University of Illinois at Rockford - College of Medicine

Curriculum Overview

Medical education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford is characterized by direct faculty involvement in student training and an extended, longitudinal, ambulatory care experience at a University primary care clinic (UPCC). The mission of the undergraduate educational program is the development of competent, compassionate physicians, fully capable of advanced training. In a stimulating learning environment that nurtures intellectual, professional and personal growth, the Rockford program focuses on:

• Mastery of the knowledge and skills common to all physicians.
• Internalization of professional attitudes and interpersonal skills for effective interaction with patients and their families, and with other members of the healthcare community.
• Awareness that the practice of medicine involves the comprehensive care of patients, rather than the treatment of disease.
• Development of problem-solving skills and habits of self-education.
• Formation of the ability to recognize, adapt to and influence changes in medicine, healthcare delivery and society. 

Ambulatory care experience
Medical students gain immediate access to the continuity of patient care. One day a week, students work under the supervision of faculty physicians and nurse practitioners in one of our UPCCs. In the M2 year, students are assigned a group of patients for whom they will provides primary, ambulatory healthcare until they graduate. Initially, they concentrate on histories and physicals. By the M4 year, student doctors are responsible for planning the management of general medical problems and the care of approximately 75-100 families. This innovative program serves not only to train our students, but also to provide healthcare to medically underserved populations in the Rockford area. No other medical school in the country offers the benefit of this three-year ambulatory care experience.