Home » Structure » Timeline » Med 1 & 2 Home Director Intro Structure Timeline Med 1 & 2 Grad School Med 3 & 4 Funding Directors/Administrators Committees Research Training Programs Faculty By Name Faculty By Program Resources History Campus Resources Students Research Highlights Students by Name Students by Year Resources Alumni By Name By Degree By Year Publications Admissions Procedure Application Living in Madison Housing Dining Campus Tour City Current Events Seminar Symposium Retreat Contact Us Med Years 1 & 2 The First year The typical MST Program begins with the first two years of medical school didactic training. It is optional for students to begin in the summer of their first year taking either summer gross anatomy or doing a research rotation. For those students doing summer gross anatomy, there will be time in the first semester for either a graduate course or a research rotation. During the first year, students receive basic science training in various disciplines, and also prepare for the graduate school years which will follow. In the spring semester of their first year, students arrange to conduct research rotations in laboratories of interest. The summer between the first and second years of medical school is spent doing these research rotations. A total of at least three research rotations are recommended to allow students to fairly choose a lab for their thesis research. The Second Year The second year of medical school consists of a more focused curriculum which details the various organ systems and disease processes. Throughout the second year, students decide on a thesis advisor and graduate program in which to pursue their graduate studies and complete a formal application to that graduate department. These first two years culminate with the successful completion of Step One of the USMLE Boards. After taking Step One boards, students participate in the MSTP Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM). This three-week patient care course is limited to MSTP students. Students work as third year medical students on the wards in Internal Medicine at the UW hospital. Students then spend one week in the MSTP Introduction to Clinical Research (ICR) course observing various clinical trials taking place at UW-Madison, interacting with clinical investigators and patients in an area of research of interest to them. After completing the ICM and ICR courses, students transition into the graduate phase of the program.   Medical School 1st Year Curriculum   Medical School 2nd Year Curriculum   2004-2005 Student Handbook