
Medical Doctor MD Program
Visit the Frank H. Netter MD School of MedicineIn our rapidly changing health care system, there is an urgent need for a new generation of physicians who value a patient-centered approach to medicine.
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In our rapidly changing health care system, there is an urgent need for a new generation of physicians who value a patient-centered approach to medicine.
At the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, we prepare students to become highly qualified, compassionate and culturally sensitive doctors. No matter which medical specialty you choose, you’ll be trained to view your patients through the lens of a primary care physician — always with an emphasis on patient-centered care.
From the outset, you’ll learn evidence-based medicine through the integration of basic science concepts in Foundations of Medicine (FOM) and rigorous clinical training through Clinical Arts and Sciences (CAS). In September of your first year, you’ll be paired with a community physician to practice your clinical skills, working with patients through our innovative Medical Student Home (MeSH) program.
Throughout your four years of medical school, you will work closely with faculty mentors, career advisers and clinical faculty physicians in various medical settings. They’ll help you choose courses, plan your required and elective fourth-year clerkships, and identify residency programs that align to your interests and career goals. To reinforce critical thinking skills and self-directed learning, you will also complete a project under the guidance of a mentor in the Scholarly Reflection and Concentration/Capstone course (SRCC).
The medical school is located on our interprofessional North Haven Campus with the schools of health sciences, nursing and law. This creates a collaborative learning environment for students pursuing degrees in a multitude of health care professions, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and physician assistant. Our state-of-the-art facilities include an operating suite with two high-fidelity simulation rooms, a SimMan suite of lifelike mannequins that function as patient simulators and labs with the latest imaging equipment. Our facility includes 16 patient rooms where students practice examining simulated patients.
We have affiliations with several community hospitals in urban, suburban and rural settings. Our principal hospital affiliates are St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. You'll experience a variety of clinical work placements that help you to determine where you see yourself practicing medicine during and after your residency years.
The percentage of students who passed the USMLE® STEP 1 and 2 national board exams on their first attempt.
Number of times students have presented and published, or received an award for their scholarly work.
The number of alumni that have matched with a residency program from 2017 to 2020.
Our innovative curriculum combines individual attention, interdisciplinary learning experiences, extraordinary hands-on experience and an emphasis on evidence-based and patient-centered practice.
During the first two years, the curriculum is organized around integrated system blocks, providing students with a 360-degree view of each organ system through the lenses of three courses: Foundations of Medicine, Clinical Arts and Sciences, and Scholarly Reflection and Concentration Capstone. A highlight of the curriculum is the Medical Student Home (MeSH) program, a longitudinal, mentored clinical experience that acts as a “practical laboratory” for students to work with patients in a community practice.
Learn more about our curriculum
Foundations of Medicine course
The Northern Maine Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship experience is designed for students who are committed to the care of rural communities. Beginning in April of their third year, a select group of Netter students complete an innovative curriculum of integrated clinical experiences, designed to treat the whole patient and family, across a continuum of care.
Dr. Christine Van Cott
What was the best time in Dr. Christine Van Cott’s life? Spending a year in New Zealand with her family while doing a surgery fellowship. The second best? Interning at the FBI. But developing the surgery curriculum and teaching students at the School of Medicine ranks pretty high.
A surgical oncologist affiliated with St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, the primary clinical partner for the School of Medicine, Van Cott encourages her students to build relationships with patients.
“It’s an honor to know these patients and to hear their stories. It’s also OK to cry with your patients and for your patients. They day you stop feeling is the day you should no longer be a doctor,” she says.
Realizing that she cannot save every patient, she’s come to measure success differently.
“My successes are getting somebody to their daughter’s wedding or getting them to the birth of their first grandchild.”
Van Cott acknowledges that she’s not a “classroom” educator. “My students learn in the trauma bay, in the operating room and in the emergency room. They learn in my office, they learn on the fly, they learn in the hallway.”
Our admissions counselors in the School of Medicine are here to answer any questions you may have and help you navigate the application process.