VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

Course Descriptions - Osteopathic Medical School Year Two

OMS 2 – Semester 3, Block 5 – Gastrointestinal and Renal Systems This Block is a comprehensive system-based block that integrates the biomedical and clinical curriculum to provide the student with the medical knowledge to address the normal structure and function of the gastrointestinal and renal systems. The curriculum includes the most common medical and surgical conditions that occur. The block also includes prevention strategies to maintain the health of systems, the structural treatments to restore the normal function, surgical procedures required to correct certain abnormalities, and pharmacologic treatment where required to treat the conditions. Courses: • (MED 7116) Anatomy and Embryology: Endocrine, Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Systems: 3 credit hours The Anatomy and Embryology course provides the education on the structural and functional norms of the Gastrointestinal, Genitourinary, and GI related Endocrine systems and embryologic development of the systems. Clinical medicine is integrated through surgical videos and radiology that demonstrate the importance of anatomy in surgical conditions, in radiologic identification, and in other pathologic conditions that impact anatomical structure as well as physiologic function. The course is taught in a lecture format followed by laboratory cadaver dissection. • (MED 7147) Cell Biology and Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Renal Systems: 1.5 credit hours This course provides the normal function of the Gastrointestinal and Renal systems, the physiology in maintaining health of the system, and the early pathological changes that occur at the cellular level with disease or abnormalities. • (MED 7175) Pharmacology IV: 0.5 credit hour Pharmacology is designed to provide a basis for making clinical decisions in the pharmacologic management of the most common Gastrointestinal and Renal disorders. The course applies the principles of pharmacology relative to therapeutics including indications, rationale, mechanism of action, efficacy, complications, and risks for the most current and commonly prescribed medications used. The course includes the importance of monitoring the expected effects and potential adverse effects of medications prescribed. The course includes a comprehensive approach to selecting appropriate medications including ethics, cost, efficacy, Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) trials, age, and quality of life. • (MED 7211) Histology/Pathology: Gastrointestinal and Renal Systems: 3 credit hours This course begins with the basic histology of the system and provides genetic changes seen with the system that relate to disease, histological changes with various pathologies, and structural pathological changes. The course covers the most common pathological conditions within the Gastrointestinal and Renal systems, and the changes that occur at the cellular level through gross pathological organ change. The histology portion of the course is taught through lecture where attendance is required. The pathology portion of the course consists of online modules that allow the student to learn and study in an independent environment creating life-long learning skills. This also allows the student to work at their own pace throughout the block, with attention to exam times. Each online module is expected to take the student 3 hours to complete and is accompanied by questions. Students may complete the modules independently or work in groups; however, testing is independent.

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