The Medical Foundations

The Pre-Clinical curriculum is divided into five sequential Foundation units. The lengths and topics of each Foundation unit – both for the current curriculum and the proposed renewed curriculum - are listed below.

Small group problem-based learning is the core pedagogy in the pre-clinical MFs. During each MF, students are divided into tutorial groups of 6-8 students, with a faculty member acting as the tutor for the group. Tutorials take place twice each week, for about 3 hours each time. In addition to tutorials, students attend some Large Group Sessions as a class. Each group also has anatomy and clinical skills sessions.

Medical Foundation 1

Planned for implementation in 2019: 8 weeks August to October of first year. All students in Hamilton. Focus on respiratory and cardiovascular system contributions to oxygenation and homeostasis. Red blood cells will be moved to the hematology sub-unit in MF2.

Currently 13 weeks September to November of first year. All students in Hamilton. Focus on concept of oxygenation. Covers organ-based sub-units of respiratory, cardiac, and red blood cells.
Medical Foundation 2

Planned for implementation in 2019: 8 weeks October to December to finish prior to the December holiday break. All students in their assigned campuses. Focus on renal and hematologic system contribution to oxygenation and homeostasis; and also immunologic and host defense aspects of hematology.

Currently 9 weeks November to February of first year spanning the December holiday period. All students in their assigned campuses. Focus on nutrition, energy, and homeostasis. Covers organ-based sub-units of gastroenterology, endocrinology, and nutrition.
Medical Foundation 3

Planned for implementation in 2019: 12 weeks January to March of first year, followed by 1-week Winter break. All students in their assigned campuses. Focus on nutrition, energy, homeostasis, and reproduction through gastroenterology, endocrinology, and reproduction sub-units.

Currently 9 weeks February to April of first year. All students in their assigned campuses. Focus on homeostasis, genetics and reproduction. Covers renal and reproductive sub-units.
Medical Foundation 4

Planned for implementation in 2019: 12 weeks April to June of first year, followed by post-MF4, summer, 7-week block elective. All students in their assigned campuses. New MF4 focus will be on the prior MF5 topics of locomotion, and neurosensory and behavioural responses to the environment through the musculoskeletal, neurological, and psychiatric (brain & behaviour) sub-units. These three sub-units will be moved to MF4 and will be 4 weeks each.

Currently 10 weeks April to June of first year. All students in their assigned campuses. Focus on genetics, neoplasia, and host defense. Covers immunology and neoplasia sub-units.
Medical Foundation 5

Planned for implementation in 2019: A new “Integration Foundation” (IF) 12 weeks in length August to November. The IF will end the week prior to Clerkship. The IF will focus on review of key concepts from MF1 to MF4 in the context of: (i) complex, multi-system diseases; (ii) chronic illness; and, (iii) the content of the prior MF4, immunology, host defense, and neoplasia, which all lend themselves well to complex and chronic illness. The IF will also serve as a longer preparation to acquire skills to transition to Clerkship.

Currently 13 weeks August to November of second year, followed by the Clerkship. All students in their assigned campuses. Focus as described above with respective sub-units.