Foundations of Clinical Medicine

Welcome

Dear First-Year Medical Student,

Welcome to the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine!

Throughout your first two years of medical school, you will participate in the course Foundations of Clinical Medicine (FCM). The FCM course teaches basic clinical skills such as professionalism, medical interviewing, physical diagnosis, and clinical reasoning. The course is designed to correlate with your basic science course work and consists of hands-on small group learning, simulated patient workshops, and a community preceptorship.

Small Group Learning

Your small group will consist of eight to 10 students who meet on campus every other week on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. Each small group is led by a physician and a fourth-year medical student. During the fall semester, you will also participate in simulated patient workshops approximately every every week.

One-on-One Preceptorship

During the spring semester, you will meet off campus with your preceptor every other week on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. Your preceptor will be a physician who teaches medical students in the practice setting, providing opportunities to reinforce and practice clinical skills.

The FCM staff looks forward to working with you in the fall! We hope you will find the course to be an exciting introduction to the practice of medicine.