The gateway program is curated as a pathway into medicine for those students whose academic grades render them ineligible for a direct entry into medicine but who fulfill other specific participation criteria. Gateway medical programs aim to prepare these students ultimately for a career in medicine by providing the requisite knowledge and skills they’ll need to be medical students or professionals. 

Students are trained in multiple subjects that will be essential in their medical careers. Let us take a look at the general curriculum followed by gateway medical programs. 

Clinical Anatomy

Clinical anatomy is a combination course of lecture and laboratory in which students acquire foundational knowledge of the gross human structure, the functional anatomy of organs as well as numerous systems of the adult human body. This knowledge is essential to relate to clinical diseases and their understanding. Students are required to participate in both lectures and laboratory sessions where they study diverse imaging techniques such as MRI scans, CT, X-rays, etc. Special emphasis is placed upon the identification of gross structures, coupled with demonstrations and lectures illustrating clinically relevant findings that may be normal or abnormal in the patient. 

Cell and Molecular Biology

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of cellular functions and how it is related to medicine. These concepts are basic and central to the understanding of human body functions and the state of diseases when such functions are disrupted or compromised in an unhealthy manner. Topics may include cell structure and function, diagnostic biotechnology, macromolecular function, genetic expressions and inheritance, and their mechanism in the human body. This course lays down a strong foundation for students to later gain a more detailed understanding of the role of medicine and medical professionals. 

Medical Physiology

In this course, students learn about the function and normal regulation of cells, organs, and physiological integration of all three systems to maintain homeostasis (a balanced state of health) with special emphasis on clinically relevant concepts. Students can expect lectures on humoral and neural homeostatic mechanisms as well as the understanding of the physiology of cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, reproductive, and renal systems. 

Often, students get to explore the pathophysiology of specific diseases. They get a chance to experience their classroom lessons with the laboratory component of the course. 

Principles of Medicine

Principles of medicine comprise two components in an integrated way– medical terminology and advanced learning methods. Advanced learning methods equip students to prepare for and enter medical school by studying as well as test-taking abilities that they will need to successfully handle the volume and complexity of information they’ll be exposed to in medical school curriculums. Medical terminology prepares pre-med students for the complex vocabulary or language of medicine. This course also helps them understand unfamiliar medical terms and their clinical applications. 

If you are a pre-med student, enroll in a gateway program today to start preparing for your medicine career in the best possible way.