DPM 732/734/738/743 - GENERAL MEDICINE I, II, III & IV
The Medicine curriculum has been redesigned and now reflects the teaching style, which is typically seen in medical schools. The format is called the "Systems Approach". The medicine curriculum is a four-semester curriculum, which begins in the first semester of the 2nd year. Students will start with a cardiovascular system that will include pathophysiology, physical diagnosis, emergency medicine and medical ethics as it relates to the cardiovascular system. This will be followed by dermatology, neurology, and principles of internal medicine. The Medicine curriculum is integrated with clinical experience in the hospital and outpatient medical clinics. Initial clinical exposure to general medicine comes early in the second year when students are taught how to perform history and physicals in the most modern laboratory facilities at Samuel Merritt College. This is followed by a one-month rotation in the emergency room where the students will be performing history and physicals on live patients under direct supervision of the Emergency Room staff. In the third year students spend one month on a medicine team at the San Francisco General Hospital. Podiatric medical students are assigned patients by their chief resident and learn how to manage patients with various medical illnesses. Upon completion of the general medicine curriculum, the students will be proficient in performing history and physical, have a thorough understanding of the various medical problems and how to manage them.

DPM 750/753 - PODIATRIC MEDICINE I & II
This redesigned course, which is taught during the fall and spring semesters of the second year, focuses on Diabetic Wound Care and Peripheral Vascular Disease. It is coordinated by faculty with considerable expertise in the area of wound care and limb salvage. The course has been restructured to reflect the current advancements in medical technology as it relates to the fields of podiatry and medicine.

DPM 752 - INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL MEDICINE
Introduction to Clinical Medicine is taught in the 2nd semester of the first year. The course provides a solid foundation for the clinical rotations to follow during the 2nd year. Each session consists of a didactic presentation followed by a hands-on workshop. Topics include developing patient interview skills by obtaining a past medical history and review of systems, writing chart notes, performing the physical exam and developing a comfort level using podiatric instruments.

DPM 751/754 - RADIOLOGY I & II
The Radiology course is delivered using a clinically relevant, stepwise approach starting in the first semester of the 2nd year. The fall semester course focuses on radiation safety, radiography and an introduction to advanced imaging that includes CT and MRI. In the second semester, the focus is on both normal and abnormal radiology of the foot and ankle. Also in the 2nd year the students have a radiology workshop in which they are exposed to normal radiography of the foot and ankle. Finally, in the third year, the radiology program concludes with a month-long radiology workshop. In this small-group workshop, the emphasis is on reading and interpreting hundreds of radiographs from pathology files under the direct supervision of an attending podiatrist.

Upon completion of the radiology program, the podiatric medical student will be well prepared to obtain and interpret radiographs during clinical rotations, residency and beyond.

DPM 740 - NEUROLOGY
This is a lecture-demonstration course, which introduces the student to clinical neurology. It applies the principles of neurosciences to patients with neurological dysfunction, integrating anatomy, physiology, history taking, physical diagnosis, and therapeutics. The course provides a firm foundation in the diagnosis and therapy of common neurological disorders. This course is a valuable adjunct to the clinical correlation obtained during the two-month, third year student rotations in the neurology clinic.

DPM 736/739 - DERMATOLOGY I & II
This is a two-semester course, which provides an integrated approach to dermatological diagnosis and therapy. Particular emphasis is given to relevant history taking pertinent to the patient with a dermatological problem, techniques of physical examination, and relevant diagnostic laboratory procedures. The courses are designed to teach an effective biomedical and clinical approach to patients with dermatological diseases throughout the body including the lower extremities.

DPM 737 - PEDIATRICS
This is a one-semester course taught in the third year, which introduces the student to clinical Pediatrics. The course discusses issues of the history and physical relevant to the pediatric patient and includes lectures on child development, pediatric orthopedics, pediatric infections and pediatric oncology. This course is a valuable adjunct to the two-month clinical pediatric rotation when third year students rotate with the UCSF pediatric faculty at the university clinics.

DPM 758 - PUBLIC HEALTH & JURISPRUDENCE
The third year course in Public Health and Jurisprudence is a popular course that is divided into two distinct sections. The first half of the course is dedicated to Public Health and exposes students to epidemiology and medical statistics. Research design and interpretation are emphasized. The attorney for the California Podiatric Medical Association delivers the second half of the course, which exposes students to the legal aspects of the podiatric medical profession.

DPM 770/771/772/774 - BIOMECHANICS I, II, III & IV
Second year podiatric medical students complete two semesters of didactic biomechanics courses including a hands-on Skills Workshop. The Biomechanics program is designed to familiarize students with how anatomical form relates to function and the sequelae that present as clinical pathology. Biomechanics faculty members who have considerable experience in orthotic, orthopedic shoes and the prosthetic industry present the course. In addition, lectures on prescription shoe gear and lower extremity bracing modalities are presented by visiting speakers.

In the didactic courses students begin to develop an understanding of basic Biomechanics terminology and the development of the lower extremity and the various joint axes. They are then taught how to perform a thorough biomechanical evaluation and evaluate the gait cycle. In the second semester the course takes on a pathology specific approach where students are able to develop a treatment protocol to various pathologies of the lower extremity. Emphasis here is on the evaluation and treatment of patients with common pathologies. In the clinical workshop the students spend an entire month casting and modifying functional foot orthosis. Students learn different ways of casting for orthosis and develop an appreciation for various orthotic materials. This highly successful approach provides each student with an opportunity to perform all the steps necessary from patient evaluation, casting to constructing a functional and accommodative foot orthotic.

The Biomechanics III and IV courses are presented in a unique seminar style format. Class sessionsoccur on two consecutive weekends for Biomechanics III and on one weekend for Biomechanics IV, and faculty members from all over the country are brought in to make presentations. These two courses give a practical approach to the biomechanical treatment of lower extremity pathologies with emphasis on Sports Medicine.

DPM 755 - RESEARCH METHODS
This course, which is offered in the fall semester of the second year, is designed to prepare students to be competent consumers of research and knowledgeable participants in clinical research. This course introduces students to the principles of the scientific method and prepares them to analyze research studies critically. Focus will be on the role of research, methodologies, sampling, levels of measurement, probability, hypothesis testing, reliability and validity, and standard error. Students will develop hypotheses and research questions, and critique articles in the literature.

DPM 780 - INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN ANATOMY/HUMAN EMBRYOLOGY
Provides an introduction to anatomical terminology and human anatomical systems fundamental to considerations of function, physical diagnosis, trauma and disease. In addition, the patterns and principles of fertilization and normal and abnormal embryonic and fetal development of human organ systems are covered with a focus on the medical applications.

DPM 790 - PODIATRIC SURGERY I
Podiatric Surgery I is an introductory course offered in the first semester of the second year, which provides lectures on Surgical Principles including workshops on suturing and local anesthesia. Furthermore, lectures on fixation techniques, evaluation and surgical management of infections, nail pathology and soft tissue lesions are also provided. Upon completion of the course the student will be able to apply surgical principals in the diagnosis and treatment of infections, nail and soft tissue pathology as well as being familiar with the various types of fixation techniques.

DPM 791 - PODIATRIC SURGERY II
This course introduces second year podiatric medical students to the pathomechanics and surgical treatment plans for digital, lesser metatarsal, and 1st ray pathology. Students also receive a workshop on fabrication and utilization of preoperative templates. At the conclusion of this course, the student will have a basic understanding of how to evaluate and manage various common forefoot pathologies.

DPM 792 - PODIATRIC SURGERY III
This one semester course is the advanced podiatric surgery course that instructs the student in reconstructive surgical techniques and procedures used in elective surgery of the rear foot and ankle. The course describes the pathological conditions that affect the rear foot and the ankle and the surgical approaches used to treat and/or correct these conditions. This includes instruction on the systemic conditions involved in the development in the pathological manifestations in the foot and ankle. It also builds on the knowledge obtained from the principles of surgery presented in the preceding two courses.

DPM 793 - PODIATRIC TRAUMA
This is the last didactic surgery course that instructs the student in the medical and surgical management of the patient who has suffered lower extremity trauma. The student is first instructed on the basic principles of trauma management and this is followed by instruction on applying these principles to specific injuries of the foot and ankle. Although the instruction describes both direct and indirect trauma, the emphasis is on indirect trauma injuries. The majority of trauma situations of the lower extremity are the result of indirect mechanisms, and it is the understanding of these mechanisms that are tantamount to the successful treatment of these injuries.

The surgery courses are team taught by practicing podiatric surgeons on the faculty of CSPM. The course presentations are in slide format using a combination of title slides and intraoperative slides that illustrate the actual surgeries and compare the preoperative and postoperative clinical and radiographic appearance of the foot and ankle. Upon completion of the four podiatric surgery courses, the student will have the necessary didactic knowledge to begin their residency training.

CLINICAL ROTATION DESCRIPTIONS

DPM 756 - HIGHLAND HOSPITAL/PODIATRY ROTATION
This rotation, which is one month for second year students and two months for third year students, allows the students to evaluate and treat patients in the podiatric medicine clinic at Highland General Hospital. This is a full-service podiatric medicine clinic, which includes podiatric medicine, geriatrics, surgery, and sports medicine.

DPM 760 - HIGHLAND HOSPITAL/RADIOLOGY
This one-month rotation allows the third year student to participate in a radiology rotation as part of the Highland Hospital Rotation.

DPM 773 - BIOMECHANICS CLINICAL SKILLS WORKSHOP
A series of seven 8-hour workshops and demonstrations designed to develop necessary skills that will allow the student to apply the concepts of lower extremity biomechanics to orthotic therapy. The students will perform arthrometric examinations, under faculty supervision, as well as participate in gait evaluations. The students will be required to develop the skills necessary to take an accurate non-weight bearing and semi-weight bearing negative cast. Included in this course are two sessions at a professional orthotic laboratory where the student will participate in the various stages of production of their own functional orthotic. Included are workshops on orthotic prescription writing, orthotic evaluation and orthotic troubleshooting

DPM 733 - 2ND YEAR MEDICINE ROTATION
This rotation is designed to prepare podiatric medical students for general medicine and emergency medicine clinics. Students are taught how to perform a complete history and physical. This rotation takes place in a state of the art physical diagnosis laboratory. After completion of this rotation, students are able to perform a full history and physical exam and develop a differential diagnosis.

DPM 788 - HOMELESS CLINICS ROTATION
While on the one month homeless clinics rotation students get to examine and treat homeless patients with multiple medical and psychosocial problems. Students are supervised by one of the CSPM faculty members.

DPM 759 - DIABETIC AND WOUND CARE ROTATION
Presented as a two-month rotation in the third year, students will see patients in a number of diabetic and wound care clinic settings. Students learn and use the most appropriate and up-to-date evaluation and treatment modalities for a patient population at high risk for amputation. There is an emphasis on student initiative in increasing their knowledge base by outside readings, journal club, and student representation.

DPM 741 - 3RD YEAR MEDICINE ROTATION
This one-month medicine rotation at the Alameda County Highland Hospital gives third year students the opportunity to function as a member of a general medicine ward team in an acute care setting. General Medicine clinicians assigned to the ward team do most of the teaching. In addition, specific faculty members from CSPM hold weekly teaching sessions with the podiatric medical students.

DPM 761 - PRIVATE OFFICE CLERKSHIP
During this one month assignment students experience the full scope of a private office, i.e. palliation, biomechanics, office surgery and hospital surgery. Students also gain an understanding of patient flow in a private office and the importance of good relationships between a private practitioner and patients. The Private Office Clerkship helps students appreciate the complexities of the business operations of a private practice.

DPM 796 - SURGERY/OPERATING ROOM/BIOMECHANICS ROTATION
This is a four month 3rd year student rotation held at St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco. During the 4 months students will function in the operating room scrubbing on podiatric, vascular and general surgery cases as well as working with residents and faculty in the management of patients on an outpatient and inpatient basis. When not in the operating room, the students will function in a private office setting learning how to properly evaluate patients preoperatively and postoperatively as well as providing regular podiatric care. Each week the students will function with faculty from the applied Biomechanics Department. The students on this rotation are under the direct supervision of surgery department faculty.

DPM 787 - 2ND YEAR PODIATRY ROTATION
This one month rotation occurs in the Parnassus Heights Podiatry Practice during the second year of the curriculum. The second year student works in conjunction with third year students, residents and clinicians evaluating and managing patients with podiatric complaints in a private practice setting. The student will gain experience in surgical nail debridement, minor surgical nail procedures, and palliative care. Furthermore, the second year student will gain experience in taking, developing, and evaluating radiographs.

DPM 789 - Laguna Honda Hospital/Radiology Rotation
While on this one month rotation second year podiatric medical students are exposed to geriatric patients. Students get to see first-hand the various illnesses that affect our geriatric population and learn how to approach and treat this very fast growing population. Podiatric medical students make rounds in the hospital wards and staff a busy outpatient clinic under direct supervision by one of the faculty members of the CSPM.