Oklahoma Pathophysiology Syllabus Review
I appreciated the opportunity to review the Oklahoma Pathophysiology syllabus. As you know, an overview of my publishing philosophy was previously given in the Microbiology Companion review. With that in mind, I’ll confine my comments here to the most essential points.A Thumbnail Sketch of 2nd year PathophysiologyNearly every medical school in the U.S. has a 2nd-year pathophysiology course or equivalent which variously go by the name of Pathophysiology, Pathophysiology of Organ Systems, Pathophysiology of Disease, Mechanisms of Disease, Clinical Problem Solving, etc.. These courses are usually structured along subspecialty lines in Internal Medicine — e.g. Endocrinology, Cardiology, etc. or similarly by Organ System — e.g. Endocrine, Cardiovascular, etc. Nearly all of these courses have the same structure with about one-third being conducted by didactic lecture and remaining time in small groups led by a physician-preceptor. Each small group session focuses on one or two clinical cases that highlight the major concepts discussed during the lectures. Exams are either multiple-choice or essay, depending on the preferences of the individual section directors. Since there is no good pathophysiology textbook, nearly every medical school supplements its lectures with its own monolithic syllabus for the 2nd year pathophysiology course. The Oklahoma syllabus here is one example.
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A Thumbnail Sketch of 2nd year Pathophysiology
Nearly every medical school in the U.S. has a 2nd-year pathophysiology course or equivalent which variously go by the name of Pathophysiology, Pathophysiology of Organ Systems, Pathophysiology of Disease, Mechanisms of Disease, Clinical Problem Solving, etc.. These courses are usually structured along subspecialty lines in Internal Medicine — e.g. Endocrinology, Cardiology, etc. or similarly by Organ System — e.g. Endocrine, Cardiovascular, etc. Nearly all of these courses have the same structure with about one-third being conducted by didactic lecture and remaining time in small groups led by a physician-preceptor. Each small group session focuses on one or two clinical cases that highlight the major concepts discussed during the lectures. Exams are either multiple-choice or essay, depending on the preferences of the individual section directors. Since there is no good pathophysiology textbook, nearly every medical school supplements its lectures with its own monolithic syllabus for the 2nd year pathophysiology course. The Oklahoma syllabus here is one example.
