If you’re headed off to med school soon, expect lots of science classes. If you aren’t a fan of science, medical school isn’t a great choice. However, you’ll need to take plenty of other classes. You’ll transfer from the classroom to a hospital environment during your last two years, giving you invaluable experience for your medical career.
To make things less scary, we’ve compiled a list of the different types of classes to take for med school.
Preclinical Coursework
We’ll start with the preclinical classes that you’ll encounter. These are the classes you take in a lecture format in a classroom. You’re likely to travel to a dedicated campus for these courses instead of a teaching hospital.
Anatomy
This is the study of the human body—you’ll need to know it inside and out in health care. These classes focus on the major structures of the body, such as the vessels, nerves, and muscles.
Immunology
Immunology looks at how the human body fights diseases. You’ll learn how the body builds antibodies to fight invasive pathogens.
Microbiology
This course focuses on the threats posed by viruses, fungi, and bacteria. You’ll learn how to test for pathogens and treat their diseases.
Medical Ethics
An ethics class stands out on this list as it’s not related to science. It’s all about the ethics behind health care. In this class, you’ll learn about the legal boundaries you’ll have to work in. The coursework will vary based on the specific laws in your area.
Biochemistry
Biochemistry is the study of the body’s metabolic pathways. You’ll learn about how your body breaks down food and produces energy from it. Many students claim that this is one of the most challenging subjects in medical school.
Clerkships and Clinical Rotations
After you finish taking preclinical courses, it’s time to travel to the teaching hospital for your third and fourth years of medical school. Remember, there’s a learning curve when you transition from laboratory to field research! During this time, you’ll take courses about the different specialties in the medical field. These include:
- Family medicine
- Anesthesiology
- Dermatology
- Emergency medicine
- Pediatrics
- Surgery
- Urology
- Psychiatry
- Neurology
- Ophthalmology
These are several, but not all, of the different types of classes you’ll take for med school. It all fits into two phases. The pre-clinical phase contains all the classwork, and the clerkship is live hospital work. Best of luck in your studies!
