{"id":141655,"date":"2026-02-09T15:16:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/?page_id=141655"},"modified":"2026-02-09T15:18:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:18:43","slug":"principles-integrating-science-clinical-medicine-and-equity-pisces","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/education\/md\/curriculum-overview\/pre-clerkship-phase\/principles-integrating-science-clinical-medicine-and-equity-pisces\/","title":{"rendered":"Principles Integrating Science, Clinical Medicine and Equity (PISCEs)"},"content":{"rendered":"

PISCEs is a longitudinal integrated course that prepares students with the medical knowledge needed to care for patients. It integrates foundational science, pathophysiology and disease management. The course is broken into 3 foundational modules\u202ffollowed by eight systems-based (e.g.,\u202fcardiovascular, neuro\/psych) modules. Woven into each of these modules are longitudinal threads which include oncology, infectious disease, anatomy,\u202fmicrobiology, pharmacology and pathology, as well as the school\u2019s health equity curricular themes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The PISCEs curriculum uses multiple instructional design strategies to support active learning, peer learning and team development.\u00a0 The instructional design of the course can be seen below:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"PISCEs<\/a>\"PISCEs<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

The last 10 weeks of the pre-clerkship curriculum, called the \u202f<\/span>Advanced Integration Weeks,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0focuses on integrated cases based on the Core patient presentations\u202forganized by clinical areas and disciplines.\u00a0 Students will revisit prior\u202ffoundational, clinical, and social science content\u202fin\u202fpatient cases to help students consolidate and integrate the material.\u202fIn these final ten weeks of the\u202fpreclerkship\u202fphase, students are immersed each week in patient cases that begin with a patient presentation to a clinic or ER and then evolve over a week where students navigate patient signs, symptoms, labs and imaging to again connect foundational science to patient data they will\u202fsee in clerkships.\u202f\u202fThese cases also have a goal of\u202fintroducing students\u202fto patient cases that are representative of our patient population at Boston Medical Center, our\u202fprimary\u202fteaching hospital.\u202f All cases are based on real patient cases and integrate teaching about our unique populations highlighting knowledge and skills needed to address our curricular key\u202fthemes and populations.<\/span>\u00a0 Finally, students collaborate in small groups to solve clinical problems, simulating the \u201cclinical team\u201d in medical practice and review and prepare for the USMLE Step 1 exam.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact Information<\/h4>\n

Course Directors:
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