Tulane University School of Medicine – School Profile and Medical Student Interviews

Student Interviews:

David, MS2

Profile:

The Tulane University School of Medicine is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Class size at Tulane is roughly 175 students. The program heavily emphasizes community involvement and advancement, with roughly 40% of students graduating with dual MD/MPH degrees each year. Tulane School of Medicine is the second oldest medical school in the Southern United States and the 15th oldest program in the entire nation. Affiliated hospitals include the Tulane Medical Center, Tulane Lakeside Hospital for Women and Children, and the University Medical Center of New Orleans, amongst others. The School of Medicine offers MD/PhD and MD/MBA options to students in addition to the the aforementioned MD/MPH program. Notably, the school offers an accelerated version of the MD/MBA option that allows students to complete these degrees in 4 years total.

Curriculum: The first two years of pre-clinical curriculum are divided into two Phases at Tulane School of Medicine. Phase 1 helps students develop a foundational understanding of normal organ structure and function while Phase 2 is intended to helping students carry these concepts over into the study of etiology, pathogenesis, and pathophysiology of disease. Through first and second years, students also complete self-selected elective coursework. In the later years, significant portions of the curriculum are also dedicated to helping students make career choices and successfully match into residency. Soft skills in cultural competence and community medicine are integrated into the curriculum through volunteer service and service learning projects.

Curriculum Highlights:

— TRuMEd: TRuMEd was designed by the Tulane School of Medicine to foster the development of primary care physicians dedicated to serving rural communities of Louisiana. Students in the program are assigned faculty advisors that guides them through a pre-clinical preceptorship. These students also complete a Family Medicine rotation at designated rural sites to help them develop the skills and attributes necessary to thrive as a primary care physician in these areas.

— LEAD Baton Rouge: The LEAD program (Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Discovery) is an innovative program that gives Tulane students increased exposure to  longitudinal care. Students are given the opportunity to work with a physician and group of patients over an extended period of time and, in doing so, they gain exposure to the full gamut of clinical skills necessary to treat a patient’s health as it evolves. The program also allows students to participate in the formation of health care policy and operations of several affiliated state agencies.

— Creative Scholars: The Creative Scholars program is associated with the Tulane undergraduate campus and offers students admission during their sophomore year of college. These students are expected to complete their undergraduate studies within fields of Humanities rather than the hard sciences. These students are not required to take the MCAT. The goal of the program is to encourage students to broaden the horizons of their education experience and to create all-rounded, holistic scholars that can contribute to healthcare innovation.

Location: Tulane is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, home to a culture steeped in Creole cuisine, jazz, and unique architecture. New Orleans has a population of roughly 400,000 residents with a significant young population owing to the proximity of another college campus, Loyola University. The city attracts significant tourism centered on a rich history of music and art. Hurricane Katrina displaced a large proportion of residents in the state. Since the tragedy, significant development and rebuilding has occurred in the Tulane campus vicinity as well as the surrounding area. The Port of New Orleans is still the fifth largest port in the country

Grading Scheme: 1st and 2nd Year: Pass/Fail, 3rd and 4th Year: Honors/High Pass/Pass/ Conditional/Fail

Match List: https://medicine.tulane.edu/student-affairs/match-day/match-results-archive