Degree Programs

Students in the M.D. Program at the School of Medicine are candidates for the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.). Students receiving competitive fifth-year research fellowships are eligible for the combined degree M.D./M.H.S. (Master of Health Science). There are two other M.H.S. degree opportunities: the M.H.S./National Clinical Scholars Program, as well as the two-year M.H.S. degree for applicants with YSM resident, fellow, and faculty appointments in a department or program approved to award the M.H.S. Students completing a curriculum of didactic, research, and clinical experiences in global health are eligible for the Certificate in Global Medicine. Jointly with the School of Public Health, the School of Medicine administers a program leading to the degrees of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.). Jointly with the Graduate School, the School of Medicine also administers the combined degrees of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). In addition, special arrangements may be made with the appropriate associate deans to receive the combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degrees, the combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degrees, the combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees, and the combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Master of Science in Personalized Medicine and Applied Engineering (M.S.) degree. The School of Medicine also offers a Physician Associate program and a Physician Assistant Online program leading to a Master of Medical Science (M.M.Sc.) degree. Jointly with the School of Public Health, the School of Medicine also administers the PA/M.P.H. program leading to the combined Master of Medical Science (M.M.Sc.) and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degrees.

Doctor of Medicine

The degree of Doctor of Medicine is conferred upon students who have satisfactorily completed the requirements stated below.

• meet all nine YSM Competencies
• take and pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 CK
• complete a subinternship (students may take a given subinternship up to two times to fulfill the graduation requirement)
• complete the Capstone course and any required assessments
• complete forty weeks of study in the final year, including one required subinternship and the Capstone course
• complete of the Medical Student Thesis Requirement
• fulfill the YSM Professionalism Standards
• meet the YSM Technical, Non-Academic Standards (https://yale.navexone.com/content/dotNet/documents/?docid=91&public=true).
• have no unresolved concerns regarding academic performance

Admissions

The Yale School of Medicine seeks to provide an education in the scholarly and humane aspects of medicine and to foster the development of leaders who will advance medical practice and knowledge. The Committee on Admissions, in general, seeks to admit students who seem best suited for the educational programs and aims of the School. In particular, the committee looks for intelligent, mature, and intrinsically motivated students who show great promise for becoming leaders and contributors in medicine. The Committee on Admissions also considers very carefully personal qualities necessary for the successful study and practice of medicine. These include maturity, integrity, compassion, leadership potential, and dedication to the greater community.

School of Medicine graduates must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. In addition to scholastic accomplishments and potential, applicants must have the physical capacities and personal characteristics to meet the full requirements of the School’s curriculum and to graduate as skilled and effective practitioners of medicine.

All applications to the Yale School of Medicine are given careful consideration without regard to sex, race, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or financial status. For a complete statement of the Yale University policy on nondiscrimination, refer to https://oiea.yale.edu/discrimination-and-harassment.

The School of Medicine admissions process is holistic and contextual. In evaluating candidates, the committee takes into consideration many factors including academic record; MCAT scores; medical experience; research experience; extracurricular and community activities and accomplishments; recommendations from premedical committees, individual science teachers, or research mentors; and personal interviews.

It is recommended that students enter medical school after four years of study in a college of arts and sciences. Students holding advanced degrees in science or other fields are also considered. International students (other than Canadians) must have completed at least one year of study in an American college prior to application. Students who have been refused admission on three prior occasions are ineligible to apply for admission to the first-year class.

The minimum requirements for admission to the first-year class are:

1. Attendance for three academic years, or the equivalent, at an accredited college of arts and sciences or institute of technology.
2. Satisfactory completion of the following courses including laboratory work:
   

   General Biology or Zoology (one year)

   General Chemistry (one year)

   Organic Chemistry (one semester)

   Biochemistry (one semester)

   General Physics (one year)

(Acceptable courses in these subjects are usually given six to eight hours credit per year, or three to four term hours credit per semester.) These courses should be completed in a U.S., Canadian, or U.K. college or university. Advanced courses may be substituted for introductory-level courses in each of these subjects.

The Committee on Admissions has no preference as to a major field for undergraduate study and leaves this decision to students, with the advice that they advance beyond the elementary level in the field of their choice rather than pursue an undirected program. A liberal education is the supporting structure for graduate study and must encompass understanding of the humanities, arts, and society as well as the scientific foundations of technology and civilization. The student of medicine enters a profession closely allied to the natural sciences and must be prepared to cope with chemistry and biology at the graduate level. Students entering college with a strong background in the sciences, as demonstrated by Advanced Placement courses, are encouraged to substitute advanced science courses for the basic requirements listed above.

Application Process

The Yale School of Medicine participates in the “common” application process of the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Applicants must first submit their AMCAS application, on which they indicate that they wish to apply to the Yale School of Medicine. After submitting the AMCAS application, applicants must complete the Yale Supplemental Application, which must be submitted online (see below for details).

Inquiries regarding AMCAS should be addressed to the American Medical College Application Service, 2501 M Street NW, Lobby 26, Washington DC 20037-1300. AMCAS can also be reached by telephone at 202.828.0600 or by email at amcas@aamc.org. Extensive information can also be obtained at the AMCAS website: www.aamc.org.

Inquiries to the Yale School of Medicine regarding the degree of Doctor of Medicine should be addressed to the Office of Admissions, Yale School of Medicine, Edward S. Harkness Memorial Hall D, 367 Cedar Street, New Haven CT 06510. The email address of the admissions office is medical.admissions@yale.edu. Information about the Yale Supplemental Application can also be obtained online at https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/admissions. Inquiries are welcome at any time.

AMCAS applications must be submitted no later than October 15 of the year prior to the fall in which enrollment is sought. Yale Supplemental Applications must be submitted online no later than November 15. The number of students admitted each year for studies leading to the M.D. degree and/or M.D.-Ph.D. degrees is 104.

A complete application consists of the following components:

1. AMCAS application and all required components of the application (see 2 and 5 below).
2. Complete official transcripts from all colleges attended. Transcripts should be sent from the colleges directly to AMCAS.
3. Yale Supplemental Application submitted online no later than November 15.
4. An evaluation from the applicant’s Premedical Advisory Committee or individual letters from three of the applicant’s instructors, two of whom should be in science fields. These evaluations must be sent to the Office of Admissions via AMCAS Letter Service. Detailed instructions regarding electronic transmission of evaluation letters will be found in the General Information section of the Supplemental Application.
5. Scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) must be submitted in conjunction with the AMCAS application. For information on the MCAT, applicants should communicate directly with the MCAT Program Office, PO Box 4056, Iowa City IA 52243. Information on the MCAT can also be obtained online at www.aamc.org. Scores of tests taken earlier than three years prior to submitting an application will not be accepted.
6. A fee of $110 or an AMCAS fee waiver must accompany the Yale Supplemental Application. The fee is not refundable.

During the course of the admissions process, selected applicants will be invited for personal interviews with members of the Committee on Admissions at Yale.

Educational Objective

The Yale School of Medicine has nine competencies which frame our goals for the knowledge, skills, and attributes that we aim for YSM students to attain prior to graduation. The associated educational program objectives (EPOs) describe the skills and behaviors that are required to achieve each competency.

1. Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Students apply scientific knowledge and use clinical skills to promote health and prevent disease in individuals and communities.
   

   HPI.1 Apply principles of epidemiology and social-behavioral sciences to health promotion and disease prevention for patients and communities.

   HPI.2 Provide health care services to patients, families, and communities aimed at preventing health problems or maintaining health, including screening, counseling, immunizations, and chemoprophylaxis.

2. Mechanisms and Treatment of Disease Students acquire knowledge at the molecular, cellular, organ-system, psychosocial, and whole-body levels and integrate this knowledge with clinical science and skills to diagnose and treat disease.
   

   MTD2.1 Apply established and emerging bio-physical, clinical, epidemiologic, and psychosocial scientific principles to the provision of health care for patients, including identification of disease, diagnosis, disease frequency, risk factors, prognosis, and treatment strategies.

3. Clinical Reasoning Students apply established and emerging principles of clinical sciences to diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making and clinical problem-solving based on a thorough understanding of the patient’s history, physical exam, and diagnostic studies.
   

   CR3.1 Apply established and emerging principles of clinical sciences to diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making and clinical problem-solving, based on patient information and preferences and up-to-date scientific evidence while minimizing the impact of cognitive errors. Recognize that uncertainty is part of clinical health care and respond by utilizing appropriate resources.

4. Patient Care Students achieve competency in the care of patients at a level required to excel in residency.
   

   PC4.1 Gather and interpret essential and accurate information about patients and their conditions through history-taking, physical examination, and paraclinical data (lab studies, imaging, and other tests).

   PC4.2 Communicate patient information in an organized and concise manner in both oral and written forms.

   PC4.3 Develop and carry out patient management plans in an organized and prioritized manner to promote patient care that is safe, effective, and efficient. Follow up on patient progress.

   PC 4.4 Coordinate care with physicians, other health professionals, and health agencies to support the health maintenance and treatment of disease in patients. Make timely, appropriate, and informative referrals or handoffs, ensuring continuity of care through transitions between providers or settings.

   PC4.5 Perform all medical, diagnostic, and surgical procedures considered essential to enter residency in the area of chosen practice.

5. Professional Identity Formation Students conduct themselves in accordance with professional standards in interactions with patients, families, peers, and colleagues. They learn to prioritize patients’ needs and interests, avoid conflicts of interest, keep current with evolving science and practice standards, defer to ethical principles in difficult decision-making, and engage in self-awareness and self-care.
   

   PR5.1 Engages in practices that benefit mental and physical wellness. Cultivates self-awareness to guide appropriate self-care. Recognizes stressful situations and explores coping mechanisms best suited for them. Aware of range of support services and reaches out for help when needed. Recognizes distress in others and offers assistance.

   PR5.2 Maintain commitment to lifelong learning. Identify and perform learning activities that address strengths, deficiencies, and limits in knowledge and expertise. Set learning and improvement goals and incorporate feedback into daily practice.

   PR5.3 Work effectively as an accountable team member to enhance team functioning, the learning environment and/or the health care setting. Contribute to a culture of psychological safety rooted in mutual respect and trust.

   PR5.4 Demonstrate responsiveness, integrity, and respect to patients, society, and the profession. Manage conflict between personal and professional responsibilities. Practice flexibility and maturity in adjusting to change with the capacity to alter one’s behavior.

   PR5.5 Demonstrate a commitment to ethical principles pertaining to provision or withholding of care, confidentiality, informed consent, and business practices, including committing to uphold relevant laws, policies, and regulations which promote patient privacy and autonomy.

6. Communication Students communicate effectively, respectfully, and compassionately in all of their professional interactions.
   

   CM 6.1 Communicate effectively using patient-centered techniques, with patients, families, and the public, as appropriate, across a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Demonstrate sensitivity, honesty, and compassion in serious conversations, including those about death, end of life, adverse events, bad news, disclosure of errors, and other sensitive topics.

   CM 6.2 Counsel and educate patients and their families to empower them to participate in their care and enable shared decision making.

   CM 6.3 Communicate effectively and respectfully with peers, staff, interprofessional colleagues, and faculty in classroom, clinical, and administrative domains.

7. Responsibility to Society Students recognize barriers to achieving health equity and envision ways to reduce barriers with a commitment to improving the quality of care and health of all people.
   

   RS7.1 Identify the social and structural determinants of health that impact patients and communities and utilize these in improving care, including assessment of the impact of psychosocial, structural, or cultural influences on health, disease, care-seeking, care adherence, and barriers to and attitudes toward care.

   RS7.2 Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to diverse patient populations, including but not limited to gender, age, culture, race, religion, disabilities, and sexual orientation and leverage their role and the roles of other health professionals to appropriately assess and address the health care needs of the patients and populations served.

   RS7.3 Appreciate the factors that contribute to patient safety and the methods used to approach quality improvement. Participate in identifying system errors and implementing potential solutions. Advocate for quality and equity in patient care and optimal patient care systems.

   RS7.4 Incorporate considerations of cost awareness and risk-benefit analysis in patient and/or population-based care.

8. Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge Students appreciate that unexplained clinical observations can inspire research that advances the practice of medicine. They perform mentored scholarly research culminating in a formal thesis. This project promotes critical thinking, understanding of the scientific method, and contributes to new medical knowledge and practices.
   

   CDK 8.1 Critically evaluate and use literature, databases and primary sources to develop a strong scientific premise for a research question. Apply the scientific method to ensure robust, reproducible and unbiased study design.

   CDK 8.2 Rigorously analyze and interpret data using appropriate scientific and statistical methods. Convey research findings in a clear and organized manner and disseminate to communities of interest.

   CDK 8.3 Apply principles of responsible conduct of research to preserve the integrity of the research process and to protect the privacy and rights of research subjects.

9. Physician as Scientist Students apply existing and evolving scientific literature to inform their care of patients and promote the health of individuals and populations.
   

   PS9.1 Acquire, appraise, assimilate, and apply evidence from scientific studies related to patients’ health problems. Demonstrate an investigatory and analytic approach to clinical situations. Evaluate the credibility and usability of the spectrum of medical information resources.

Educational Philosophy: The Yale System

The Yale System of Medical Education remains unique among medical schools. It has been an important part of life at the Yale School of Medicine since 1931. Although it has undergone minor modifications in the intervening years, its essential spirit has remained intact, and it is a major reason why many students choose to come to Yale for their medical education.

The fundamental element of the system is the concept that medical students are mature individuals, strongly motivated to learn, requiring guidance and stimulation rather than compulsion or competition for relative standing in a group. The corollary of this concept is that students must assume more than usual responsibility for their education. Students should be considered adults in a graduate school and be permitted to enjoy as large a degree of freedom as is consistent with the fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Memorization of facts should be far less important than a well-rounded education in fundamental principles, training in methods of investigation, and the acquisition of the scientific habit of mind.

During the pre-clerkship years, the students acquire knowledge and develop clinical skills. In the integrated basic and clinical science courses, lectures are held to a minimum, and there is a focus on interactive learning in small-group workshops and conferences. Students are evaluated through examinations that they take anonymously. Performance is assessed by the faculty based upon participation in small-group sessions, by anonymous qualifying examinations at the end of each course, and by passing of the United States Medical Licensing Examinations. Competency in performing a complete history and physical examination is assessed at the end of the pre-clerkship period using standardized patients in an observed structured clinical examination (P-OSCE). Student attendance is expected in all skill-building sessions and sessions in which interactive learning, clinical reasoning, or collaboration are necessary for optimal learning.

In the pre-clerkship period (first eighteen months), there are no grades and there is no class ranking throughout medical school. While grades are not given and rank order not established, evaluation of students is an important part of the educational process. The faculty considers small-group teaching with formative feedback interchanges between faculty and students to be the most effective means of teaching and evaluation. Students should expect direct questioning in workshops and labs as an important adjunct to the evaluation process. The final decision of acceptable performance for a given course or clerkship is determined by the course/clerkship director based upon the successful completion of the assessments described above.

Freed from the usual anxieties provoked by high-stakes summative examinations, students tend to learn for their future rather than for tests. Competition for grades is eliminated and students are eager to help one another. Class spirit is remarkably high year after year. Upon completing a course, all students are expected to submit a programmatic evaluation so that course/clerkship directors can make changes based on student feedback.

Students are encouraged to allocate their time to further their own interests, within the framework of the Yale curriculum. Some students pursue elective courses or a joint- degree program in another school at Yale University, such as management, public health, divinity, or law.

Finally, the Yale School of Medicine requires each student to design, carry out, and successfully complete a research thesis, intended to foster the development of a lifelong commitment to learning (see Required Thesis, in the chapter Degree Programs).

Pre-Clerkship Curriculum

The first eighteen months of the curriculum focus on providing students with a foundation in the basic and clinical sciences and the art of medical practice. The integrated course curriculum includes eight master courses (Introduction to the Profession, Scientific Foundations, Genes and Development, Attacks and Defenses, Homeostasis, Energy and Metabolism, Connection to the World, and Across the Lifespan); four longitudinal courses (Professional and Ethical Responsibility, Populations & Methods, Human Anatomy, and Scientific Inquiry); and three skills based courses (the Clinical Skills course, the Interprofessional Longitudinal Clinical Experience and the Medical Coaching Experience).

The Clinical Skills course (CS) introduces students to the principles and skills of medical interviewing and physical examination. CS course sessions meet weekly and provide an opportunity for students to observe and develop clinical skills.

In addition to didactic sessions, students will also participate in the Interprofessional Longitudinal Clinical Experience (ILCE) in the first year, where students will work in interprofessional teams with students from Yale School of Nursing and the Physician Associate Program in a consistent clinical setting. Students meet at their clinical settings one afternoon per week. At the end of the first year, students are assessed on their acquired clinical skills utilizing a two-case Observed Structured Clinical Exam (P-OSCE).

At the conclusion of the ILCE and into the fall of the second year, students participate in the Medical Coaching Experience (MCE) to learn advanced clinical skills and prepare them for the clerkship year. For pre-clerkship course descriptions, please see course listings under Medical Education.

Pre-Clerkship Advancement Requirements

The Progress Committee will review all medical students prior to enrollment in the second year of the pre-clerkship curriculum. Criteria for advancement to the second-year pre-clerkship phase include:

1. Satisfactory completion of all first-year pre-clerkship courses as measured by passing the course or successfully completing remediation for each course. Students may repeat each course one time. Total time in the pre-clerkship phase cannot exceed 2.5 years, not including time for approved leaves of absence.
2. Continued satisfactory fulfillment of the YSM Professionalism Standards.
3. Continuing to meet YSM Technical, Non-Academic Standards.

Advancement to Clerkship phase

The Progress Committee will review all medical students prior to beginning clinical clerkships. Criteria for advancement to the clerkship phase include:

1. Satisfactory progress in reaching the milestones for the pre-clerkship period in all nine YSM Competencies.
2. Satisfactory completion of all required pre-clerkship courses as measured by passing each course or successfully completing remediation for each course. Students may repeat each course one time. Total time in the pre-clerkship phase cannot exceed two-and-a-half years, not including time for approved leaves of absence.
3. Satisfactory performance on the P-OSCE or successfully completing remediation for those who do not pass.
4. Continued satisfactory fulfillment of the YSM Professionalism Standards.
5. Continuing to meet YSM Technical, Non-Academic Standards.

The Clerkship Period

The clerkship curriculum consists of four twelve-week integrated clerkship blocks:

• The Medical Approach to the Patient (Internal Medicine and Neurology)
• The Surgical Approach to the Patient (Surgery and Emergency Medicine)
• Women’s and Children’s Health (Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics)
• Biopsychosocial Approach to Health (Ambulatory Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, and Pediatric Primary Care)

Clerkship scheduling will be arranged through the registrar in the Office of Student Affairs. There is no required order for taking clerkships, and there is no advantage to any particular order. Students are required to complete and pass all clerkships before proceeding to the Advanced Training Period. For clerkship descriptions, please see course listings under Medical Education.

Requirements for Advancement in the Clerkship Period

The Progress Committee will review all medical students after completion of the Clinical Clerkships. Criteria for advancement to the advanced training period phase include:

1. Satisfactory progress in reaching the milestones for the clerkship period in all nine YSM Competencies.
2. Satisfactory completion of all required clinical clerkships as measured by passing the clerkships. Students may take a clerkship up to two times to fulfill the requirement. Total time in the clerkship phase cannot exceed two years, not including time for approved leaves of absence.
3. Passing the C-OSCE.
4. Continued satisfactory fulfillment of the YSM Professionalism Standards.
5. Continuing to meet YSM Technical, Non-Academic Standards.

Advanced Training Period

The final phase of the curriculum includes a time of maximum flexibility and choice for students to engage in a variety of clinical electives and subinternships, research, thesis preparation, the Capstone course, and residency preparation.

The Office of Student Affairs holds an informational meeting in the fall of the third year (last six months of the clerkship period), and students meet with their advisers to discuss scheduling and requirements during the advanced clinical training and research period.

Graduating students are required to submit a thesis plan to the Office of Student Research in the fall of their final year. Students must provide a tentative thesis title and the name of the thesis adviser as part of the thesis plan.

Students are required to schedule one four-week subinternship, thirty-three weeks of scheduled clinical electives or research time, and the capstone course in the spring of the fourth year. Students will also schedule time to study for and take the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK board examinations. Time is also provided to schedule interviewing and residency preparation. For elective and subinternship listings and descriptions, please see course listings under Medical Education and individual departments.

Eligibility for the M.D. Degree

In April of the anticipated year of graduation, the Progress Committee will review students’ progress to determine their eligibility for the M.D. degree. If the student meets all criteria, a student will be included on the list to be transmitted to the dean and registrar of the University for conferral of the M.D. degree. Criteria for graduation are:

1. satisfactorily meet all nine YSM Competencies
2. take and pass United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 CK
3. satisfactory completion of a subinternship (students may take a given subinternship up to two times to fulfill the graduation requirement)
4. satisfactory completion of the Capstone course and any required assessments
5. satisfactory completion of forty weeks of study in the final year, including one required subinternship and the Capstone course
6. satisfactory completion of the Medical Student Thesis Requirement
7. continued satisfactory fulfillment of the YSM Professionalism Standards
8. continuing to meet YSM Technical, Non-Academic Standards
9. having no unresolved concerns regarding academic performance

If a student does not meet criteria for advancement, the Progress Committee will determine whether the student is determined to be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward meeting the criteria (e.g., participation in a prescribed remediation plan). Total time in the M.D. program cannot exceed five years in total, not including time for approved leaves of absence. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Progress Committee may approve up to one additional year of study.

United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a three-step examination for medical licensure in the United States. It is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).

• USMLE Step 1 assesses a student’s ability to apply basic sciences to the practice of medicine. The eight-hour test consists of 350 multiple-choice questions.
• USMLE Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) assesses a student’s ability to apply medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science for patient care.
• USMLE Step 3, a two-day exam, assesses whether a medical school graduate can apply medical knowledge and understanding of biomedical and clinical science for the unsupervised practice of medicine. This exam is taken only after obtaining an M.D. degree.

Passing Step 1 and Step 2 CK is required for graduation from Yale School of Medicine. Students apply for the USMLE online at the NBME website at https://apps.nbme.org/nlesweb. Additional information on USMLE scheduling and guidelines is available online on the medical education website at https://medicine.yale.edu/education/academicprogress/registrar/scheduling/usmle.

USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK are computer-administered at Prometric Testing Centers. This system has given students considerable flexibility over the choice of test time and place. The Office of Student Affairs holds a USMLE information session for students preparing to take the exams after completion of their clerkships.

Requirements

1. Yale School of Medicine students are required to take USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK by December 31 of the year before graduation.
2. Joint- and dual-degree students (excluding M.D.-Ph.D. students) are required to schedule one of the exams to be taken prior to the start of the joint or dual degree and to work with their adviser to schedule the second exam in a timely fashion, but not necessarily prior to starting the dual- or joint-degree program. After working out a schedule with their adviser, students must notify the chair of the Progress Committee, Deborah Proctor, of the plan.
3. M.D.-Ph.D. students are required to take USMLE Step 1 by December 31 of the year in which they complete their first six months of clerkships.
4. Any failure of Step 1 or Step 2 CK will be brought to the attention of the Progress Committee and the student’s academic adviser. In general, a student in good standing will be allowed three attempts to take and pass each of these examinations.
5. If a student fails an exam three times, the Progress Committee will review the student’s overall academic progress. Under extraordinary circumstances the Progress Committee may permit a fourth attempt, but barring that permission, the student will be dismissed from the medical school.
6. If a student who fails one of these exams is also experiencing other academic difficulties, including issues related to unprofessional behavior or failure to progress through the clinical clerkships, or is already on academic probation, the Progress Committee will review the student’s overall academic progress. The Progress Committee will then determine how many times and under what circumstances that individual may be permitted to repeat these exams, which may be fewer than three times.

Additional Guidelines

1. It is strongly suggested that students complete USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK by June 30 in the first year of the Advanced Training Period (ATP).
2. Students may schedule up to eight weeks of study for USMLE Step 1 and up to four weeks of study for USMLE Step 2 CK. Any study time over these limits must be approved by the associate dean for student affairs.
3. It is strongly suggested that M.D.-Ph.D. students take USMLE Step 1 by August 31 of the year in which they complete their six months of clerkships in order to fully engage with their Ph.D. work.

Required Thesis

Yale has a long tradition of requiring a dissertation based on original research. The M.D. thesis, a requirement since 1839, is an essential part of the curriculum, designed to develop critical judgment, habits of self-education, and application of the scientific method to medicine. The thesis requirement gives students the opportunity to work closely with full-time faculty who are distinguished scientists, clinicians, and scholars. The investigation may have its origins in basic, translational, or clinical science, including bench, outcomes, health services, community-engaged, health equity, and medicine and the humanities (medical ethics, history of medicine, etc.) research. A hypothesis must be defined, experimental methods developed, and data gathered to prove or disprove the hypothesis. Qualitative research designed to generate hypotheses is also encouraged. Students are expected to use state-of-the-art methods appropriate for research and scholarship in each discipline. Stipends are provided for summer and all other short-term research periods (four deadlines throughout the year). In addition, there are many national (National Institutes of Health, Sarnoff Foundation, American Heart Association) and Yale-sponsored one-year research fellowships available. Conduct of the research is begun in the summer following the first year and is continued during free periods in the third and fourth years, often over vacations. A large number of students elect to take an additional year of medical school to pursue their research projects in greater depth, but this is not a requirement. These students are eligible for a joint M.D./Master of Health Science (M.H.S.) if all requirements for the joint degree are fulfilled.

A doctoral dissertation in the biological sciences previously accepted as a part of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree may be submitted in lieu of a School of Medicine dissertation at the discretion of the director of the Office of Student Research and the Thesis Committee. Information about the thesis and research opportunities and funding may be obtained from the Office of Student Research, at osr.med@yale.edu or at https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/research.

Master of Health Science

The School of Medicine administers a two-year master’s of health science (M.H.S.) degree program for applicants with YSM resident, fellow, and faculty appointments in a department or program approved to award the M.H.S. This program is often referred to as the “Professional” M.H.S. to distinguish it from the combined M.D./M.H.S. designed for medical students.

The goal of the Yale Master of Health Science Degree Program is to enhance clinician-scientist workforce development at the Yale School of Medicine. There is a critical need to develop outstanding clinician-scientists whose educational experiences and career goals position them to work in interdisciplinary teams and translate scientific discoveries into practical applications for public good. The M.H.S. is designed to address this need through an intensive two-year program that sets rigorous standards of coursework, research experiences, and mentorship.

Mission

The mission of the M.H.S. program is to prepare physicians for academic research careers in clinical, translational, education, and informatics research and to foster the next generation of clinician-scientists through rigorous training, experiential learning, and mentorship.

Curriculum

The M.H.S. program is administered along four pathways: clinical, laboratory/translational, medical education, and medical informatics. All pathways are overseen by Yale’s Office of Student Research and administered via M.H.S. department chairs. For the clinical and laboratory/translational pathways, M.H.S. department chairs are assigned based on the student’s “home” department/section (https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/research/mhs/mhs-depts-progs/#mhs-directors-by-department). Dr. Janet Hafler of the Teaching and Learning Center serves as the M.H.S. department chair for all M.H.S. students in the medical education pathway, and Dr. Cynthia Brandt of the Yale Center for Medical Informatics serves as the M.H.S. department chair for all students in the medical informatics pathway.

Each M.H.S. pathway follows a shared curriculum structure, with pathway requirements (e.g., required courses, electives, presentations) tailored to fit the unique training needs of students during the two-year program:

Research

M.H.S. students are expected to undertake an intensive mentored research training experience that constitutes a major portion of their effort in the program. Required components of this research experience include:

• development of a full-length (fifty to sixty page), original thesis based upon the research conducted in the two-year research project. The thesis must be approved by the primary adviser, two additional thesis committee members, and the M.H.S. department chair
• development of at least one manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal
• presentation of their research at one or more Grand Rounds or open-forum, department-level meeting each year
• coordination and completion of (at minimum) two meetings per year with the thesis committee to evaluate progress on the research project

Career development

All M.H.S. students must complete an Intake Assessment at the time of matriculation into the M.H.S. program and an Individual Development Plan at the beginning of year two of the program.

Admissions

Admissions to the M.H.S. program are overseen by the Office of Student Research and the M.H.S. Advisory Committee, composed of senior-level physician-scientist and clinician-educator faculty. M.H.S. applicants must be from a department or program approved to award the M.H.S. degree. Departments and programs may petition the M.H.S. Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine to offer this degree to their residents, fellows, and faculty who hold a Yale appointment. Applicants must be able to commit a minimum of thirty-five percent FTE effort for at least two years to participate in the M.H.S. program.

Application Process

Applications for the next academic year open in January and are closed to further submission in March. The application is completed online and includes submission of a research project plan, personal statement, and letters of support from the proposed thesis adviser, two committee members, and the M.H.S. departmental chair. At least one M.H.S. thesis committee member must be from a department external to that of the primary adviser. Applications are reviewed for acceptance into the M.H.S. program by the M.H.S. Advisory Committee. More information about the application process for the M.H.S. program can be found at https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/research/mhs/mhs-depts-progs/#mhs-application-instructions.

Inquiries regarding the M.H.S. program should be directed to mhs.osr@yale.edu.

Joint Academic Programs

Students in the M.D. program at the School of Medicine who are accepted into another Yale degree program will be considered to be participating in a “Joint-Degree Program” and will receive the benefit of sharing tuition between the medical school and the other program’s school so that each program gives up a half-year of tuition. For example, a student accepted to the M.D./J.D. Program will pay three and one-half years’ tuition to the School of Medicine and two and one-half years’ tuition to the Law School, completing seven years of school in six. This arrangement holds for Yale schools only. A student wishing to create such an arrangement at a school outside of Yale must receive permission from the associate dean for student affairs at the School of Medicine and, of course, must have the consent of the other school.

School of Medicine students enrolled in a joint-degree program or in a program to obtain a degree at another school (other than an M.D.-Ph.D. student in the MSTP program) must complete three years in the School of Medicine and take Step 1 and Step 2 CK of the USMLE by June 30th of the year that they start the joint/dual degree.

M.D.-Ph.D. Program

A limited number of highly qualified students will be admitted into the M.D.-Ph.D. Program each year. Students accepted into this program have an excellent academic record, prior research experiences of a high caliber, and a strong motivation toward careers that will significantly impact the health of individuals and populations.

The goal of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program at Yale School of Medicine is to train excellent physician-scientists. Integrated medical and graduate research training equips students with technical, operational, and professional skills to carry out clinically relevant research. M.D.-Ph.D. Program graduates are expected to develop impactful research programs, informed by their understanding of human health and disease, and become leaders in their chosen fields.

The M.D.-Ph.D. Program, sponsored jointly by the School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, is intended for students who wish to obtain a research degree in an established Ph.D. program. Participating in the M.D.-Ph.D. Program are the Graduate School departments/programs of Anthropology; Applied Mathematics; Biomedical Engineering; Cell Biology; Cellular and Molecular Physiology; Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics; Economics; Experimental Pathology; Genetics; History of Science and Medicine; Immunobiology; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program; Microbiology; Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Pharmacology; Public Health (Biostatistics, Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Health Policy and Management, and Social and Behavioral Sciences); and Religious Studies. Students interested in taking the joint degree in another department may be able to do so, provided they can work out, in advance of acceptance, a program that is approved by the department concerned and the director of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program. Students who anticipate programs in the humanities and social sciences for their Ph.D. studies must be admitted to the programs concurrently with their admission to the M.D.-Ph.D. Program.

Applications to the M.D.-Ph.D. Program are accepted from U.S. citizens or permanent residents and foreign nationals. All applicants selected for admission currently receive support from the program for stipend, tuition, and health fees. Substantial funding is provided by the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) training grant provided by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Continuation in the program is contingent on satisfactory progress in both the School of Medicine and the Graduate School. Students spend an average of seven to eight years completing the requirements for the M.D.-Ph.D. Program.

Students matriculated in the Yale School of Medicine who are interested in joining the M.D.-Ph.D. Program should meet with the director or deputy director to discuss the internal application process. Internal applicants must apply by the fall of their second year of medical school. An important consideration for admission to the M.D.-Ph.D. Program is adequate research experience and identification of a supportive thesis adviser in the intended program of graduate study. Applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. It may be necessary to complete a summer (or the equivalent in time) of research in a lab at Yale for an application to be considered. Applications for admission are reviewed by the same committee that evaluates external applicants to the M.D.-PhD. Program.

Requirements of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program

M.D. and Ph.D. training is highly integrated throughout a student’s time at Yale. M.D.-Ph.D. students begin their Ph.D. dissertation research after completing the first eighteen months of the pre-clinical School of Medicine curriculum. Students will complete two twelve-week clinical rotations at the end of the second year of medical school and participate in longitudinal clinical experiences during their Ph.D. years. Students are expected to take their Step 1 board exams in the summer following the second year of medical school and affiliate with a graduate program by the beginning of the third year of the program. Only under unusual circumstances will students be allowed to complete more or less than six months of clerkships prior to beginning Ph.D. work; this requires prior approval of the director.

During the first and second years of medical school, the majority of M.D.-Ph.D. students complete graduate-level courses co-listed in the medical and graduate schools. In addition, there are M.D.-Ph.D.-specific courses that complement the core medical school curriculum, and course credit can be applied toward the requirements of the student’s chosen Ph.D. program. Lab rotations (up to two approximately five-week rotations) in the summer between the first and second years allow students to explore potential thesis mentors and research projects. Students request affiliation with a particular department in the Graduate School by the beginning of their third year of study in the program. Any exceptions must be approved by the director of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program and the director of graduate studies (DGS) of the proposed Ph.D. department.

Students admitted to the joint-degree program must satisfy the Graduate School Honors requirement and complete all predissertation requirements within four terms of affiliation with the Ph.D. department. To be admitted to candidacy, students in the M.D.-Ph.D. Program must fulfill the Ph.D. program course requirements, teaching requirements if applicable, a departmental qualifying examination, and the submission of an approved prospectus. An average of three to four years is spent completing the Ph.D. requirements.

To develop skills in our trainees that are associated with success in a broad range of physician-scientist research careers through experiential learning, the Certificate in Leadership and Research Management for Physician-Scientists was developed to provide formal training in the skills necessary for effective leadership and management of research and clinical teams. Workshops are organized into eight modules taken by students during their M.D. and Ph.D. training periods; Modules 1–4 (Mentoring, Proposal Development, Teaching, Anti-Racism) are required of all M.D.-Ph.D. students. Students are also required to complete at least one of four optional modules (Communication, Leadership and Teamwork, Self-Management, Nuts and Bolts of Research Management) during the course of their training.

After the student’s thesis defense, the student returns to the medical wards to complete six months of integrated clinical clerkships and remaining clinical course work, including mandatory and/or elective subinternships, clinical electives, and the M.D. Capstone Course. Students must also pass Step 2 CK and C-OSCE exams by December 31 of the academic year in which they plan to graduate from the joint-degree program.

The Ph.D. dissertation will be accepted as the thesis requirement for the School of Medicine, providing the Ph.D. degree is received before or at the same time as the M.D. degree. If the M.D. degree is to be awarded before the Ph.D., an approved thesis must be submitted to the Office of Student Research at the School of Medicine by March 15 in order to meet the School of Medicine thesis requirement for graduation. Students will be eligible for the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, provided the degree requirements for both the School of Medicine and the Graduate School have been fulfilled.

Joint M.D./Master of Health Science (M.D./M.H.S.)

Yale School of Medicine has established a joint degree, the M.D./Master of Health Science (M.D./M.H.S.), for students completing a competitively funded full fifth year of research and other requirements. This program was approved by the Yale Corporation in January 2006.

There are two pathways to the M.D./M.H.S. degree for medical students: a clinical research pathway and a laboratory/translational research pathway. The M.D./M.H.S. degree is centered around a fifth-year pull-out supported by a fully funded one-year medical student research fellowship at Yale.

The independent research project in the fifth year is the centerpiece of the M.D./M.H.S. degree program. In addition, the following requirements apply:

1. The project mentor and a three-person thesis committee must be approved by the Office of Student Research (OSR) and the M.D.-Master of Health Science Advisory Committee.
2. Additional course work is required. Please refer to the OSR website (https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/research) as course requirements may change.
3. Participation in monthly research-in-progress seminars, journal clubs, Leadership in Biomedicine Lecture Series and dinners, and other announced activities throughout the master’s research year is required. Further information is available in the Office of Student Research or at https://medicine.yale.edu/education/md-program/research.

M.D./M.P.H. Program

Students enrolled for the M.D. degree at the School of Medicine may apply to the Yale School of Public Health for admission to a combined program leading to the degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health. This program (Advanced Professional Program) is designed for students with special interest in aspects of medicine dealing with biostatistics, epidemiology of acute or chronic disease, organization and management of health services, or aspects of preventive medicine and public health.

Normally the combined program requires five years of study. One thesis satisfies both degree requirements provided it is approved and carried out under the supervision of a faculty member of the School of Public Health and is in an appropriate subject area.

Applications for the M.P.H. portion of this combined degree program must be submitted through www.sophas.org. The SOPHAS application opens in the fall of each year, and medical students are encouraged to apply during their third year of study. The M.P.H. program is on rolling admissions, and the final application deadline is December 15. Medical students may contact the YSPH director of admissions at ysph.admissions@yale.edu or the director of the AP M.P.H. Program, Dr. Mayur Desai, for more detailed information regarding the curriculum and areas of study.

M.D./M.Div. Program

Students who have been admitted to the Yale School of Medicine and are enrolled for the M.D. degree may apply to the Divinity School for admission to a combined program leading to the award of the degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Master of Divinity. Students who apply to the joint M.D./M.Div. Program are expected to do so at the same time that they apply to the School of Medicine or by the end of their second year at the School of Medicine in order to qualify for the special tuition arrangement. Students enrolled in the program pay three and one-half years’ tuition to the School of Medicine and two and one-half years’ tuition to the Divinity School.

The joint program is tailored to the individual interests and needs of those students seeking professional education and training in a theological understanding of the self, society, and work; in bioethics; in international health and missions; in relating a ministry of healing to hospice or similar patient-care facilities; in a biblical understanding of person; or in academic work in teaching, counseling, and chaplaincy.

Six years are required for the combined M.D./M.Div. Program.

M.D./J.D. Program

The Yale School of Medicine has a formal relationship with the Law School to allow students to seek degrees from both schools. This can be done in six years instead of seven, as would be the case if these disciplines were studied separately. Students pay three and one-half years’ tuition to the School of Medicine and two and one-half years’ tuition to the Law School. Students interested in this program must confer early with the appropriate deans at each school to plan curriculum and find out if they qualify for the special tuition arrangement. Students at the Law School must petition for approval of a joint-degree program, and they may only petition after they have matriculated in Law School and completed their first term.

Students who apply to the joint M.D./J.D. Program are expected to do so at the same time that they apply to the School of Medicine or by the end of their second year at the School of Medicine in order to qualify for the special tuition arrangement. Students must be found acceptable by both admissions committees. It is suggested that the student state on each application that the student is applying to both schools in order to pursue the combined degree program.

M.D./M.B.A. Program

The purpose of the joint-degree program in medicine and management is to develop clinician-managers capable of pursuing careers that balance delivery of patient care with sound management in a changing health care environment. The joint-degree program normally requires five years of study and simultaneous award of the degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration at the conclusion of the five-year period. A joint-degree student pays three and one-half years’ tuition to the School of Medicine and one and one-half years’ tuition to the School of Management, in a pattern determined in advance by the two schools. Students interested in this program must discuss their intentions with the associate deans of student affairs at both schools and with Howard P. Forman, M.D., M.B.A., director of this joint-degree program.

Yale School of Public Health

The School of Public Health (YSPH) is an accredited school of public health where students may earn the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in public health are awarded through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The M.P.H. degree program is available as a two-year program; as an eleven-month program for individuals with a doctoral-level (or international equivalent) degree in a field related to public health (e.g., physicians, dentists, veterinarians, attorneys, and those with a doctorate in the biological, behavioral, or social sciences), individuals with a master’s degree and at least two years of relevant work experience, individuals with a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of relevant work experience, and students who have completed their third year in an accredited medical, dental, or podiatric school in the United States; as a two-year, part-time online Executive M.P.H. program; or as a five-year joint B.A.-B.S./M.P.H. program with Yale College. See the YSPH Bulletin for details on each degree program.

Yale Physician Associate Program

The concept of a physician assistant (or Physician Associate) was first developed in 1965. Today the Physician Associate is a highly valued member of the health care team. Physician Associates are distinguished from other advanced health care practitioners by the extent to which they are given decision-making authority regarding patient care, diagnosis, and treatment. The twenty-eight-month Yale program, established in 1970, is committed to educating students for generalist medical practice. As of April 2023, the Yale Physician Associate Program has graduated 1,426 Physician Associates who are employed in a variety of settings throughout the nation. Graduates practice in rural as well as urban areas, in emergency rooms, health maintenance organizations, clinics, and solo and private practices. They possess a variety of skills, which enable them to take a medical history; perform a physical examination; diagnose illness and formulate patient treatment plans; counsel patients; perform medical procedures; and assist in surgery.

Mission of the Yale Physician Associate Program

The mission of the Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program is to educate individuals to become outstanding clinicians and to foster leaders who will serve their communities and advance the PA profession.

Curriculum Structure and Goals of the Yale Physician Associate Academic Program

The program is divided into a didactic phase of twelve months and a clinical phase of fourteen months. In addition, a research component is included in the clinical phase of the curriculum, with two one-month periods for research-related activities. The program provides a rich combination of medical courses and clinical experiences to ensure that Physician Associate students are prepared for their careers as professionals in interprofessional medical teams. Through problem-based learning, case studies, hands-on patient care, and research, the Yale Physician Associate students are well prepared to join hospitalist teams and private practices in both primary care and specialties.

A Master of Medical Science (M.M.Sc.) degree is awarded upon completion of the program.

The Didactic Phase

The first calendar year is devoted to course work in basic and clinical sciences. Courses include:

• Anatomy I, II, III
• Basic Science I, II, III
• Behavioral Medicine I, II, III
• Clinical Medicine I, II, III
• Diagnostic Studies I, II, III
• Patient Assessment I, II, III
• Pharmacology I, II, III
• Practice, Policy, and Ethics I, II, III
• Research I, II, III

The Clinical Phase

Each student completes thirteen four-week rotations and one two-week rotation, in a variety of medical specialties, in order to acquire broad experiences in primary, emergency, and surgical care. Two additional four-week blocks during the clinical phase are reserved as research/thesis months. Ten rotations are mandatory: Internal Medicine I, Internal Medicine II, General Surgery, Primary Care I, Primary Care II, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Adult Geriatric Medicine, and Emergency Medicine. The remaining four rotations are reserved for subspecialty electives.

Although many rotations are in the New Haven area, the experience of the student is expanded by exposure to rotations in other geographic settings. Consequently, students entering the program should expect to spend at least one rotation outside of New Haven or Connecticut. Students should expect to provide their own transportation and housing for all rotations away from New Haven. Students may also choose to broaden their experience by applying for international rotations. Students have chosen clerkships in China, Spain, Uganda, Rwanda, and Peru.

In order to graduate from the program, a student must successfully complete all rotations, summative evaluation using standardized patients, a written examination, and a thesis proposal. The thesis proposal must present a rationale for the topic of study, a comprehensive literature review, and a detailed description of the methodology to be used. A Yale School of Medicine faculty adviser serves as a thesis mentor to each student.

Mandatory Rotations

• Adult Geriatric Medicine
• Emergency Medicine
• General Surgery
• Internal Medicine I
• Internal Medicine II
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Primary Care I
• Primary Care II
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry

Elective Rotations

Please see departmental listings for available clinical elective rotations.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition for the Physician Associate program for the 2023–2024 academic year is $48,834 for first- and second-year students, and $16,278 for third-year students. Fees and other expenses—including books, supplies, and equipment; room and board; personal expenses and transportation; Yale Health Hospitalization coverage; and travel to rotations—are estimated at an additional $39,874 for first-year students, $41,591 for second-year students, and $13,985 for third-year students. For more information, visit https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/financialaid/paprogram/budget/2023-2024-pa-budget.

Admission to the Yale Physician Associate Program

The admissions process is highly selective and competitive. Selection is based on a multitude of factors including academic history, community or leadership involvement, patient care experience, and interpersonal effectiveness. For additional information regarding admissions, please visit the PA Program website at http://paprogram.yale.edu/admissions.

Academic

Students must have a baccalaureate degree prior to matriculation. The Admissions Committee closely examines applicant records for evidence that individuals are capable of successfully completing graduate-level science work. An undergraduate science major is not required, but applicants must complete the following prerequisites: one semester of statistics or calculus, one semester of organic or biochemistry, one semester of anatomy with or without lab, one semester of animal or human physiology, one semester of microbiology, and one semester of genetics. Please visit http://paprogram.yale.edu/admissions/prerequisites/academic.aspx for further details. A cumulative science grade point average of 3.0 is required. The program considers Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores (required) and performance in science courses as indicators of academic ability in light of applicants’ past records.

Experience

Applicants must have some awareness of the intricacies of medical care delivery as it exists today and demonstrate their commitment to a profession that helps the sick and injured. The majority of the PA Program’s students have had one year of direct patient contact experience in a variety of health care roles such as orderly, nurses’ aide, military corpsman, nurse, medical scribe, phlebotomist, or emergency medical technician. Experience need not be in a hospital setting. One thousand hours of direct, hands-on patient care experience is highly recommended to be considered for admission.

Interpersonal

The program values ability to work skillfully, thoughtfully, responsibly, and constructively with people. The Admissions Committee screens applicants to determine their career commitment, interpersonal skills, and willingness to work with the supervision of a physician.

In addition to scholastic potential and interpersonal skills, applicants must have the physical capacities and personal characteristics necessary to meet the full requirements of the program’s curriculum and to graduate as skilled and effective physician assistants. Policy on nonacademic considerations is outlined in our Technical Standards, which are available at http://paprogram.yale.edu/admissions/prerequisites/technical.aspx.

Application for Admission

The application deadline for the class entering in August 2024 is September 1, 2023. Program information is available on the PA Program website, http://paprogram.yale.edu/admissions/apply.aspx. Online applications for admission are processed through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) at https://caspa.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login. The program also requires a supplemental application, available at https://www.applyweb.com/yalepa.

This publication is true and correct in content and policy at the time of its printing. The PA Program and the University reserve the right to revise its policies throughout the year and to reflect any such modifications in the online version of this bulletin.

M.M.Sc./M.P.H. Joint-Degree Program

The M.M.Sc./M.P.H. joint-degree program at Yale School of Medicine affords individuals interested in pursuing clinical and public health training a unique opportunity to complete both degree programs in thirty-nine months. The goal of this program is to expose students to the core competencies needed for shaping both local and global health systems as physician assistants and policy makers. Students must choose the area of academic concentration for the public health portion of their training from among the following: Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Social and Behavioral Sciences, or Health Policy.

Applicants must apply for admission and be accepted to both the Physician Associate Program and the Yale School of Public Health during concurrent admissions cycles. Although the deadline for application to the School of Public Health is December 15, individuals interested in the joint-degree program should apply to the PA Program and the School of Public Health as early as possible. For individuals granted an interview with the PA Program, the School of Public Health will expedite the review of the application.

Tuition and fees are billed to the student by the corresponding school during matriculation. Satisfactory academic progress is required for continued matriculation in both schools. The Master of Medical Science (M.M.Sc.) and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degrees are conferred upon completion of both programs.

Yale Physician Assistant Online Program

Yale University’s strategy for digital education is to prioritize initiatives that (1) use technology to improve teaching and learning at Yale University; and (2) amplify the impact of the great teaching at Yale beyond the campus. In pursuing these objectives, Yale seeks ideas that introduce pedagogical innovation and experimentation. In doing so, digital education initiatives benefit teaching and learning across the campus, while also advancing a school’s, center’s, or department’s educational objectives.

The Physician Assistant (PA) Online Program assists the University in meeting all of these goals. This program extends the great teaching at Yale beyond the local area, revolutionizes PA education, and advances the PA program’s goals.

The concept of a physician assistant was first developed in 1965. Today the Physician Assistant is a highly valued member of the health care team. They are distinguished from other advanced health care practitioners by the extent to which they are given decision-making authority regarding patient care, diagnosis, and treatment. The twenty-eight-month PA Online Program is committed to educating students for primary care medical practice.

In September 2017 the Yale School of Medicine Physician Assistant Online Program was granted Accreditation—Provisional status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). In February 2020 the program completed the second scheduled ARC-PA site visit and was again granted Accreditation—Provisional status in June 2020. In February 2022, the Program completed the third ARC-PA site visit and at its June 2022 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the Yale Physician Assistant Online Program sponsored by Yale University School of Medicine on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in June 2024. Probation accreditation is a temporary accreditation status initially of not less than two years. However, that period may be extended by the ARC-PA for up to an additional two years if the ARC-PA finds that the program is making substantial progress toward meeting all applicable standards but requires additional time to come into full compliance. Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation–Provisional or Accreditation–Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened.

Mission of the Yale Physician Assistant Online Program

The mission of the Yale Physician Assistant (PA) Online Program is to improve the health of all people by transforming medical education through innovation.

Values of the Yale Physician Assistant Online Program

The PA Online Program values higher-order learning; critical thinking; bioethical principles; and diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity.

Curriculum Structure of the Yale Physician Assistant Online Academic Program

The program is divided into a didactic phase of twelve months (including two mandatory on-campus immersions, both one week in length) and a clinical phase of sixteen months (including a capstone month and one mandatory on-campus immersion, one week in length). A research component, in the form of a capstone, is incorporated into the clinical phase of the curriculum over a four-week rotation period. The program provides a rich combination of medical courses and clinical experiences to ensure that PA students are prepared for their careers as professionals in interprofessional medical teams. Students begin their Clinical Experience in Early Didactic (CEED) in the second term of the didactic year. Through problem-based learning, case studies, hands-on patient care, and the capstone, the Yale PA Online students are well prepared to join health care teams across the country to meet the ever-increasing demand for primary care providers.

A Master of Medical Science (M.M.Sc.) degree is awarded upon completion of the program.

The Didactic Phase

The didactic year consists of two mandatory on-campus immersions and a series of courses that are spread out over the course of the twelve months. The organ system approach is used, with pediatrics, emergency medicine, and geriatrics being included across each system. The following is a summary of the courses and credit hours:

Course number	Course name	Credits
OLPA 5010	Human Anatomy I	3
OLPA 5110	Human Anatomy II	3
OLPA 5210	Human Anatomy III	3
OLPA 5020	Basic Science I	2
OLPA 5120	Basic Science II	2
OLPA 5220	Basic Science III	2
OLPA 5030	Patient Assessment I	3
OLPA 5130	Patient Assessment II	3
OLPA 5230	Patient Assessment III	3
OLPA 5040	Diagnostic Studies I	1
OLPA 5140	Diagnostic Studies II	1
OLPA 5240	Diagnostic Studies III	1
OLPA 5050	Clinical Medicine I	5
OLPA 5150	Clinical Medicine II	5
OLPA 5250	Clinical Medicine III	5
OLPA 5060	Pharmacology I	3
OLPA 5160	Pharmacology II	3
OLPA 5260	Pharmacology III	3
OLPA 5070	Behavioral and Preventive Medicine I	1
OLPA 5170	Behavioral and Preventive Medicine II	1
OLPA 5270	Behavioral and Preventive Medicine III	1
OLPA 5080	Preparing Future PAs I: PA Practice	1
OLPA 5180	Preparing Future PAs II: Evidence-Based Medicine	1
OLPA 5280	Preparing Future PAs III: Bioethics	1

• Total credits, 57

The Clinical Phase

Each student completes fifteen four-week rotations, with an emphasis on internal medicine and primary care. One additional four-week block during the clinical phase is reserved as the capstone month. There are three four-week elective rotations and one final mandatory on-campus immersion.

The majority of the rotations will be in the student’s local geographic area, although there may be some opportunities for elective rotations in other geographic areas. Students are expected to provide their own transportation to and from CEED sites, all clinical rotations, and for all on-campus immersions. These expenses are calculated into the student budget.

Clinical Rotations and Capstone

• Internal Medicine I, II, and III (12 weeks; 12 credits)
• Primary Care I, II, and III (12 weeks; 12 credits)
• Behavioral Medicine (4 weeks; 4 credits)
• Pediatrics I and II (8 weeks; 8 credits)
• General Surgery (4 weeks; 4 credits)
• Women’s Health (4 weeks; 4 credits)
• Emergency Medicine (4 weeks; 4 credits)
• Electives (12 weeks; 12 credits)
• Master’s Capstone (4 weeks; 1 credit)

Total credits, 61

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate from the PA Online Program, a student must successfully complete their didactic year (57 credits), all clinical rotations and the Master’s Capstone (61 credits), Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) Waiver Training, a virtual interprofessional education (VIPE) session, summative evaluation using standardized patients, and a written final cumulative examination.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition for the PA Online Program for the 2023–2024 academic year is $16,517 per term. For first-year students, the tuition is $33,034 for two terms of tuition. Second-year students can expect to remit approximately $49,551 for three terms of tuition, and third-year students remit $33,034 for two terms of tuition. Activity fees, technology fees, and other expenses—including books and supplies; equipment; room and board; immersions; personal and transportation expenses; hospitalization coverage and miscellaneous medical expenses; and travel to rotations—are estimated at an additional $26,061 for first-year students, $40,691for second-year students, and $24,154 for third-year students. For more information see https://paonline.yale.edu/admissions/tuition-and-financial-aid.

Veterans Affairs (VA) recipients: The PA Online Program participates in Yellow Ribbon and allows VA recipients with pending VA remittance to attend or participate in the PA course of study, provided that the individual submits a Chapter 33 Certificate of Eligibility (or equivalent form from e-Benefits) or a Chapter 31 contract with the institution for this student on VA Form 28-1905.

Admission to the Yale Physician Assistant Online Program

Admission selection to the January cohort is based on a multitude of factors including academic history, community or leadership involvement, patient care experience, and interpersonal effectiveness. For additional information regarding admissions, please visit the PA Online Program website at https://paonline.yale.edu/admissions.

Academic

Students must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution prior to matriculation. The Admissions Committee closely examines applicant records for evidence that individuals are capable of successfully completing graduate-level science work. An undergraduate science major is not required, but applicants must complete the following prerequisites with a minimum of 3 semester credits each: statistics, organic chemistry or biochemistry, human anatomy, physiology, and microbiology. Please visit https://paonline.yale.edu/admissions/prerequisites for detailed descriptions of the courses required. An undergraduate science grade point average of 3.0 is required. A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 is also required. Academic rigor and performance in science courses are some of the indicators of academic success examined by the Admissions Committee.

Experience

Applicants must have some awareness of the intricacies of health care delivery and demonstrate their commitment to the PA profession. The Yale PA Online Program requires 500+ paid patient-care experience hours. Additional hands-on health care experience does make an applicant more competitive and will reconfirm the applicant’s commitment to the field. Some examples of experience include working as an emergency medical technician, phlebotomist, or medical scribe. Experience can be in a variety of health care settings.

Interpersonal

The program values the ability to work competently, maturely, conscientiously, and with empathy within a team setting. The Admissions Committee reviews letters of recommendation and screens applicants to determine their career commitment, interpersonal skills, and willingness to work with the supervision of a physician. All admissions interviews are conducted online.

In addition to scholastic potential and interpersonal skills, applicants must have the physical capacities and personal characteristics necessary to meet the full requirements of the program’s curriculum and to graduate as skilled and effective physician assistants. Policy on nonacademic considerations is outlined in our Technical Standards, which are available at https://paonline.yale.edu/admissions/technical-standards.

Application for Admission

For the class entering in January 2024, the priority application deadline is July 1, 2023. The final application deadline is September 1, 2023. The program participates in CASPA, the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (https://caspa.liaisoncas.com).

This publication is true and correct in content and policy at the time of its printing. The PA Program and the University reserve the right to revise its policies throughout the year and to reflect any such modifications in the online version of this bulletin.

Certificate in Global Medicine

The Certificate in Global Medicine is awarded upon graduation to Yale School of Medicine students who demonstrate competence in global health and provides recognition that a student has completed required didactic course work, scholarly work, global health clinical experience, and language, culture, and leadership activities relevant to global health. This certificate allows students to develop expertise and prepares students for leadership in global health by providing the knowledge, skills, and attitude essential for success in this field. Requirements for earning the certificate can be completed over four (or five) years, while maintaining flexibility in terms of both the timing and content of these opportunities. It is expected that students pursuing the certificate will engage with the community of practitioners and scholars working on global health at Yale and around the world. International field experience in global health is an integral part of the program.

Additional information is available at https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/gho/certificate.