), which qualifies them to graduate and proceed to a one-year internship in a healthcare facility. During the Foundations of Medicine and Pre-Clerkship phases, students engage in lectures, small group sessions, lab work, and systems-focused and case-based learning. Throughout the program, there is a strong emphasis on communication skills, professionalism, and social sciences, including medical ethics and the social determinants of health. Additionally, the content structure promotes a spiral curriculum, where foundational topics introduced in the early years are revisited later with added complexity and practical experience. The six-year medical program aims to produce graduates with robust scientific knowledge, critical thinking and developing clinical reasoning abilities, collaborative team competencies, and capabilities for patient-centered care.

Program Objectives

• Prepare students to become competent, empathetic, and patient-centered physicians capable of providing high-quality medical care across diverse settings
• Equip students with the clinical skills necessary to obtain accurate medical histories perform comprehensive and focused physical examinations, and develop appropriate differential diagnosis
• Foster the ability to recommend and interpret diagnostic and screening tests, formulating evidence-based management plans
• Develop proficiency in documenting clinical encounters, delivering oral presentations, and transitioning patient care effectively through handovers
• Cultivate teamwork and collaboration in interprofessional settings to improve patient outcomes and health system efficiency.
• Encourage recognition of urgent and emergent medical conditions, promoting the early initiation of appropriate evaluation and management.
• Promote ethical decision-making, emphasizing patient autonomy through informed consent and respect for local clinical practices.
• Train students in general medical procedures and the delivery of safe, effective care while fostering a culture of quality improvement and system-based thinking
• Instill a commitment to continuous learning by teaching students to formulate clinical questions, retrieve relevant evidence, and apply it to patient care.
• Advocate for preventive health, patient education, and community well-being by preparing students to be leaders in health promotion and disease prevention.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Apply knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and psychosocial sciences, to patient and population care.
• Investigate and evaluate patient care using an evidence-based approach through a commitment to lifelong learning from high-quality research, and practitioner experience, and based on value to the patient while considering the context of care.
• Provide patient- and population-centered care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the management and prevention of common health problems; and advocate patient rights and patient safety.
• Communicate effectively using written, verbal, and non-verbal tools and use interpersonal communication skills for interactions with patients, their families, the community, and health professionals.
• Collaborate and lead a team, actively engaging in an interprofessional health team in a manner that optimizes safe, effective patient and population-centered care.
• Conduct professional responsibilities and activities through a demonstration of commitment and adherence to ethical principles.
• Recognize the larger context and system of health care in the UAE, using resources effectively to contribute to the development of the system to provide optimal health care.
• Sustain lifelong learning and personal, and professional growth.
• Address the health needs of patients and society by demonstrating improved health outcomes through the promotion of health equity, interprofessional collaboration, cost-effectiveness, and quality care.

Degree Requirements

Required Credit Hours : minimum 233 hours

General Education (CH Req. 21)

Major Requirements (CH Req. 212)