AN OPEN LETTER TO ADMISSIONS CANDIDATES On the Philosophy of Student Education Basic Sciences Department The mission of the Basic Biomedical Sciences Department is to provide an excellent academic program as a foundation for clinical education. The department's goal is to educate the students in the disciplines of histology, gross anatomy, biochemistry, neurosciences, physiology, microbiology, immunology, lower extremity anatomy, pharmacology, and pathology. Education in these basic science disciplines, coupled with Scholl College's excellent clinical education, prepares students to be the best possible practitioners of podiatric medicine. The current Basic Sciences faculty offers significant experience, with an average of 13 years at Scholl College. This stability means consistent and reliable training for you in the basic sciences and the benefit of instructors who tailor your medical education towards those topics which are most important to podiatric medicine. All but one of the first-year Basic Sciences faculty are full-time, thus they are available for consultation. And because Scholl College made a decision to keep class sizes in proportion to the needs of the profession, classrooms and labs are not overcrowded and most professors know you by name. The PhD scientists run the labs for their own courses, so you get direct supervision of your training from the professor. Our labs emphasize the practical skills you will use in podiatric medicine, so rather than performing "experiments" as you did in your undergraduate labs, you will learn skills to prepare you for your clinical training. Assessments of those skills are also practical, using practicum-style tests in anatomy and histology, and psychomotor skills checklists in microbiology and physiology. Our students perform very well on Part I of the National Boards Exam (a comprehensive test of basic science knowledge), with over 97% passing the first time for the past 4 years. In the curriculum revision which began in 1994, the Basic Sciences faculty reaffirmed their commitment to academic excellence. The curriculum in the first two years is modular, so that courses do not need to be artificially stretched or shortened to fit into a fixed semester or quarter. The courses are set to run their natural lengths, in modules of varying duration, so the final exams are spread across the calendar instead of ending in a final exam week at semester's end. Likewise, the unit exams are dispersed, averaging one a week. Knowledge of lecture material is assessed by multiple choice, short-answer and essay questions. Internal studies show that Scholl College has not conceded to the pressures of grade inflation, so that those outside the college who evaluate your academic record should know that Scholl College grades accurately reflect what they measure. Another feature of first-year education at Scholl is our problem-based learning unit, which is part of the Fundamentals of Podiatric Medicine course. About once a month, first-year students assemble in groups of 7 or 8 and are presented with a clinical case. The groups are guided, but not taught, by a faculty facilitator. The groups submit written summaries of the cases with an emphasis on the whole patient rather than on the subject matter of individual courses. This allows the students to integrate all the basic science material they are concurrently learning and prepares them for the problem-solving mode used extensively in Scholl College's second-, third-, and fourth-year clinical training. The college's problem-based learning is consonant with the faculty's goal of preparing life-long learners in the podiatric profession. One extra benefit of our problem-based learning unit is the involvement of eight to ten faculty members, both PhDs and DPMs. The interplay between them in preparing cases means that our basic sciences faculty has an even greater appreciation of the clinical relevance of the material taught in our courses. Case-based learning is also a feature of many of the lecture courses, which use clinical cases to summarize and integrate the basic science information. Should you find yourself struggling with Scholl College's curriculum, several "safety nets" are available. All courses offer college-funded peer tutoring and all professors have office hours. Full-time Basic Sciences faculty members are aware of problems when they arise and offer the college's help. Many students also seek our advice on non-academic problems, which we are happy to give. The college also has a full-time counselor and two part-time counselors who are practicing podiatrists. The Basic Sciences faculty are part of the research efforts at Scholl College. The Director and Assistant Director of Research, both practicing podiatrists, hold adjunct appointments in the Basic Sciences Department and interact with this faculty. Several collaborative projects are ongoing and many have students involved. Students are and have been involved in Dr. Muehleman's osteoarthritis projects, one of which is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health. Many of the faculty also sponsor student research projects in either formal programs, such as the Swanson Independent Scholar Program or informal student research. Scholl College does not require students to do research, but we feel that this college affords many opportunities for those who are truly interested in research, whether fundamental or clinical. In summary, the Basic Sciences Department can offer you the opportunity to be among the best-trained podiatric physicians in the country. Close this Window