“ We stood the curriculum on its head — we intermingled clinical and science work like nobody else was doing at the time ,” says Braunwald . “ UC San Diego was a model for what everyone else is doing now .”
If standardized exams are a measure of success , the Bonner Plan and this integrated vision of the founding faculty worked : The school ’ s second class of 48 graduates ranked number 1 in the U . S . on the 1971 board exams .
But the world has grown a lot since 1971 , and the thought of a “ career in medicine ” has evolved over the decades to mean something much more elaborate to recent UC San Diego medical students . They are trained clinicians , of course , but also stewards of society ’ s resources : medical economists , efficiency experts , disparity reductionists , big data gurus and CEOs .
“ They will enter a world as complex as the diseases they treat ,” says David Brenner , MD , current vice chancellor of health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine .
Just like those before them , Brenner and colleagues are pushing UC San Diego ’ s medical education to constantly evolve as they prepare students for the everchanging pressures and opportunities of modern medicine . In 2010 , Brenner , Maria Savoia , MD , dean for medical education , and Jess Mandel , MD , associate dean of undergraduate medical education , overhauled the curriculum once again , launching what ’ s known as the Integrated Scientific Curriculum . This move cut the number of lecture hours in half , freeing up afternoons for students to pursue individual academic and clinical interests .
What ’ s more , the old pillars of medical school classes — pathology , anatomy , histology and pharmacology — are no longer stand-alone courses . Instead , they are woven into new courses organized by organ system . This “ tapestry ” approach gives students a solid grounding in science as a foundation for clinical practice and emphasizes the important role of genetics and molecular biology in the delivery of highly personalized care .
Match Made
While many aspects of medical education and practice have changed since the School of Medicine admitted its first class , one thing has not : Match Day .
Every year since 1952 , at precisely the same moment , thousands of graduating medical school students across the country simultaneously tear open an envelope . The single sheet of paper inside informs each graduate where he or she will do their residencies — in other words , where each will spend the first several years of their lives as working doctors .
Operated by the nonprofit National Resident Matching Program , the emotional event culminates months of student ’ s applications and interviews with a dozen or more hospitals and institutions , all in search of their perfect match .
Each student creates a ranking of their choices , while each hospital and institution creates its own list of preferred residents . A computer algorithm compares the lists , crunches the numbers and produces a single choice for each matched student .
“ Match Day is a dramatic and joyous event that symbolizes the start of the next phase of our students ’ medical education and training in their chosen fields ,” says Carolyn Kelly , MD , associate dean for admissions and student affairs . “ I don ’ t think Match Day events have changed much in the last 50 years , and that seems to be fine with just about everyone !”
View our Match Day gallery at tritonmag . com / match or share your own memories : tritonmag @ ucsd . edu
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