Educational Program Objectives
Educational Program Objectives (EPOs) for Southwestern Medical School are regularly reviewed and revised by the Medical Education Curriculum Committee (MECC). The EPOs reflect faculty-defined, outcome-based expectations for all medical students. Presented below are iterations of the EPOs that apply to all current and future medical students.
- Class of 2029-present (effective 2025)
Patient Care
All students will demonstrate the ability to provide patient-centered care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health as part of the inter-professional team.
1.01 Gather essential and accurate information about patients and their conditions through history- taking, physical examination, and the use of laboratory data, imaging, and other tests.
1.02 Perform general patient care procedures of a physician.
1.03 Develop and carry out management plans for patients with common complaints and conditions.
1.04 Counsel and educate patients and their families to support shared decision making.
1.05 Discuss fiscally responsible health care services with patients and families.
1.06 Identify patients in need of urgent or emergent care, seek assistance, and recommend initial evaluation and management.Knowledge for Practice
All students will demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care.
2.01 Apply knowledge of normal human structure and function and of the pathophysiology that underlies their disruption.
2.02 Interpret and apply results of the patient history, physical exam, diagnostic tests, imaging, screening procedures, and epidemiological data.
2.03 Apply knowledge of the social, behavioral, and economic factors that influence health to patient care.Interpersonal and Communication Skills
All students will demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills commensurate with their role, that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals.
3.01 Communicate effectively and professionally with health care teams through oral and written means.
3.02 Work effectively in teams, including interprofessional teams.
3.03 Serve as a role model to peers and junior students.
3.04 Teach others, commensurate with one's roles, abilities, and qualifications.Personal and Professional Development
All students will adhere to professional standards and demonstrate the qualities required to sustain lifelong personal and professional growth.
4.01 Demonstrate the professional and behavioral attributes of a physician, including honesty, integrity, compassion, tolerance, altruism, reliability, and respect for patient autonomy and confidentiality.
4.02 Incorporate ethical standards in their interactions with patients and colleagues and appropriately manage conflicts in order to uphold patient and public trust.
4.03 Demonstrate skills for maintenance of personal wellness.
4.04 Recognize limitations in knowledge, skills and attitudes, demonstrating a commitment to lifelong, self-directed learning and self-improvement and incorporating feedback into daily practice.
4.05 Demonstrate responsiveness and adaptability to change, uncertainty, and ambiguity.Critical Thinking and Discovery
All students will be able to critically appraise literature, apply knowledge and engage in scholarly activity.
5.01 Demonstrate the critical thinking employed during clinical reasoning to reach a prioritized differential diagnosis in patient encounters.
5.02 Apply the ability to access and critically read, understand, and interpret medical literature, and assess its relevance to patient care.
5.03 Complete a scholarly activity, recognize knowledge gaps, and demonstrate self-directed learning to address such gaps for the purpose of furthering medical knowledge and improving patient outcomes.
5.04 Disseminate knowledge gained by scholarly activities to fellow physicians and scientists through oral or written presentations.Health Care Systems and Society
All students will demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care.
6.01 Demonstrate the ability to advocate for patients and discuss methods of advocacy at the societal level.
6.02 Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of health care teams, transitions of care between teams, and the features of highly effective teamwork and team communication.
6.03 Identify shortcomings, gaps, potential costs, and wasteful practices in patient care then develop improvement strategies for health care systems to ensure the delivery of safe, high quality, and high value patient care.
6.04 Provide health care with cultural humility and an appreciation for the needs of diverse patient populations, whether based on age, appearance, ethnicity, culture, disability, economic status, gender, or sexual orientation.Approved by the MECC, January 2025
Effective, July 2025 - Class of 2028 (effective 2024)
Patient Care
All students will demonstrate the ability to provide patient-centered care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health as part of the inter-professional team.
1.01 Gather essential and accurate information about patients and their conditions through history-taking, physical examination, and the use of laboratory data, imaging, and other tests.
1.02 Perform general patient care procedures of a physician.
1.03 Develop and carry out patient management plans that are safe, effective, and efficient to maintain health and treat disease.
1.04 Counsel and educate patients and their families to empower them to participate in their care and enable shared decision making.
1.05 Discuss fiscally responsible health care services with patients and families.Knowledge for Practice
All students will demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care.
2.01 Apply knowledge of normal human structure and function and of the pathophysiology that underlies their disruption.
2.02 Interpret and apply results of the patient history, physical exam, diagnostic tests, imaging, screening procedures, and epidemiological data.
2.03 Apply knowledge of the social, behavioral, and economic factors that influence health to patient care.Interpersonal and Communication Skills
All students will demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills commensurate with their role, that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals.
3.01 Communicate effectively and professionally through oral and written means.
3.02 Work effectively in teams, including interprofessional teams.
3.03 Develop skills in leadership to prepare for the physician’s role in society.
3.04 Communicates effectively, respectfully, and compassionately with patients and families, maintaining patient privacy and autonomy.
3.05 Serve as a role model to peers and junior students.
3.06 Teach others, commensurate with one's roles, abilities, and qualifications.Personal and Professional Development
All students will adhere to professional standards and demonstrate the qualities required to sustain lifelong personal and professional growth.
4.01 Demonstrate the professional and behavioral attributes of a physician including honesty, integrity, compassion, tolerance, altruism, reliability, and respect for patient confidentiality.
4.02 Incorporate ethical standards in their interactions with patients and colleagues and appropriately manage conflicts in order to uphold patient and public trust.
4.03 Demonstrate skills for maintenance of personal wellness.
4.04 Recognize limitations in knowledge, skills and attitudes, demonstrating a commitment to lifelong, self-directed learning and self-improvement and incorporating feedback into daily practice.
4.05 Demonstrate responsiveness and adaptability to change, uncertainty and ambiguity.Critical Thinking and Discovery
All students will be able to critically appraise literature, apply knowledge and engage in scholarly activity.
5.01 Demonstrate the critical thinking employed during clinical reasoning to reach a prioritized differential diagnosis in patient encounters.
5.02 Apply the ability to access and critically read, understand, and interpret medical literature, and assess its relevance to patient care.
5.03 Pursue scholarly activities, which includes recognizing and filling identified knowledge gaps, asking and answering questions and formulating hypotheses to enhance medical knowledge or improve patient outcomes.
5.04 Disseminate knowledge gained by scholarly activities to fellow physicians and scientists through oral or written presentations.Health Care Systems and Society
All students will demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care.
6.01 Demonstrate the ability to advocate for patients and discuss methods of advocacy at the societal level.
6.02 Demonstrate an understanding of health care finance systems including cost awareness and risk-benefit analysis, health care teams, and transitions of care for patients.
6.03 Identify shortcomings and gaps, then develop improvement strategies for health care systems to ensure quality, safety, and value in the delivery of patient care.
6.04 Provide health care with cultural humility and an appreciation for the needs of diverse patient populations, whether based on age, appearance, ethnicity, culture, disability, economic status, gender, or sexual orientation.Approved by the MECC, January 2024
Effective, July 2024 - Class of 2026, 2027 (effective 2020)
Patient Care
All students will demonstrate the ability to provide patient-centered care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health as part of the inter-professional team.
1.01 Gather essential and accurate information about patients and their conditions through history-taking, physical examination, and the use of laboratory data, imaging, and other tests.
1.02 Perform general procedures of the physician.
1.03 Develop and carry out patient management plans that are safe, effective and efficient.
1.04 Counsel and educate patients and their families to empower them to participate in their care and enable shared decision making.
1.05 Provide fiscally responsible health care services to patients, families, and communities aimed at preventing health problems or maintaining health.Knowledge for Practice
All students will demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care.
2.01 Apply knowledge of normal human structure and function and of the pathophysiology that underlies their disruption.
2.02 Demonstrate the ability to interpret and apply results of diagnostic tests, imaging, screening procedures, and epidemiologic data.
2.03 Obtain knowledge of the social, behavioral, and economic factors that influence health and apply this knowledge to patient care.Interpersonal and Communication Skills
All students will demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals.
3.01 Communicate effectively with patients, families, colleagues and the public through oral and written means.
3.02 Work effectively in a team as a member or leader.
3.03 Provide leadership skills to enhance team functioning, promote effective multidisciplinary patient care, and develop trust within teams.
3.04 Demonstrate emotional and social intelligence in communications with respect for patient privacy and autonomy.
3.05 Provide appropriate role modeling.
3.06 Perform supervisory responsibilities commensurate with one's roles, abilities, and qualifications.Personal and Professional Development
All students will adhere to professional standards and demonstrate the qualities required to sustain lifelong personal and professional growth.
4.01 Demonstrate the professional and behavioral attributes of a physician including honesty, integrity, compassion, tolerance, altruism, reliability, and respect for patient confidentiality.
4.02 Incorporate ethical standards in their interactions with patients, colleagues and society and appropriately manage conflicts of interest in order to uphold patient and public trust.
4.03 Incorporate skills for maintenance of personal wellness and professional behavior.
4.04 Recognize limitations in knowledge, skills and attitudes, demonstrating a commitment to lifelong, self-directed learning and self-improvement and incorporating feedback into daily practice.
4.05 Demonstrate responsiveness to change, uncertainty, and iterative processes inherent in complex health care.Critical Thinking and Discovery
All students will be able to critically appraise literature, apply knowledge and engage in scholarly activity.
5.01 Demonstrate the critical thinking employed during clinical reasoning to reach a prioritized differential diagnosis in patient encounters.
5.02 Apply the ability to access and critically read, understand, and interpret medical literature, and assess its relevance to patient care.
5.03 Recognize knowledge gaps, formulate testable hypotheses, and participate in effective scholarly activities that can fill identified knowledge gaps.
5.04 Disseminate knowledge gained by scholarly activities to fellow physicians and scientists through oral or written presentations.Health Care Systems and Society
All students will demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care.
6.01 Demonstrate the ability to advocate for patients at the individual and society level.
6.02 Demonstrate an understanding of health care finance systems including cost awareness and risk-benefit analysis, health care teams, and transitions of care for patients.
6.03 Identify shortcomings and gaps, then develop improvement strategies for health care systems to ensure quality, safety, and value in the delivery of patient care.
6.04 Provide health care with cultural sensitivity and an appreciation for the needs of diverse patient populations, whether based on age, appearance, ethnicity, culture, disability, economic status, gender, or sexual orientation.
Approved by the MECC, November 2019
Effective, July 2020
Reviewed by the MECC, September 2021